God is Forgiving in Nature: Gospel Today Devotional - 7th December, 2022

KNOWING GOD SERIES

The reason we are called children of God today, or Christians, or believers as the case may imply is as a result of the fact that God in his love, and mercy forgave us of all we did against him. You're surprised, right? Why did I have to use we, isn't it? The scripture records that all sinned as a result of one man's disobedience, and all have fallen short of God's glory which implies that we all fell short of his standard for us. This isn't a debate because by default or as a result of the offence committed against him, we could have all perished.

But then God who is rich in love, and mercy demonstrated his love towards us by giving his only begotten Son Jesus to die so that we can be free from the bondage of sin, and death, and such that man who has fallen short of his standard can measure up again. Praise God. This is where the forgiving nature of God comes in. He forgives anyone who comes to him in genuine repentance while at the same time believing, and confessing Jesus as Lord, and Saviour. Glory to God.

Having considered carefully some of the essential attributes of God, we would be seeing some more as we continue in the series, and I trust that the Lord would open our eyes to his word such that we would behold wondrous things out of his word, and that our knowledge of him may increase greatly. The passage of scripture under consideration is seen below,

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

You see, many times when one is offended, even after the person who offended the other must have apologised, the one who is offended still finds it very difficult to forgive ( to let go off completely). Each time he remembers what was done to him even if he claimed to have truly forgiven the person, he gets bitter towards that person he claimed to have forgiven. Why is this so? Because many do not possess the nature of forgiveness in them. Many have not come to know the Lord as one who is forgiving in nature, and the truth is you cannot show forth what you do not have any knowledge about. Praise God.

However, God is way different from man. He forgives completely anyone who comes to him admitting his wrongs, and confessing them, and to such persons, he gives power to become sons (John 1:12). Look at what the scripture says for yourself, the fact that if we confess our sins before God (if we just can tell him how sorry we are, and seek for his forgiveness no matter what it is we have done), God is faithful to forgive, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous, why? Because that is who he is. He is forgiving in nature. He will not take away his forgiveness from anyone who seeks it. He will forgive as long as you ask him. Praise God.

What does this teach us? Two things actually. The very first being the fact that we are not to live a life of condemnation, we need not see God as one who is ever ready to destroy us, but that whenever we err, we can come boldly to the throne of grace, and ask him for help; to forgive us. This is however not a license to wilfully go against God's commands. Second of all, just as we have known that God is forgiving in nature, as sons, we are to show forth the trait of our Father because we now have his nature in us; the nature of forgiveness. May the Lord cause these things to sink deeply into our hearts today. Amen.

Thought for the day: 

No matter what you have done, if you would but confess, and ask God for forgiveness, he will definitely pardon because God is forgiving in nature.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08161655758 or Email: [email protected].