The biggest need of guilty sinners isn’t understanding or even sympathy. It’s forgiveness.
Thankfully, our God is El Nahsah, “the God who forgives.” We first see indications of this in Genesis 3:15. Right on the heels of Adam and Eve’s shocking rebellion, God hints at His future plan to redeem them, and the world, from sin.
Another early reference to God’s forgiving nature is seen in Exodus 34:7—just a couple of chapters after Israel’s most heinous rejection of God—where the Almighty assures Moses that He forgives wickedness, rebellion, and sin.
How did God accomplish this amazing work of forgiving our offenses? The apostle Paul tells us it came about through Christ taking our sins—all of them—with Him to the cross (Colossians 2:13).
We really do serve a God who has removed our sin as far away from us “as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
God’s forgiveness is once and for all, as well as ongoing. It’s past, present, and future. In Christ, God has forgiven us; and He continues to forgive us. Shockingly, He does not demand that we be perfect. In fact, our mess-ups have no effect on His love.
It’s stunning, but true: No matter how many times we go our own way, God continues to offer pardon.
So, how are we doing when it comes to forgiving others for their transgressions against us? The apostle Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” And Jesus answered, “Seventy-seven times”—a Jewish idiom meaning “as many times as necessary” (Matthew 18:21–22).
When we keep God’s mercy to us in mind, it becomes easier to extend that same forgiveness to others. If God doesn’t hold our offenses against us, can’t we afford to do the same for others?
When we’ve been forgiven much, we should love much.
How do we keep from taking God’s forgiving nature for granted?
