Forgiveness is a key to life and health. In my ministry as a
hospital chaplain I find people ill from many diseases and accidents. Often I
also find folks emotionally ill from the lack of forgiveness. It seems that
people often have a stubborn streak about forgiving. Their thoughts are about
how awful a sin against them someone did. They do not deserve forgiveness. Some
say they will withhold forgiveness and then their protagonist will see. See
what? They probably don’t even know the other person is in such a snit over the
perceived slight or real sin. But thanks be to God that He is forgiving.
Eternal praises to Him who suffered and died that we might be forgiven.
However, many still say He can’t forgive me for such and such a sin. Before I address
that let’s see just how great God’s forgiveness is.
Last week I talked through the wonderful Isaiah 55 passage
about God’s thoughts and ways being above ours’ and how He waters the earth
causing us to break forth in songs of joy. Moreover in verses 7-8 Isaiah tells
us, “Let
the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the
Lord and He will have mercy on him, and to our God for He will freely pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares
the Lord.” His thoughts and ways are much higher, who can even know
them? Yes God will and does pardon our sins as we turn to Him in confession for
forgiveness.
The prophet Micah talks of God’s forgiveness saying, “Who
is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgressions of the
remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show
mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins under foot
and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah
7:18-19). I love that they are in the
depths of the oceans.
My favorite Psalm 103 David says, “Praise the Lord O my soul and
forget not all His benefits, who forgives all our sins… as far as the east is
from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us…and remembers
it no more” (Psalm 103:2,3,14,16). We have a God who forgives all and
sends them as far away as possible, choosing to remember them no more.
However, since we all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, He needed a solution for our sins. He needed to send His Son;
Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us, taking all our sins on Himself that we
might be freed. That is the message of salvation for those who would believe
and receive it. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount says, “For if you forgive men when they
sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew
7:14-15). This means that if you do not forgive, you have not received God’s
gift or do not believe it applies to you. Perhaps you believe that your sins
are too great. In a strange way that is arrogantly humble, an oxymoron. There
is not sin too great for God that He would not forgive it. The only sin
unforgivable is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which means not receiving God’s
gift of forgiveness. Jesus died for all that we might be saved from our sins;
but we must open this gift to receive it. Thank God for this indescribable gift
as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:15. Humans tend to be unforgiving and hold
grudges, but God does not. “Forgive and you will be forgiven, give and
it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down shaken together and
running over will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:37b-38).
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.