How Does God Forgive?
HOW DOES GOD FORGIVE?
This post focuses on how God forgives us. The main ideas here are taken from the book ‘Reflections of a Discerning Christian’ by Nelson Thomas. I have also added a few of my own points after meditating on the same verses.
Psalm 103:12 - As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Because God has removed our sins so far away from us, once we’re forgiven we will never be able to confront our sins.
We don’t know if David really knew the shape of the earth when he wrote this, but the Holy Spirit inspired him to choose the directions of east and west to describe God’s forgiveness. If he had said traveling north on the globe, you are traveling south as soon as you go over the North Pole. But if you travel east, you are traveling east forever. East and west never meet and that is how far God has removed our sins from us.
Isaiah 1:18 - “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
When God forgives us, He totally cleanses us. Even the stain of sin is removed from us. We are white as snow or wool.
God offered Judah true and complete cleansing from sin if they were truly repentant and humble. Jesus took upon Himself our stain of sin and God judged that sin completely on Christ.
Our good works, best intentions, or our suffering can’t be used to clean the stain. Only the work of Christ can make us white as snow.
Isaiah 38:17 - Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
When God removes our sins, He won’t take them back
God allowed Hezekiah to have great suffering in the terms of illness. It then became his peace knowing that his sins had been forgiven and he had been delivered from them. He was reconciled to God.
Isaiah 43:25 - “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.
When God forgives us, not only does He completely remove them, He doesn’t even remember them.
Even though God’s people sinned repeatedly and disregarded Him, He still loves HIs people and longs for their humble return to Him. How does God forget our sins? He chooses not to remember them, because the cost has been paid completely by Christ’s suffering on the cross.
Micah 7:19 - He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
When God forgives, it isn’t just for a specific time period. It is forever and final.
God hates sin, but He loves sinners. He loves us too much to leave us in our sin. He has compassion to save us from our sin. God forgives us and removes our sin from us completely. He doesn’t hold on to it and hang it over our heads.
