Never too far gone...

“And [Manasseh] did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.”
-2 Kings 21:2

Have you ever known someone that just seemed ‘too far gone?’  You’ve tried everything to get through to them.  All of your efforts and prayers seem to come up empty.  Perhaps you may feel this way about yourself….
The truth of the matter is, Scripture makes clear that there is still hope.  There is no one too sinful or 'too far gone' for the Lord's Spirit to go to work and regenerate them; to make them new by giving them a new heart with new desires to serve Him. 
Salvation is for all who call on the name of Jesus in repentance and faith (Rom. 10:13).

The Lord can save anyone.

If there's still doubt in your mind about this, look no further than 2 Kings 21 and/or the parallel account in 2 Chronicles 33. In these historical accounts we come across a wicked king of Jerusalem named Manasseh.
Just how wicked, just how 'too far gone' was he?

Manasseh was guilty of idolatry, burning his own children alive, blaspheming God, desecrating God’s holy temple, and witchcraft. 
God judged Manasseh and the Israelites through the Babylonian captivity for all of this horrific activity.  To read such an account of someone’s life would leave anyone thinking that this man named Manasseh was ‘too far gone’; probably BEYOND too far gone.  The things Manasseh did make the evils of Stalin, Bin Laden, Mussolini, Sadaam Hussein, and even Hitler pale in comparison.  This was an evil, evil dude.

In the end, only after much judgment from God, Manasseh repented and put his faith and trust in the Lord to forgive him (2 Chronicles 33:10-13).  A second (and likely more than just a second) chance was given to one of the most wicked men whose ever walked the face of the earth.

If Manasseh can be brought to a place of repentance and faith, anyone can.  Take heart in this.



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