How Completely Does Jehovah Forgive?

A repentant David said: "My sin I finally confessed to you, and my error I did not cover . . .And you yourself pardoned the error of my sins." (Psalm 32:56) The term "pardoned" translates a Hebrew word that basically means "lift up" or "carry." Its use here signifies to take away "guilt, iniquity, transgression." So Jehovah,in effect, lifted up David's sins and carried them away. This no doubt erased the feelings of guilt that David had been carrying. (Psalm 32:3) We too can have full confidence in the God who carries away the sins of the those who seek his forgiveness on the basis of their faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice. -Matthew 20:28.

David used another vivid expression to describe Jehovah's forgiveness: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12, The Amplified Bible) How far is east from west? In a sense, east is always at the utmost distance imaginable from west; the two points can never meet. One scholar notes that this expression means "as far as possible as far as we can imagine.

Have you ever tried to remove a stain from a light-colored garment? Perhaps despite how your best efforts, the stain remained visible. Notice how Jehovah describes his capacity for forgiveness: "Though the sins of you people should prove to be as scarlet, they will be made to white just like snow; though they should be red like crimson cloth, they will become even like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) The word "scarlet" denotes a bright red color. "Crimson"was one of the deep colors of dyed material. (Nahum 2:3) We can never through our own efforts remove the stain of sin. But Jehovah can take sins that are like scarlet and crimson and make them white like snow or undyed wool. When Jehovah forgives our sins, we need not feel that we bear the stain of such sins for the rest of our life.

In a moving song of gratitude that Hezekiah composed after he was spared from a deadly sickness, he said to Jehovah: "You have thrown behind your back all my sins." (Isaiah 38:17) Jehovah is here portrayed as taking the sins of a repentant wrongdoer and throwing them behind Him where he neither sees them nor takes notice of them anymore. According to one source, the idea conveyed may be expressed: "You have made [my sins] as if they had not happened." Is that not reassuring?

In a promise of restoration, the prophet Micah expressed his conviction that Jehovah would forgive his repentant people: "Who is a God like you, . . .passing over transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? . . .And you will throw into the depths of the sea all their sins." (Micah 7:18, 19) Jesus urged us to pray: "Forgive us our debts." (Matthew 6:12) Jesus thus likened sins to debts. (Luke 11:4) When we sin, we become "debtors" to Jehovah. Regarding the meaning of the Greek verb translated "forgive," one reference work says: "To let go, give up, a debt, by not demanding it." In a sense, when Jehovah forgives, he cancels the debt that would otherwise be charged against our account. Repentant sinners can thus take comfort. Jehovah will never demand payment for a debt he has canceled! -Psalm 32:1, 2.

Jehovah's forgiveness is further described at Acts 3:19: "Repent,therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out." That last phrase translates a Greek verb that can mean "to wipe out,. . .cancel or destroy." According to some scholars, the image expressed is that of erasing handwriting. how was this possible? The ink commonly used in ancient times was made of a mixture that included carbon, gum and water. Soon after working with such ink, a person could take a wet sponge and wipe the writing away. Therein is a beautiful picture of Jehovah's mercy. When he forgives our sins, it is as though he takes a sponge and wipes them away.

When we reflect on these varied word pictures, is it not clear that Jehovah wants us to know that he is truly ready to forgive our sins as long as he finds us sincerely repentant? We need not fear that he will hold such sins against us in the future. This is shown by something else that the Bible reveals about Jehovah's great mercy. When he forgives , he forgets.

Next time: "Their Sin I Shall Remember No More"

Draw Close To Jehovah, 2002