GOD'S FORGIVENESS FROM GOD'S VIEWPOINT

God’s forgiveness from God’s viewpoint

God initiated the process for forgiveness. (1 John 4:19)

As the offspring of Adam, we were born sinners.  We grew up to be sinners.  It was our innate nature to sin.  Sinning did not make us sinners; we sinned because we were sinners.  We were doomed to eternal death. We did not choose to be saved and we had no way to be saved.  

But God in His mercy took the initiative to save us and made a way for us to be forgiven through the blood of His son Jesus Christ.  He loved us first.

God’s anger is appeased by the blood of Jesus Christ. (1 John 4:10)

Justice demands that sin cannot go unpunished.  Divine anger was kindled and now it had to be appeased. Someone had to pay.  Jesus paid the price.  God presented Jesus Christ to be propitiation through our faith in His blood (Rom 3:25.)  God’s anger against sin was pacified.  His wrath towards us was quenched.  Our belief in the blood of Jesus Christ made us accepted.  All charges against us were dropped.  We are free to go.

God has forgotten our sins (Heb 8:12 - Jeremiah 31:34)

God made a new covenant with us on the basis of the blood of Jesus Christ and assured us that He would not remember our sins no more.  Jeremiah prophesied about this new covenant.  Our sins are thrown into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19.)  The penalty for sin was paid once and for all; and the record is made clean.  We stand in His presence as if we have never sinned; which is why He is able to receive the worst of sinners.

God cancelled the consequences of our sins. (Ps 103:3)

Forgiveness of our sins and healing of our diseases come together.  Just like we face temptations to sin even after receiving forgiveness, we might face symptoms of disease even after receiving healing (Ps 103:3).  Understand that sin starts with a temptation and disease starts with a symptom.  We need to persistently resist and overcome temptations and symptoms to remain spiritually and physically healthy (3 John 2.)  

Remember we are made the righteousness of God in Him and by His stripes we are healed (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24.)  If God can forget and forgive sin, He can surely cancel the consequences too.  Someone might say a smoker can get saved from sin but die of cancer because of the consequences of smoking.  If God can forgive his sin, He can certainly give him health too.  Does God do half a job?  Isn’t sickness a consequence of sin and if sin can be dealt with, why not the consequence?  David prophetically explains this in Psalm 103:3 “who forgives all our iniquities and heals all our diseases”.

God does not hold our sins against us. (Rom 8:1-2)

If you have received the spirit of life through Jesus Christ, you are freed from the law of sin and death.  The law of sin and death is the law of Moses which only reveals sin and pronounces death - but the spirit of life is grace that delivers us from sin through faith.  And because we are under grace, sin cannot have dominion over us (Rom 6:14.)  Therefore, we are not under condemnation and God does not hold our sins against us.

God did not impute any sin to our account. (Ps 32:2;  Rom 4:6)

When we are made new creatures in Christ, (2 Cor 5:19-21) God ensured that he did not count our trespasses against us.  Paul describes the same as ‘our blessedness’.  God deleted our sins from his accounts journal and reconciled us to Himself.  Accountants can understand what we are talking about.  Because all our sins and its consequences were laid upon Christ, there are no sins left to be put on our account.  What blessedness!

God removed the sin conscience from us. (Heb 10:1-39)

The sacrifices according to the law should have removed the sin conscience if they were once cleansed (vs 2), but in those sacrifices there was still a remembrance of their sins (vs 3).  Only the body of Jesus Christ (vs 5) that God prepared in heaven could take away the first (law) and establish the second (grace) (vs 9) and it is through the same body that we are also sanctified (separated) (vs 10).  (Moses my servant is dead;  Joshua (Jesus) arise – Moses must make way for Joshua - the law must make way for grace.  The law was given by Moses but grace and truth came with Jesus Christ). Jesus Christ through one sacrifice (vs 12) removed sins forever.  And by one offering he perfected us who are sanctified (separated) (vs 14).  Holy Spirit is a witness confirming all this because he inspired Jeremiah the prophet to write in Chapter 31 of his book that our ‘sins and iniquities would never be remembered’.  We are now able to boldly enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus Christ which is the new and living way dedicated for us through his flesh (vs 19-20).  Our entry is with a true heart that is cleansed and full of assurance of faith, washed from an evil conscience with bodies washed with pure water.  We are able to draw near to God because we believe that Jesus Christ died for us; therefore let us hold on to our declaration of faith without wavering that we are sanctified by faith (vs 22-24).  And let us encourage one another of this truth of justification because if we willfully reject the truth of justification by grace even after knowing it (vs 26)  no sacrifice can save us.  Those that despise the blood of the covenant that sanctifies and rejects the Spirit of grace will certainly be punished (vs 29).  Remember we are justified to be righteous by faith and if any man rejects this truth, God will have no pleasure in him.  But we are not part of this group that will reject this grace (vs 38-39).  Every person alive has the opportunity now, to come to Jesus Christ and be justified; but rejection will result in punishment.

God received us as sons. (Rom 8:14)

Notice if we are walking in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are not walking after the (Law) efforts of the flesh but after the grace of God that is able to free you from sin and death (Rom 8:1-2).  What the law could not do, Jesus did.  He condemned sin in the flesh so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, because we are no more trying to keep the law in our own strength (vs 3-4).  We are now walking in the grace of God by the Spirit (vs 5);  if not, we do not belong to him (vs 9).  Christ now lives in us and His righteousness is imputed upon us making us the righteousness of God.  And just as He was raised from the dead our bodies too will be raised to immortality (vs 10-11).  In that case, why should we even try to strive in the flesh? (vs 12).  The Spirit of Christ in us will mortify the deeds of the flesh (vs 13).  If we walk in the spirit; we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal 5:16).  As we seek after the grace of God by faith;  we will lose our taste for fleshly desires.  And when we allow the Spirit of God (grace) to lead us, we will truly be sons of God (vs 14).  And we will not have to be afraid because we are now adopted by God to be His sons and we can call Him Abba or Daddy (vs 15).  God’s spirit in us confirms that we are indeed children of God (vs 16).

God treats us as friends. (Rom 5:8-10)

Since forgiveness was God’s initiative, He died for us even when we didn’t know him (vs 8).  If we were reconciled to God while we were enemies, we are much more now - friends.  Jesus sent for us another Comforter just like Himself to be in us and with us.  Holy Spirit stays with us and in us always;  even when we quench Him and grieve Him.  Friends forever.

God made us righteousness.  (2 Cor 5:10-21)

Everyone must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (vs 10), therefore we persuade people to believe (vs 11).  The love of Christ compels us to tell people to believe that if Christ died, then we were all dead with Him (vs 14).  And because Christ is risen, we all have risen with Him (vs 15) and we do not recognize or acknowledge anyone as bodily beings but spiritual beings (vs 16).  Therefore, if we be in Christ, we are a new creature: old things are passed away; all things are become new (vs 17).  All this is done by God who reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ (vs 18).  God in Christ reconciled us to Himself and did not take into account our sins and trespasses (vs 19).  He even appointed us as ambassadors to carry the good news to plead with people to accept this reconciliatory work (vs 20).  God made Jesus Christ who knew no sin, to become sin so that by substitution we become as righteous as Jesus Christ (vs 21).  We are now co-workers with Christ and we plead with you to not waste the grace of God.

- Melchizedek