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NATIONAL BAPTIST DEACONS CONVENTION of America, Inc. and its Auxiliary
Deacon Richard E. Banks President Parent Body (FL)
Deacon Richard F. Hucks General Secretary (DE)
Deaconess Rose Hofler President Women’s Aux. (NC)
Ms. Sharyse Porter President Young Adults (NJ)
Mr. Jon Hart President Youth Department (SC)
Deacon Gilbert (Gil) Tyler Public Relations Department (VA)
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September 1 , 2011 Volume 1 Issue 4 |
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Deacon Gilbert Tyler Editor |
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Are We Too Bad For God’s Forgiveness?
If we believe our emotions, we may feel we have gone too far. Our self-contempt seems deserved. But there is hope. God wants us to believe in His ability to forgive sins that we cannot forget.
But what do we know about this forgiveness? What does the Bible tell us? Does it come automatically? To everyone? All the time? Not according to the Bible. God’s offer of forgiveness comes with conditions.
While He stands ready to forgive any brokenhearted sinner, He does not automatically forgive, nor is He obligated to forgive. His forgiveness doesn’t mean that we can ignore laws of natural or legal consequence (Gal. 6:7). The Scriptures also show there are fresh-falling waters of forgiveness equal to the falls of our personal failures. In the following pages and articles, we will see how much God has personally suffered to become “just and the justifier” (Rom. 3:26) of those who do not deserve to live. In the process we will see that:
God’s love is equal to His anger. God’s mercy is equal to His justice.
God’s forgiveness is equal to our guilt. Through the wisdom of His love, God has found a way of satisfying the demands of His law while still offering forgiveness to the worst of sinners.
“Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt. 10:28)
God’s anger is not a denial of His love. His anger means He cares too much to ignore the harm we are doing to ourselves and to one another. Woven into the greatest love story the world has ever known is the unfolding drama of a God who loves enough to hate evil. He cares enough to be angry with religionists who trivialize sin in themselves, while separating themselves from those who need mercy. He cares enough to be angry with those of us who reduce sin to petty legalisms, while ignoring the needs of others.
Because God revealed Himself in the mirror image of His Son (Col. 1:15), in Jesus we find an accurate picture of the balance between heaven’s love and anger. Jesus cared enough to be angry (Mt. 21:12). He loved enough to warn us of pending judgment (Jn. 3:36), while assuring us that His love is equal to His anger (Jn. 3:16).
“If we are hungry enough for God, we will find a way into His presence.”
We cannot afford to misunderstand the relationship between the love and anger of God. Jesus did not come to condemn us (Jn. 3:17). He came to save us from our sin and from His own wrath. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28). The truth about God’s love and anger is not found in one or the other. The truth is that His love is equal to His anger, and because of His love He found a way to show mercy. Society is troubled when crime goes unpunished. For the murder of a child, we want the guilty to pay. For a terrorist bombing, Middle Eastern custom demands that someone settle the score. The demand for justice is deeply rooted. The God of the Old Testament established the principle of eye-for-eye, life-for-life justice in a setting of legal witnesses and due process (Dt. 19:21). How then can this same God pardon a sinner? How can justice be satisfied except by punishment of the guilty party? Who else can be held responsible for our sin? There is only one other possibility. Other than ourselves, the only one who can be held responsible is the One who gave us the freedom to sin. Like a parent who gives use of the family car to a 16-year-old child, God gave us the freedom, the time, and the capacity to sin. Is it possible for Him to offer to pay for our damages? According to Scripture, that’s exactly what God did. At great cost to Himself, He paid the price for our sin. In retrospect, we can see how much God was planning to pay when He said, “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls” (Lev. 17:11). Was this a veiled admission of divine guilt? Was God allowing for the possibility He had been wrong to give us moral capacity and freedom of choice? Is this why He put in motion a ritual system of sacrifice that would end up costing Him inexpressible pain? No. The last book of the Bible shows that for all eternity, the choirs of heaven will declare God holy in all He is and does (Rev. 4:8). Throughout all eternity, heaven will show that God was right in giving us freedom to sin. Eternity will show His wisdom in letting us discover the wages of sin and the terrible consequences of our willful disobedience. Throughout all eternity, heaven will also honor the justice and mercy of the Creator who lovingly chose to bear the burden of our rebellion. The payment for our sin came at heaven’s expense. In an act of unparalleled self-sacrifice, God built a two-lane bridge of mercy and justice over the chasm of sin separating us from Him. On earth, Roman executioners drove nails into the hands and feet of God’s only Son. In heaven, a Father suffered as no human father has ever suffered. When it was finished, God accepted the sacrifice as sufficient payment for our sin. Justice was satisfied. In the eternal moments and infinite agony of the Son who cried, [Eli,Eli, lema sabachthani?] “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mt. 27:46), the Creator Himself became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21).
Three days later, Christ rose bodily from the dead. By the miracle of resurrection He showed heaven’s acceptance of His sacrifice. An endless river of mercies began flowing from the cross on which He died. A legal foundation had been laid for the doctrine of justification by faith. According to the apostle Paul, God is just (righteous) to justify (declare righteous) all who come to Christ in faith. In (Rom. 3:20-26) Paul wrote: By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Because of the unlimited scope of Christ’s death on the cross, we have received forgiveness not only for past sins, but for all sins—past, present, and future. Once - For - All !
The moment we trust Christ as Savior, we are given immunity from punishment. The issue is settled: Our case is closed and God will not open the files of our guilt again. As the courts of earth honor the principle of double jeopardy, so heaven will not judge twice those whose sins have been punished in Christ. We will not be tried again for the sins He bore in our place. The wonderful truth of justification is that God by His own authority acquits us. While He doesn’t “make” us righteous, He “declares” righteous those who have appealed to the death of Christ as payment for their sin. Because God “made Him who knew no sin [Christ] to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21), God can be “just” and the “justifier” of those who accept His own payment for their sin (Rom. 3:26). Does this mean we are no longer accountable for our wrongs? No. We are still subject to natural and legal consequences. We can still risk our reputation, health, and relationships by careless, unprincipled living. But we will not lose heaven. We can still lose rewards and a “well done” at the judgment seat of Christ, where our Lord will hold us accountable as His children. But those of us who are in Christ will never be condemned for our sin. That is why the apostle Paul could write: Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Rom. 5:1-2).
Again, it is important to remember that the word justified in this verse is a legal term. It was used in ancient law courts to describe the status of a person who had paid the full penalty for his crime and was restored to his place in society. In essence, God says to the person who trusts Christ, “Your sins have been paid for. My Son died for you. Therefore, in Him you stand righteous before Me. You are forgiven of all your sin in a once-for-all transaction!” Complete. The forgiveness God offers is comprehensive. It is complete and final—not just until the next inevitable sin. This is why in another letter Paul could quote Psalm 32:1-2 when he wrote: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. (Rom. 4:7-8). Let’s look at three important terms in this verse that show the completeness of God’s mercy. Forgiven. Think about a young, struggling mountain climber trudging up a steep trail with a large backpack. The burden is heavy for him. He weakens and lags behind. He sinks to the ground. Then an older climber drops back, lifts the load off his back, and shoulders it himself. The young hiker feels revitalized and free and starts up the trail with joy ringing in his heart. The word translated “forgiven” means “to lift off, to carry away.” That is what happens to our guilt when God forgives us. Covered. When we trust in Christ, our sins are removed forever!!!!!!! The Greek word translated “covered” in Romans 4:7 means “to cover over completely, to obliterate.” This means they are blotted out forever. Therefore, we don’t need to worry about being confronted by those sins again. We will not see them in a rerun at the judgment. They are completely removed. This promise made to Israel applies to all who trust Christ: I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Isa. 43:25). Not Imputed. The word imputes means “to charge to an account.” God charges to Christ our sins, and charges to our account the righteousness of Christ. He will not hold our sins against us. They will not affect our standing in heaven. The accountability of the judgment seat of Christ will be about rewards of service gained or lost. Punishment will not be the issue. If you have never known the forgiveness of God, it can be yours right now. All that remains is for you to personally choose to trust in the One who has done so much for you. Look up these New Testament references to be assured of what God has promised: John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 7:38; 11:25; 20:31 Acts 13:48; 16:31 Romans 1:16; 4:3; 5:1; 10:11
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National Baptist Deacons Convention Of America And It’s Auxiliaries Since 1934 Deacon Richard Banks President |
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Paths Without Obstacles Don't Lead Anywhere Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials [obstacles] of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
obstacles along the way. trust me anymore?" If you find a path with no obstacles, it certainly won't lead you to anything significant. What do you do on the path with obstacles? Turn them into opportunities. The obstacles might be in your path for God to see how you will respond. It might be God's way of determining if you really can turn those obstacles into opportunities. |