The Great Pardon of God

Isaiah 43:25 ~ "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."

I've heard it said that the presentation of the Almighty in the Old Testament is one of a harsh and heavy-handed God who, with wrath and anger, deals judgment and punishment upon the earth. And yet, in our text today, we read the most profoundly gracious words that the LORD offers to a sinful people.

Dear ones, do not gloss over this promise of the LORD and then simply move on, concerned more about practical instructions for your daily life. Pause a moment; consider the implications of our text today. For unless you come to understand what this means: that our sins are blotted out, all other practical Christian activities will have little value. 

As transgressional sinners, we do not have any standing before God. Our inner nature and outward behaviors are of such wretched conditions that the only expectation we could have is judgment. And that is what we were. Both inward as a sinner and outward in transgressing His law leaves us with no hope of securing His good favor. 

But God says, "I... even I..." There is such an emphasis on this, that we must not miss it. It can also read: "I and only I." It is God, and God alone who can offer pardon for sin. We must remember that every one of our sins are against the Almighty. David expressed this in Psalm 51:4, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." And it is God alone who can pardon our transgressions and cleanse us from our sins. 

The first thing that the Sovereign LORD tells us is that it is He alone who "blots out our transgressions." In the books of remembrance, where every thought, word and action of your life is recorded, your sins are set down in absolute truth. On the day of judgment, we see those books opened and mankind is judged by what is written in the books (see Revelation 20:12). But for those who have their sins forgiven in the Lord, every transgression is "blotted out." The record is covered and the judgment removed.

The second thing is that your sins are no longer remembered. More than just bad behavior (transgressions), every person is, by nature, a sinner born. The elemental condition of all mankind is sinful. Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And yet, God says to those who are His that He, though being the Righteous Judge, will "not remember your sins." What a promise--the very wickedness of our inner nature will be remembered no more and God will only know us in His righteousness.

Why does God do this? What moves Him to consider pardoning such sinners as we? He does so for His own Name's sake. Beloved, there is a Name above every name. There is One who has done for us what no one else had the power or righteousness to do. There is One who has taken away our sins through His death and has given us life through His resurrection. It is the Lord Jesus. God the Father has exalted God the Son and has given Him a name above every name. And when we, by faith, run to the Lord in repentance of our sins and are pardoned and cleansed, it is His name alone that is exalted.

There is no righteous man on earth. There is not one drop of self-righteousness in you or I that is pleasing to the LORD. And thus there is not one person who will boast before God on the day of salvation, but that all who are saved will boast on and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. His name will be joyfully lifted up in praise and honor for He has done what none of us could do for ourselves--He has redeemed us. And how did He redeem? He received from God the Father the full punishment for our sins and transgressions. He was counted as a sinner on our behalf--the innocent for the guilty--so that we can be counted righteous on His behalf. 

So let this be the reminder you need. For all the pressures and busyness of life, for all the chaos that fills our daily experience, stop for a moment and remember that Jesus Christ died and rose again. He received God's wrath on your behalf. If you have not yet run to the Lord Jesus for His mercy, to be forgiven of all your sins, do so this very moment. If you have come to know that your sins are forgiven in Christ, then rejoice--for your transgressions are blotted out, and your sins are no longer remembered.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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