Friday, August 10, 2012

Forgotten

Hbr 8:12    For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. ESV


 

All I can say is: "Thank You God!". This is the relationship. This is the new covenant. This is what God will do for His people...mercy...forgiveness...forever.


 

I need to face the reality of life: I am a sinner. I screw up. I say dumb things. I do dumb things. I think dumb things. And these dumb things are sin. These dumb things are a violation of God's character. And God does not look favorably on my violation of His character. In fact He has an end result for it: For the wages of sin is death... Not just physical death, but spiritual death. Eternal separation from Him. Total and complete elimination of any chance to have a relationship with Him. This is death. This is really agonizing. It is terrible. To be without God, to be without His presence, to be without His influence...Horrible.


 

But look at this: I will be merciful toward their iniquities. This is pardon. This is God avoiding, in fact averting what He could and should do because of my violation of His character. Because of this new covenant, He says: "Glen, you deserve separation from Me. You deserve my wrath. You deserve to be without me forever, but I am going to change that because of My new covenant and I am going to put my heart and my Spirit in you and I am going to make you my child." This is head shaking. This is amazing. "In fact..." He says, "I am going to take it even one step further. I will totally and completely forget that you ever violated My character. I am going to never throw this stuff in your face. I will never ever remember your sins again." Whoa...In God's mind, through this new covenant, He looks at me just as if I had never sinned....ever.


 

This is wild. No more separation, but total relationship, forever. What Jesus did on the cross instituted the new covenant and I am totally and completely clean in God's sight.


 

So, when I screw up...yes I need to go to Him and confess my sin (I John 1:9) but in His faithfulness and justice (get that...He is just and He should punish me but He looks at Jesus and sees His justice) He forgives me forever...so when I screw up and come to Him, I need to remember that when that sin comes back to hit me in the face, it isn't God who is doing the condemning, it is the accuser of the brothers who is bringing it back to haunt me. I need to throw back: "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."


 

That is my standing before God. That is the relationship that I have with Him.


 

One other thing. If I am going to be like God I have to be merciful and forgive forever others as well.