I Believe … in the Forgiveness of Sins

From the consideration of John Bunyan’s experience, these particulars arise, which need to be re-emphasized to every succeeding generation. Here at least is a theme which never grows old.

Forgiveness, to give the conscience rest, must be founded on Justice. When David weakly and indulgently forgave Absalom, without confession or reparation of the wrong he had done, he inaugurated a policy which led to the undoing of his realm; and if God were to forgive us, with an easy and benign readiness, and without making it clear that He had been at pains to do so, consistently with the reign of His universal and eternal equity, there would be an incessant and unappeasable fear on our part that an outraged Law would arise to demand compensation, with the alternative, if it were not given, of effecting the overthrow of the Moral Universe. Therefore

214 we are comforted in knowing that God was Himself such and satisfied the demands of Righteousness. “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” He shows His righteousness, when passing over sins in His forbearance. He shows His righteousness at this present season, ‘“‘ that He might Himself be just, and the justifier of Him that hath faith in Jesus’ (Rom. iii. 26).

Forgiveness ts through Jesus Christ. “Be it known unto you, therefore,” said the Apostle, who himself had drunk deeply of the cup of conviction and forgiveness, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins” (Acts xiii. 38). We can never understand what it was that our Saviour did for us all upon the Cross, but we believe that in some way He made a full, perfect, and sufficient satisfaction, and atonement for the sins of the world, and it is, therefore, in His name that we ask to be forgiven. It is with a meaning which the Psalmist never knew, that we say, ‘‘ For Thy Name sake pardon my iniquity, for it is great.”

Forgiveness 1s contingent on Confession. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (I John i. 9). For a whole year David refused to confess his great sin, and he tells us that so long as he kept silence, his bones waxed old by reason of his anguish of soul, and his flesh was consumed with fever-heat; but directly he said ‘‘ I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,” directly he acknowledged his iniquity and ceased to hide his sin, the sweet sense of forgiveness stole into his heart (Ps. xxxii. 5). In confession, which should be to God alone, the soul takes God’s side against itself. It is not necessary to wait till tears rise in the eyes, or strong compunction wings the conscience. Sometimes we begin in cold blood to confess that we have perverted that which was right and it did not profit us, and as we proceed we are sensible of the floods of uncontrollable sorrow rising. But if they come not, still the confession is good, when the will is bent and broken. Tell God your fault, extenuating and excusing nothing, taking all the blame to yourself, press out all the black blood, accept the most deeply-spoken verdict of your soul against itself.

When possible Confession and Reparation to man should accompany the soul’s confession to God. ‘“‘ When possible,” because it is not always legitimate or wise to confess everything to those who, but for your confession, would never have been acquainted with a certain form of evil. Under perplexing conditions of this kind, it is well to say to the Lord that you are perfectly willing to say all and do all that He may require of you, only that He must make so clear what He does require, that you may know it without the least hesitation. He must go before you, and lead you in the way.

The Hebrews were taught to restore the value of property that they had injured, directly or indirectly, and to add a fifth part (Lev. v. 16). And it is impossible to believe that a lower standard should guide our conduct in all cases, like those specified in the ancient law (Lev. vi. 1-5).

Forgiveness is Instantaneous and Absolute. He pardons immediately on our confession and abundantly (Isa. lv. 7); He removes sin as far as dawn is from sunset (Ps. ciii. 12); He casts all our sins into the depth of the sea (Micah vii. 19). The most remarkable statement of all is that of the new covenant, as given by Jeremiah, and the writer of Ep. to Hebrews, and evidently referred to by our Lord, when the cup of the supper was in His hand (Luke xxii. 70), “‘ their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. viii. 12). They will never be brought up against us, they will never be allowed to diminish the blessing God wants to bestow, they can never be mentioned

at the great White Throne or for ever.
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Forgiveness binds us to God. We fear to grieve Him again. The thought of all that we have cost Him deters us from doing the like again. Indeed, the memory of that grieved face makes us more than ever anxious not to crucify Him afresh, or put Him to an open shame.