“…and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
Dear Ones:
The concept of forgiveness of sins, or pardon, was born in the heart of God before the world began. So was its means and method. To understand the power of the pardon of God, we have to go back to His heart, and the unveiling of His way, and basis, for forgiveness. We also need to look at the completeness of it, along with the lasting effects. In other words, we need to see what it cost God to deal with our sin, and the extent of that work, in order to grasp how complete and effective it was, and is, in dealing with man’s sin today.
We first begin with the nature and character of God. In speaking of His holiness, we see His uniqueness, not only with regard to the difference between Him as the Creator and His creation, but also, with regard to His abhorrence and antagonism to that which is not pure, good, holy, and mostly…love. Secondly, we discover that God cannot deny what He is. One aspect of that attribute is that He is “complete,” not in the sense that he lacked something before, and at present, but that He can only deal with a need in an absolute, and perfect manner. This fact has a specific and wondrous application to the issue of sin, for God could not have provided an imperfect solution for it, nor could His actions be less than those born out of perfect love. So, what does God do? He provides a singular, and perfect, solution for the pardon of man’s sin, by the absolute, and greatest manifestation of His love for us, the giving of His Son.
What then is the central, and most salient feature of this subject of pardon? It is the issue of righteousness, or “rightness” in the sight of God. There is NO peace with God without perfection. It is for this reason that man must be holy, if he is to know a Holy God. How can this be? Certainly not by his own efforts, design, and will, for man is like the leopard with his spots…he cannot remove his sin. He is what he is by nature, and his actions. God alone can change him, and make him holy, and righteous, The work of Christ on the cross, having taken the place of sinful man, was perfect. The Lord Jesus “…was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him…”(Is. 53:5) He did this entirely, absolutely, as He could do no other work but that which was perfect. It was in tasting death for every man, that He provided the gift of “righteousness,” His perfect righteousness, to every man. The operating principle by which man could receive, and possess, this righteousness, and Life by the Spirit, would be the gift of faith. Faith would come by hearing the truth of the Gospel, or good news of Christ, and then calling upon the name of the Lord for forgiveness, pardon, and salvation. God would hear and respond.
After David’s sin with Bathsheba, and against Uriah, Nathan the prophet exposed David’s sin, and pronounced God’s judgement upon David. It was then that David truly realized what he had done. The conviction of his sin began to weigh greatly upon him, and also the knowledge of the far-reaching effects upon others. Then came the seeking of God for pardon, forgiveness. It is in Psalm 51, that we see the power of pardon, for not only is it a matter of the “blotting out” of the transgression, but the appeal for the absolute washing and cleansing from the filth, and taint of it. David even goes so far as to petition God: “Create in me a clean heart O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (v.10) Here is the miracle of pardon, God’s act of pardon. He literally removes the filth, and guilt of sin, cleanses the heart and soul, giving an absolute NEW BEGINNING.
Dear Father, Open our eyes to see the power of Thy pardon, giving us grace to receive it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad