Mercy Must Be Accepted

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” (Mic 7:18 AV)

 

The question that is posed at the beginning of the verse is for our consideration this morning.  The context of the question is the LORD’s undying mercy.  He has promised to pardon all iniquity of the truly penitent.  He has promised to forgive all confessed sins of the child of God.  He will abundantly pardon.  As far as God is concerned, there is no sin a child of God can do that cannot be forgiven.  As long as we are truly repentant and feel sorrow over what we have done, there is nothing which God will not forgive.  This brings us back to the first phrase.  When we attempt to compare unlimited forgiveness, there is no human comparison.  All human relationships have limits on mercy and grace.  Not God.  So, if we struggle with divine forgiveness, it might be caused by not accepting the conclusion of the first phrase.  No one like God infinitely forgives.  Therefore, it simply must be accepted.

I am a golfing enthusiast.  I don’t play well, but when I do, I really enjoy it!  Technology around the game has changed quite a bit over the last fifty years or so.  When I started, there was very little to chose from.  Clubs were what they were.  The design was pretty much the same.  I started golfing right around the time that metal woods came out.  I learned to gold with wooden clubs.  Irons were pretty much the same from one manufacturer to another.  The only real difference might have been an offset head or different styles of groves. Back in my day, the shafts only came in hickory or metal.  As more golfers joined the sport, the industry realized we needed help.  Most of us were slicers or hookers.  It seemed the more golfers on the course, the more risk of personal injury.  So, club manufacturers began to design clubs for the average or below-average player.  They experimented with clubhead weighting, face design, and face pitch.  They rounded the face of the clubhead, added weight to the bottom as opposed to the top, and reduced the etching on the face of the club.  Some clubs even came offset for the most severe of swings.  Drivers were designed with movable weights inside the clubhead.  This was all to make the clubface more forgiving.  These new clubs work to a point.  No club could completely take out all bad mechanics.  There is a limit to how much a club can forgive our faults.

Part of our difficulty is we cannot accept something which we do not understand.  We can understand something or someone that forgives some or most of the time.  We can understand a mother who says she loves us unconditionally.  She may forgive us for much.  But there are limits. With God, there are no limits.  When it comes to His children, there is never too much sin.  When it comes to those who know Christ, forgiveness is boundless.  That is why there is no one like Him.  No God or god forgives like our God.  If that is the case, then when we seek forgiveness, it must be accepted.  It must be accepted without doubt or debate.  IT must be accepted without our efforts to earn it.  It must be accepted to the point we treat our sin the same way our forgiving Father does.  If He has forgiven us and put our sin in the past, then we must too.   We will never fully understand His grace.  We will never comprehend how a holy God can forgive all.  So, we must stop trying and accept it as it is.  The boundless love of God that forgives all!