FORGIVEN

“…Who forgiveth all thine iniquities…” Ps 103:3

To hear and understand that we are forgiven of all sin by the Almighty is the best news that a poor sinner could receive. We, who are nothing but sin and can do nothing but sin, we who have been freely, lovingly, everlastingly forgiven from the heart of God, can do nothing, but by His grace worship Him and praise Him for His mercy and grace shown toward us in Christ Jesus our Lord. The forgiveness that we enjoy, we did not merit. As He loves us freely - Hosea 14:4 “I will love them freely”; He forgives us freely - Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The first cause of forgiveness is love…The means whereby we are forgiven is the execution of that love which was manifest in the person and work of Christ, our sin bearer. Forgiveness of sin is not only a judicial work…it is a heart work. We, as David, are a people after God’s own heart. True, justice must be satisfied, but God’s love must be fulfilled as well. Can it not be truthfully, scripturally said that God forgave me because He loved me? - 1John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

I fear that sometimes we are so careful to be doctrinally correct (and we should be careful) that we neglect to remember that all God and His Son is to, and does for and in His people is according to His tender mercy and everlasting love - Psalms 51:1 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” ; Jer 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Therefore, forgiveness of sin is an efficacious act of Sovereign love toward guilty, wretched sons of Adam. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared once in the end of the world to put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself - 1John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us” He put away our sin, He died for us, because He has always loved us and we are forgiven in Him.

Any gospel, so-called, that does not magnify and glorify God’s love as the moving cause of forgiveness of sin and the salvation of His elect is not the gospel of Christ.

Tommy