FORGIVENESS, FREE, FULL AND FINAL

I have read that in every European language the words which express forgiveness and pardon all imply an absolute gift. One wonderful feature of God's pardon is that it is free; our faith needs to being nothing in payment. It is not a good works or goodness in us that make God willing to forgive us neither does the evil make Him unwilling to do so where there is repentance. How majestic it is for Him to say, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake", Isa 3: 25. Love is the motive and the work of Jesus is the abiding basis.

Another wonder is that forgiveness is full. Wherever God pardons He pardons all - every single sin however dark or deep, although He does work upon our consciences so that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin", 1 John 1: 7. The fact that some of our responsible sins remain in our minds and even become more hateful to us does not imply that they are still on the conscience and unforgiven. God will "abundantly pardon", and the simpler faith is, the more fully will this be understood and enjoyed.

Forgiveness is also final, a free gift that cannot be recalled. For it to be maintained does not depend upon the believer and there cannot be the blotting out of sins today and their being written down again tomorrow. The witness of it in our souls and its enjoyment may vary, but God gives to the obedient believer the free gift of the Holy Spirit who keeps our own spirits bright in the appreciation of all His blessings. We may say with king Hezekiah, ''thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back", Isa 38: 17.

Another passage of Scripture rejoices that God casts sins into the depths of the sea (see Mic 7: 19). This is a most comforting word-picture for our souls. Many amazing deep-sea salvage works have been carried out successfully in our time, but no one, not even the devil himself, can ever raise the sins of a pardoned sinner! Sadly, however, at the end of time, the sea will give up for judgment the unrepentant dead which are in it. But, "blessed they whose iniquities are forgiven", Rom 4: 7.

J.C.Evershed