To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us (Daniel 9:9-10).
When we truly understand the love of God, we learn the blessedness of forgiveness of sins. Sin is defined as missing the mark, but just how bad is it to miss the mark? What did humanity do to miss what God the creator wanted? The book of Daniel is very insightful in providing answers. “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us” (Daniel 9:9-10). Sin is the single cause of humanity’s depravity and aberrant behavior, which go against kingdom norms, conduct, and God Himself. Mankind’s disobedience towards God was and is willful and personal. It is what we call, “in your face.” Scripture says, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). Since everything is open to His eyes, even though we may not be aware of it, sin is directed against God. All sin is personal!
The beauty and the costliness of forgiveness is often missed by us. The same one to whom our sin was directed, offers us a full pardon, if we by this offered grace, accept that we are wrong and receive His offer of restoration. He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness! His generosity is unparalleled in all creation! The Lord Himself, the offended party, not only offers the guilty a full pardon, but becomes the sacrificial means by which the repentant sinner finds his way back to God! In this, we see that forgiveness, love, and repentance are inextricably linked. There cannot be one without the others! God’s own love demands the offer of forgiveness, and if we in turn love Him, that love demands repentance. “We love Him because He first loved us” and this love of God, working in us, leads us to say, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (1 John 4:19; Psalm 51:4). “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Let us forgive one another.
To be continued …