Unpardonable

Job 7:21 “Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be.”

To be pardoned is to be forgiven for a mistake, an offense, or a crime. But for many victims, the very idea of forgiving someone who has committed a great offense would be tantamount to injustice.

Most people have adopted some sort of justice system in their beliefs. Without justice, the world lacks the ability to judge evil and good. Some would even say that to overlook evil would be to partake of the evil itself.

To understand the value of a pardon is to first understand the law.

Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple”

Perfection has been reduced to a concept. In a world that has been corrupted, carefully observe anything and you are bound to find impurities or defects. In very minute samples you might find something pure and as such in a way it reflects the greater concept of a perfect Creator. But look at the world from a much greater perspective and the whole demonstrates failure. Stars explode, cancer invades, flowers wilt, paint peels, and glory fades….everywhere we look we see corruption.

Life begins and in time it ends. The incredible complexity of living organisms decay, and grow old. Eventually life ends with the hope that new life might return.

When I hold a new grandchild in my arms, I am reminded of the glory of God’s creative genius. Two people are married and come to know one another, and out of the love comes a beautiful little creation. Formed with the shared DNA of the parents, the little baby reflects the parents and family from which they came. Little eyes shine with beauty of the mother, little chins and grins from the father. Small toes, quiet coos, soft gentle hair, the majesty of God’s beauty wrapped up in the sweetness of that little one.

As the child grows, t doesn’t take long to witness the nature of sin. Selfishness, pride, anger, rebellion, and even vengeance is displayed at very young ages. How could such a sweet little boy or girl be corrupted so quickly?

Our Nature

As much as I want to see my grandchildren in a positive light, I am often reminded of those sinful little natures. As an older man, I know all too well the struggle of sin. I am challenged daily to strive for holiness, to seek the Lord in all I do, and honor Him in how I react to everything around me.

Colossians 3:5-6 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  On account of these the wrath of God is coming”

Putting to death my sinful nature is not a once and done, it is a daily exercise in obedience. Prayer, seeking the Lord, walking faithfully…it is not a natural thing for the flesh. The flesh wants to please itself and anytime those desires are placed on a pedestal, it ultimately becomes an idol. The longer I give in to the desires that conflict with obedience, the more difficult it becomes to break the bad habits.

One thing I discover in my prayer life is how the quietness and seeking after God opens my mind to all that is not of God. The Lord reveals our failures so that we can repent and be healed. Healing happens over time, but if I keep opening the wound, it not only doesn’t heal, but becomes infected and eventually overtakes every area of my life.

The danger increases if the infection is ignored or even treated as normal.

Colossians 3:8-10 “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

Putting on the “new self” is not a passive (let it happen naturally) approach, it is an active attempt at becoming the man or woman God has called you to be. It requires patience with an understanding of all that God requires. The knowledge of God’s path comes by way of the Word of God, which makes it all the more vital to be consistent in your bible study.

We have an ideal by which we can strive to attain:

Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Jesus is the ideal.

God’s Nature

The examples Jesus gave came not just through His life but through His teaching. Everything the apostles taught were founded on the principles that Jesus revealed.

The nature of God is love. The storehouse of God’s love demonstrates why volumes of books still have not exhausted the measure of God’s revealed nature.

When we offend God and sin, we violate His nature…in other words, we offend Him personally.

Without Christ we have nothing. There is no forgiveness of sin apart from Him.

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”

• If we have not first believed in Him, we cannot follow Him.(Acts 16:31)
• To follow Him is to obey His commandments.(John 14:15)
• The commandments are revealed in God’s law.(Mark 10:19)
• The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.(Prov. 30:5)
• God is the only one who is perfect.(Psalm 53:3)(Deut. 32:4)
• The law is the representation of Christ.(Rom. 10:4)

For all who strive for perfection apart from Christ, their works are futile. There are not enough mantra’s, signs, bows, pilgrimages, or acts of asceticism to atone for sin. Sin is an offense against God alone and He makes it very clear how He responds to sin.

Nahum 1:3 “The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.”

To be relieved of guilt is to be pardoned by grace.

We cannot undo our offenses, once complete, they remain our heritage. For God to forgive us our sin and pardon us for our iniquities, we must accept the sacrifice of Christ the Messiah.

Jesus came from heaven and died that we might have life. He then arose victorious over sin and death and welcomes His people to join Him. We cannot dwell in the presence of God without His pardon.

To reject Christ is to reject God’s pardon for sin.

The time to turn is now. Life has no guarantees apart from Him. Seek the Lord and He will be found by you.

Then you will know the freedom of walking with Him.