November
18, 2003
THE
GIFT OF FORGIVENESS
"Him
God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior,
to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins"
(Acts 5:31, NKJV).
"Repentance
is one of the first fruits of saving grace. Our great Teacher,
in His lessons to erring, fallen man, presents the life-giving
power of His grace, declaring that through this grace men
and women may live the new life of holiness and purity. He
who lives this life works out the principles of the kingdom
of heaven. Taught of God, he leads others in straight paths.
He will not lead the lame into paths of uncertainty. The working
of the Holy Spirit in his life shows that he is a partaker
of the divine nature. Every soul thus worked by the Spirit
of Christ receives so abundant a supply of the rich grace
that, beholding his good works, the unbelieving world acknowledges
that he is controlled and sustained by divine power, and is
led to glorify God.
"Read
and study the thirty-fourth chapter of Ezekiel. In it we are
given most precious encouragement. 'I will save my flock,
and they shall be no more a prey,' the Lord declares. '...
And I will make with them a covenant of peace.'
"The
most striking feature of this covenant of peace is the exceeding
richness of the pardoning mercy expressed to the sinner if
he repents and turns from his sin. The Holy Spirit describes
the gospel as salvation through the tender mercies of our
God. 'I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,' the Lord
declares of those who repent, 'and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more' (Hebrews 8:12). Does God turn from
justice in showing mercy to the sinner? No; God cannot dishonor
His law by suffering it to be transgressed with impunity.
Under the new covenant, perfect obedience is the condition
of life. If the sinner repents and confesses his sins, he
will find pardon. By Christ's sacrifice in his behalf, forgiveness
is secured for him. Christ has satisfied the demands of the
law for every repentant, believing sinner.
"The
atonement that has been made for us by Christ is wholly and
abundantly satisfactory to the Father. God can be just, and
yet the justifier of those who believe."--God's
Amazing Grace, p. 138.
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