'What Does God Forgive?'
G Things could not have gone any worse. Moses came down and smashed the tablets on which were inscribed God’s commands. God called Moses back up the mountain to speak to him again. After God directed Moses concerning the law, He revealed something of His character. As Moses was about to go down the mountain, God said,
'Yahweh, Yahweh, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with loyal-love and faithfulness. Loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgressions, and sin; yet he won’t declare innocent the guilty, he will bring the iniquities of the fathers upon the children and grandchildren, to the third and the fourth generation'. Exodus 34:6-7
While God said that He would not declare innocent the guilty, He spoke of His loyal love which was seen in His forgiveness of ‘iniquity, transgressions, and sin.’ Let’s take a brief look at what each one means. The word iniquity conveys the idea of crookedness and wickedness. People are meant to follow God but when they don’t they become crooked, bent out of shape. When we think, speak, or act contrary to God’s desire for us, we become crooked on the inside. God wants us to stand tall and upright as His people.
God forgives our transgressions. This is an antiquated word that few people understand. To transgress is to break trust. A thief may steal from you, but if a friend steals from you, that is a transgression. Transgression happens when you break a contract, do not live up to an agreement, or break trust with a friend or family member. When we treat people who are made in God’s image poorly, we are breaking trust with them since it is implied that we are equally made and esteemed by God and called to treat each other with that kind of care and respect. God wants us to pay attention to our commitments to those God has put in our lives so that we don’t break trust with them and with God. God wants us to be faithful in our relationships with others.
God forgives our sin. Sin connotes moral failure. It means missing the mark like in archery. When we don’t live and act as God made us to live and act, we are not fulfilling His purposes for our lives. God is not interested in me fulfilling His purposes for someone else. The question is, are you fulfilling the particular purpose that God has for YOU? What is His purpose for you in your family, at work, in the community, and in His church? Three years ago, I would have said that I was a great archer, but then I tried it at a campground. I discovered that I missed the mark by a wide margin at first but got better and better the more I tried. God wants us to grow in our skill of living His beautiful and abundant life, fulfilling His good purposes.
God does not call the guilty innocent. But thanks be to God, that out of His loyal love for us He will forgive our iniquities, transgressions, and sin. Ask for God to reveal your iniquities, transgressions, and sins this Lent so that you can walk tall, be faithful to others, and live out His purposes for you.
Blessings always,
Jonathan