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Isaiah 55:7 says " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. "
Where would we be without the forgiveness of God? What a hopeless life that would be! As one who was once lost in sin (and pretty good at being a sinner I must admit), I am so amazed at why a God who is holy and without sin would love me enough to grant His forgiveness to me far beyond the seventy times seven times mentioned in Matthew 18:21-22. How, then, should I respond to His gift of forgiveness?
It is quite unfortunate that many choose to live presumptuously, assuming that God's grace will continue to graciously cover sins that they knowingly and deliberately commit. Will God continue to "overlook" my sin when I purposely disobey His commandments and choose wrong over right? Do I not, as a Christian, bear a responsibility to, in gratitude of God's grace and mercy, pattern my life after His Son Jesus Christ and let the Holy Spirit enable me to flee sin rather than live in it?
Psalm 19:13 says "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." We understand that man has a propensity to sin; that is, it is part of his nature. Even in our desire to do good we find our selves constantly before the altar seeking God's forgiveness. We should feel dirty when we sin and we should grieve that we have hurt our Father in our disobedience. But when we commit premeditated sins, fully aware that the penalty for sin is death, it's like spitting in the face of the one who loves you more than you could ever imagine. We would not expect that a judge who grants us a pardon, even though he knows that we were guilty, to pardon us again and again when we come back into his courtroom for the same offense - laughing in his face each time. At some point that judge will realize that you presume that he is going to pardon you again and that you have no intention of doing right. Sooner or later there will be a price to pay, a penalty for the crime committed.
As we receive the wonderful gift of God's forgiveness, we should long with all of our heart, mind and soul to show Him how grateful we are to Him by striving to live according to His word and drawing nearer to Him each day. We will never, ever be completely free from sin while we are on this earth. But, our hearts desire should be to live a life that is pleasing to Him, and to resist and flee from the power and pull of sin. As you seek His face daily and submit to His will for your life, He will provide you with all that you need to live a victorious life for His glory!
