The Faithfulness of God in Forgiving Sin

(Article for publication week of 12-28-2011 AD)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

As we consider the faithfulness of God, we delight to write to you to confirm to you that God is faithful in forgiving sin.

Are you a sinner? Has the Lord taught you that you are the chief of sinners? Have you learned from the word and by the Spirit that you are a loathsome wretch in the sight of the Thrice Holy God? Do mourn in your very soul because of your sins? Do you “roar like a bear” because you feel that you are too sinful for God to save you? Well. If I am describing your case, I have some good news for you- God is faithful and just to forgive sinners for their sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It was for sinners that Christ died. He came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. The scriptures sweetly tell us that Christ received sinners and ate with them (Luke 15:2). “ ‘Twas for the guilty Thou didst die, and I a sinner stand.”

Christ died for the filthiest of sins. All sin is filthy. Christ died for disobedience to parents. He died for fornicators and adulterers. He died for filthy sodomites. He died for liars. He died for murderers. He died for thieves. He died for railers. He died for the covetous. He died for idolaters. He died for blasphemers. He died for Sabbath breakers. He died for drunks and dope heads. He died for vile wretches like you and me. Christ died to justify the ungodly (Romans 4:5).

Christ died for many sins. All the guilt of all those who would ever repent and believe in Him was transferred to His precious Person by imputation, and He satisfied the just and holy wrath of God forever when He died on the cross and rose again the third day. Should you repent and believe in Christ, this very moment your sins are all forgiven.

Christ is willing and able to save all who will truly repent of their sins and come to Him by faith. You will never find an instance recorded in scripture where Christ ever turned away one who came to Him broken hearted for sins and pleading mercy. Now, He did turn away, and still does the self-righteous. If you still love your sins and want to continue in them, I haven’t been writing to you. But if you are broken hearted and contrite and wanting to be saved from your sins, my message is for you. Christ is faithful and just to forgive you for your sins- and to clean you up! When Christ saves a sinner, He does not leave that sinner wallowing in his sins, but rather He cleans him up and makes him into a new creature.

Do you want to be saved from your sins? Do you want God to forgive you for your sins? Do you long to be free from your sins and thoroughly cleansed from them? Well, come to Christ right now without delay. Confess to Him that you are a wretched sinner deserving of the lowest hell and throw yourself on His mercy. He is a faithful Saviour who saves and forgives.

The Faithfulness of God

(Article for publication week of 12-21-2011 AD)

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Having declared the veracity of God in our last several articles, we now proceed to declare the faithfulness of God. “Great is Thy faithfulness”! This is a most comforting truth for God’s people- our God is faithful, and great in that faithfulness.

First of all we see the faithfulness of God in His governance of the world. The world is upheld by Jehovah, the faithful God. We have no fears regarding the physical world for we know that God is governing it. The earth is held in its proper place in the universe by the power of our faithful God. We have no concerns that the earth will fall off its axis, or that the sun will burn out, or that the moon will crash into the earth. All these things are governed by our sovereign and faithful God. Fall, winter, spring and summer will continue to follow each other until God is ready to fold things up and usher in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

God is faithful in providing for His people. The Psalmist declared in the 37th Psalm that he had not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. God rained down manna from heaven for His people. He fed Elijah by the instrumentality of the ravens. He provided for a widow woman once by not letting the flour barrel, and oil cruse become empty. He ordinarily provides for His people by means of labour, but whether ordinarily, or extraordinarily, God will provide for His Own. He cares for the little birds who have neither souls nor reason; will He not much more care for you, His people saved by grace, who have immortal souls and the power of reason?

And God is faithful in keeping His covenant. God made a covenant with Noah and his posterity after the Flood and signified it by the rainbow. Every time we see a beautiful rainbow we are reminded of the faithfulness of God in not sending another Flood over the whole earth. But His faithfulness in His covenant of grace is even more glorious than that! God made a covenant with Himself in the everlasting, that is from before the foundation of the world (Hebrews 13:20), whereby He gave a chosen people to His Son to save. The Three Eternal Persons of the Godhead were involved in this covenant. The Eternal Son agreed to become a Man to work out a perfect Righteousness for all those the Father had given Him. The Holy Spirit agreed to effectually call, regenerate, convert, sanctify and preserve all those the Son redeemed. Not one part of this everlasting covenant has ever failed because it was made by our faithful God. The Son was faithful in doing the absolute will of the faithful Father. The Holy Spirit has been, and will continue to be faithful in the calling of every elect person for whom the Son died. Not one has ever failed to be saved that was ordained to this salvation in the covenant made by our faithful God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are faithful in their love to all the blood bought saints. Not one who is truly saved by our faithful God will ever be lost, not because of our faithfulness, but because of God’s faithfulness.

“Great is Thy faithfulness”!