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The Way
by Kevin Pauley
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. - Psalm 51:7-9 HCSB
Yahweh Aman (Faithful God) is patient. He calls sinners to seek Him and promises them forgiveness when they repent. Of course, there is a limit to His patience. We are to seek Him “while He is near”. We must not presume upon His grace.[1]
Not only must the prayer for forgiveness be sincere, it must be accompanied by repentance (a change of ways). Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, prayed that God would forgive His people if and when they repented of their sins and sincerely served Him.[2]
For those who are laboring under the burden of their poor choices and willful sins, Hashem offers great hope. His forgiveness brings joy to the repentant heart. Let me give you a great example. David was guilty of lust, adultery, abuse of power, murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Until he repented and was forgiven, David was depressed.[3] However, even a terrible sinner like David was able to sing joyfully after he repented and God forgave him.[4] That is not to say that David sinned with impunity. There is always a consequence to sin. In David’s case, it involved the death of a child.[5]
However, God readily forgave David when he repented and confessed his sin.[6] In turn, David rested his hope of forgiveness on Hashem’s faithful love and abundant compassion.[7]
God wants to help us. He does not want us to live a life characterized by or dominated by fear.[8] The Lord will not despise a broken spirit and contrite heart.[9] He is ready and waiting to forgive anyone who asks sincerely.[10]
There is not a human who does not stand in need of such forgiveness.[11] Religious authority and merely external ritual worship mean nothing to God. Even Yahweh’s ministers like me, need to periodically confess their sins, repent of them and seek His forgiveness. For example, Zechariah had a vision of the high priest himself standing in filthy clothes, which had to be removed and replaced with pure white garments.[12] Similarly, the Ransomed, all those Believers who have confessed their sins and truly repented of them, are made as white as snow.[13]
Rest assured, if troubled sinners cry out for mercy, and back it up with contrition, confession, repentance, and restitution (when possible), God will graciously forgive. He is more than willing to restore us to His love and favor.[14]
Out of his love for us Jesus died to make us holy. Because of His love, we can be without blemish.[15] The blood of Jesus Christ is capable of cleansing from all sin.[16] To deny that He can forgive our sins is to deny the power and sufficiency of His atoning death!
[10] Psalm 86:5; Proverbs 28:13-14; 1 John 1:9
[14] Psalm 130:3-4; Luke 15:11-32
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
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