In golf it is called a Mulligan. When playing games with friends it is a “do over.” We mess up something and we are given another chance to do it right. In our spiritual lives God gives us a chance to be reconciled to Him when sin separates us from Him. He forgives and gives us another chance to live pleasing to Him. Thankfully, He continues to give us opportunities to succeed after we fail.
When God brought the flood predicted in Genesis 6, He cleansed the world of wickedness and began recreating the world anew. The thoughts of men were on evil continually. They were lustful and violent and God was sorry that He made man. He was pleased with Noah and instructed Noah to build an ark to save his household and animals that would repopulate the earth. God gave men a chance to repent at Noah’s preaching but they ignored him, 2 Peter 2:5. By destroying the wicked unrepentant sinners God gave the world a second chance. Sadly, mankind has returned to violent and lustful thoughts and dwelling on evil continually. God has promised that He will destroy the world for good but is giving men an opportunity to repent even now, 2 Peter 3:9-13
Spiritually, we are cleansed from the filthiness of sin when we are immersed in water for the remission of sins, Romans 6:1-11, 2 Peter 3:21. We enjoy a new life in which Christ lives in us. The lustful and wicked body of sin is crucified and dead to us. God gives us a second chance to live a life pleasing to Him. The encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, recorded in John 8:1-11, demonstrates the merciful pardon that Jesus gives to those who sorrow for their sins and the exhortation to “sin no more.”
When we sin after becoming a child of God, we have the promise of God’s forgiveness if we repent, 1 John 2:1. When Peter denied the Lord he wept bitterly for his betrayal. Yet Matthew 26:30-35, 65-68 records how Jesus forgave Peter. Peter became very useful in the kingdom of God and did not deny His Lord again. We can have complete forgiveness when we repent, 1 Corinthians 6:8-11.
If you have been forgiven by God and are His child, don’t waste your second chance. If you are not a child of God, come to Him in obedience so your sins can be washed away and you can enjoy a new life in Him.
Godly Youth 