Forgiveness
Divine forgiveness is a spiritual process whereby a repentant sinner
(law-breaker) may receive total pardon from the Almighty and set free from
sin's death penalty. It is a holy gift in the truest sense of the term and
is freely obtainable from God upon request. But even though forgiveness is a
free gift which cannot be earned in any way, it is, nevertheless, made available
to us by the God of Israel at enormous cost to Himself. And no doubt throughout
eternity, earth's ransomed host will ever wonder at Yahweh's amazing love and generosity
as the full measure of the price He paid to save us from eternal death becomes more and
more evident.
It is also a fact that there is not a single sin in the whole catalogue of evil
which is unforgivable - provided the requirements of repentance are fully
met. All sinners, especially those who have plummeted to the very depths of
corruption, would do well to remember this fact. Yes, it is time to seek
forgiveness of God before it is eternally too late. In other words, if a sinner
genuinely repents of sin - any sin - and seeks forgiveness, he will find it, no
matter how evil may be his record and however corrupt his past.
Yet, by the same token, the Scriptures make it abundantly clear that if
forgiveness is not sought and Yahweh's offer of mercy not accepted, then the
Most High will in no wise acquit the guilty, but will punish the offender, no
matter how trivial his offence may appear to be. The Unforgivable Sin,
therefore, is not one particular type of sin which God is somehow unable or
unwilling to pardon: rather it is the sin that is wilfully and persistently
cherished; the sin that will not be given up, even in the face of all the
injunctions of Holy Scripture and the strong conviction brought on by the Holy
Spirit. Continued rejection of spiritual conviction amounts to blasphemy and a
sin becomes "unforgivable" when it is blatantly indulged in and forgiveness not
even requested.
- Since every sin is, in the final analysis, committed against God, it is from
Him that forgiveness must be requested. If another human being is involved then
that person's pardon should also be sought.
(2 Chronicles 7:14, Daniel 9:8-9, Psalm 130:4, Matthew 5:23-24)
- Yahweh's channel of divine mercy and pardon is His Son Yeshua the Messiah
(Jesus the Christ). It is by faith in Him that every spiritual blessing is
received.
(Acts 5:31, Acts 13:38)
- The Almighty is more willing to forgive sin than we can possibly imagine and
His urgent appeals in this direction are proof of this.
(2 Peter 3:9, Isaiah 55:6-7)
- Every sin, no matter how grievous, can be forgiven, if forgiveness is sought
the only condition of pardon being that we confess our sins and be willing to
forsake them.
(Isaiah 1:16-20, Ezekiel 18:21, Jeremiah 33:8)
- On the other hand, any sin may become the unforgivable sin if divine
conviction is persistently resisted and forgiveness refused.
(Numbers 14:18, Exodus 20:5, Nahum 1:3)
- A person's own forgiveness by the Most High is influenced by his/her
willingness to forgive others. Those who refuse to forgive their fellow mortals,
especially when genuine reconciliation is sought, are hardly likely to find
forgiveness from God.
(Matthew 6:12, Mark 11:26)
- By some strange process Yahweh also has the ability to forget. He is able to
overwrite His mind and put all our sins behind His back. The Scriptures tell of
a time when He will erase the record of our sins from His own memory and also
from ours.
(Psalm 32:1-2, Isaiah 44:21-22, Jeremiah 31:34)
- When a person is forgiven and begins to walk in the path of righteousness
he/she will go on to become the recipient of many spiritual blessings. This is
the inheritance of every true believer.
(Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 1:1-6, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, 1 Corinthians 2:9)
- Just like repentance, forgiveness has a time limit and one day will become
unobtainable. So do not neglect the Most High's offer of salvation. Millions
are going to find out - too late - that they have thrown away the gift of
eternal life. It must not happen to you.
(Zephaniah 2:2-3, Hebrews 12:16-17)
- It is good to remember that though the Eternal's rulership is established
upon the principles of divine law and justice, He has nevertheless made ample
provision for forgiveness by Himself occupying the Mercy Seat. And it is at the
Mercy Seat, which is over and above the law, that we learn to love God for what
He really is, our kind and merciful Heavenly Father.
(Numbers 7:89, Exodus 25:20-22, Hebrews 4:15-16)
Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
August 1998
URL: http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/sbs777/course/lesson3.html