Here "I AM" waiting to forgive you; where are you?

Here “I AM” waiting to Forgive you; Where are you?

We Hear this proclamation coming from God yet we continue to go our own way closing our ears to accept these words of God.  Why?  Do sinners reject the surety of what Jesus told his followers that God is total forgiveness for the worst of sinners?  “For the Son of man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”  (Lk 19: 10).  

There is a sadness in the hearts of many educated persons, especially those who have a grasp on theology and the very essence of God’s promise of mercy.  Notice that when Jesus came into the synagogues or within the hearing of the scribes and Pharisees they were so imbedded in their understanding of God it went over their heads and refused to believe that the Messiah was in their midst.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!  Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.  I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  (Mt 23: 37 - 39).  As Jesus enters Jerusalem to face his Passion.

The one certain promise that God made as he created human beings; he would always be ready to welcome back through forgiveness which is who he is; Love.  Yet the presence of Christ as a man and God was not enough for the learned to accept.  However, the tax-collectors and sinners quickly threw off their disbeliefs and found what was lost to them; eternal life.

Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.  When John came to you, in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did.  Yet even when you saw that, you did not change your minds and believe him.   (Mt 21: 32)

Lately, we see the many who have also forgotten about God’s mercy for our sins, but too many are continuing to ignore the words of Jesus as to why he came to the world of humanity  and offers a way to find that forgiveness which is ours without anything we could ever do to earn it.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not from you; it is a gift of God: it is not from works so that no one may boast.”  (Eph 2: 8 - 9).   

 Let’s put this genuine gift of forgiveness, from God, into perspective!  When a person commits a really heinous sin like destroying a baby while in the birth canal, and constantly repeats this act of willful murder, how does God look upon this?  Of course when we begin to place scenarios as to what God feels or does, are we becoming a divine court or judge to determine his judgment?  

Sin, no matter what the degree is, becomes obnoxious before God.  Sin is turning away from God and is unacceptable before our Creator.  A child of reasonable age to know right from wrong ends up stealing from poor people, over and over, is just as guilty of turning away from God as a doctor who aborts babies is also guilty of repeated sin.  If the doctor repents and attempts to make his conscience right before God will find forgiveness.  How about the child who repents?  He also will find God’s mercy.  The point is that no one can stand before God and say they are not as guilty as another.  We have all sinned as the example points out.  

Happy the sinner whose fault is removed whose sin is forgiven.  Happy those to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit.  (Ps 32: 1 - 2).  Then I declared my sin to you:  my guilt I did not hide.  I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin.  (Ps 32: 5).

However, the problem with forgiveness becomes difficult  when the premise to forgive is in our court.  A Rabbi from the WWII era said God would have to forgive the Nazis for the Holocaust.  He couldn’t.   If we always ask God to forgive those who hurt us so badly that we cannot find mercy, the question will be at our judgement before Christ asking us; “Should I have also not forgiven mankind from the Cross at Calvary?”  Who forgave you?   

 Asking God to forgive what someone hurt you, how about you?  And what about the time you hurt another person and they did not forgive you?  Where you spend eternity will depend entirely upon you and the other person who will not forgive each other may question each other's lack of understanding forever.

Forgiveness is not a one-way scenario;  Jesus said regarding forgiving each other:  If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your transgressions. (Mt 6: 14).  

Ralph B. Hathaway