WILL GOD FORGIVE ME? – PART 2
Sakkie Parsons
In my previous writing to you about our Lord’s forgiveness, I mentioned that a lady’s son was under the impression that what he had done to his mother in the past was so severe that our Lord would never forgive him.
I then started by showing how terrible a sin David had once committed.
He committed adultery with the wife of one of his loyal subjects, and when she became pregnant with David’s child, he tried to manipulate the situation so that the man would think the child was his own. When David’s deceitful trick did not work, as is often the case with sin, the attempt to cover one sin only led to an even greater sin. As they say in English:
“It went from bad to worse.”
Because David then planned murder.
Look at how absolutely heartless and unscrupulous David became. You see, once a person indulges in sin, they will abandon all human, moral, and ethical standards if those stand in the way.
He wrote Uriah’s death sentence and gave it to Uriah himself to take to Joab.
2 Samuel 11:14-17 (AMP) 14 So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 He wrote in the letter, saying, “Put Uriah in the front line of the heaviest fighting and leave him so that he may be struck down and die.” 16 So it happened that as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew the enemy’s valiant men were positioned. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, and some of David’s servants fell; Uriah the Hittite also died.
Let’s summarize what David did:
- He committed adultery.
- When the woman became pregnant, he refused to take responsibility for the child and his actions.
- He tried through deceit to shift the responsibility onto the husband of the woman he had wronged.
- When that did not work, he arranged for the man to be murdered.
Now look at David standing before you. What do you see? A ruthless, adulterous deceiver and murderer—but David truly repented and sincerely confessed his sin.
Here are examples from Psalm 51 (AMP):
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and faultless in Your judgment.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.
David had the grace to know the only Almighty God of love, the Lord who says that when He forgives, He never remembers the sin again.
Isaiah 43:25 (AMP) “I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
Hebrews 10:17-18 (AMP) 17 “And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].” 18 Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty [of these things], there is no longer any offering [to be made] for sin.
God’s Word is as good, true, steadfast, and eternal as He is.
From a human perspective, we may look at David and say: “That’s all well and good, but he committed adultery. He tried to avoid responsibility for a child he fathered. He did all this to a loyal subject. He committed murder.”
But look at how our Lord sees a man who did all these terrible things but truly repented and confessed his sin.
1 Kings 14:8 (AMP) “…but you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight.”
God says of David:
- “…who kept My commandments…”
- “…who followed Me with all his heart…”
- “…who did only what was right in My sight.”
Reading how God speaks of David, you might wonder if He is talking about the same David you just read about.
Can you see? God’s Word is as good, true, steadfast, and eternal as He is.
What applied to David applies to you, me, and every child of God who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Just as David did, confess your sins with true repentance, ask for His forgiveness, and as far as God is concerned, that ugly part of your past no longer exists. As far as He is concerned, it never even happened.
Just in case you think I may have misunderstood 1 Kings 14:8, read Jesus’ words to John on Patmos and see what Jesus thinks of David:
Revelation 3:7 (AMP) “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key [to the house] of David, He who opens and no one will [be able to] shut, and He who shuts and no one opens.”
Revelation 22:16 (AMP) “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you and to give you assurance of these things for the churches. I am the Root (the Source, the Life) and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
The same complete forgiveness that David received, our Lord is eager to give you as well.
Today, He says to you:
Isaiah 1:18 (AMP) “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Blessings,
Sakkie Parsons