Knowing where we stand with God when we have been forgiven is critical to our faith. Without that understanding, we will be trapped in a prison of self-condemnation and fear. Gaining that understanding will remind us what the Lord did when He redeemed us.
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:2-5).
We can mistakenly think the Lord’s compassion and mercy end when we sin. His love is just the opposite: “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins” (vs. 8-10). If the Lord punished us for all our sins, we would spiritually perish, not thrive in His forgiveness.
David used words that defined the expansive nature of God’s forgiveness, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (vs 12). On a linear line, east from the west have no end because they never meet. God’s love is an eternal, all-encompassing, and never-ending love.
The Lord knows we are weak and when we fail Him, He responds to us “Like a compassionate father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are” (vs. 13-14)
Because the Lord knows we are weak, He has forgiven us from east to west. There is no sin on our timeline that cannot be forgiven. His offer to forgive us expands from here to eternity, “But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!” (vs. 17-18).
As Jesus told His disciples, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven” (John 20:23) so it is with those in our lives who have sinned against us. It is one of the most powerful things we can tell another follower of Christ. When Jan and I take communion together, we express God’s forgiveness to each other. Our words of forgiveness are words of freedom and acceptance – the foundation upon which all relationships in God’s Kingdom are built.
I say this to some of you who are reading these words: “You are forgiven.” From that understanding, you will begin to realize that His forgiveness has greater power than your sin and any dread or consequence that your sin will bring. That is where we all stand before God – free and forgiven.
Thank you – you have made God’s heart reality pulsate with mine:
This IS The Truth-
His forgiveness has greater power than your sin and any dread or consequence that your sin will bring. That is where we all stand before God – free and forgiven.