Jehovah has proved that he is eager to forgive. He understands that because of the actions of the first man, Adam, we all came under the curse of sin and death. (Romans 5:12) Thre was no way for us to free ourselves or any other person from that curse. (Psalm 49:7-9) However, our loving God showed compassion and arranged for us to be set free. What did he do? As John 3:16 reveals, Jehovah sent his only-begotten son to die in our behalf. (Matthew 20:28; Romans 5:19) Jesus took our place-suffering the penalty of death-to set free any who exercise faith in him. (Hebrews 2:9) How painful it must have been for Jehovah to see his beloved Son die and agonizing and humiliating death! Surely, Jehovah would not have allowed his Son to die if He did not want to forgive us.
The Bible is filled with examples of individuals whom Jesus freely forgave. (Ephesians 4:32) Who comes to your mind? Perhaps King Manasseh. That wicked man sinned against Jehovah in terrible ways. He took the lead in false worship. He killed his own children, offering them as sacrifices to pagan gods. He even went as far as to place a carved image of a false god in Jeovah's sacred temple. Of him, the Bible says: "He did on a grand scale what was bad in Jehovah's eyes, to offend him." (2 Chronicles 33:2-7) Yet, when Manasseh showed heartfelt repentance, Jehovah freely forgave him. God even restored him to his position as king. (2 Chronicles 22:12, 13) Perhaps you think of King David, who committed serious sins against Jehovah including adultery and murder. Yet, when King David repented and acknowledge his error, Jehovah forgave him as well. (2 Samuel 12: 9, 10, 13, 14) Yes, we can be certain that Jehovah is eager to forgive. And as we will see, his ability to forgive is unique when it is compared with that of humans.
Next time: Jehovah-The Greatest Forgiver - JEHOVAH'S UNIQUE ABILITY TO FORGIVE
From the jw.org publications
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your commment. Your comment will be reviewed for approval soon.
God Bless.