14 Characteristics of God’s Perfect Forgiveness

Imperfect people desperately need God’s perfect forgiveness.

The gospel is God’s message of forgiveness. Since our need of his forgiveness is great—indeed it is unlimited and occurs daily—let’s explore its characteristics. God is perfect (Matthew 5:48), so he forgives perfectly.

Here are 14 characteristics of his perfect forgiveness.

Perfect Forgiveness

1. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives you willingly, gladly, wholeheartedly, freely, rather than being pushed into it.

Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Romans 5:20 says, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

2. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives every single sin, including your worst sin.

Psalm 103:2–3 says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity.”

Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, 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 become like wool.”

3. Perfect forgiveness means God never again holds your sin against you, but rather, forgets it.

King David wrote: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:1–2 NIV)

Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

4. Perfect forgiveness means God does not punish you for sin.

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

God does not punish a follower of Jesus as a legal consequence of breaking his laws. The punishment fell on Jesus at the Cross.

Nevertheless, when a child of God sins, the Lord may in fatherly love discipline them for their ultimate good (Hebrews 12:5–11). He allows them to reap the natural consequences of the seeds they sow (Galatians 6:7–8). And sinful actions reduce a Christian’s rewards (1 Corinthians 3:12–15). These actions, too, are marks of perfection.

5. Perfect forgiveness means God has full, unqualified favor toward you.

In Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son, “The son said to his father, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:21–24)

6. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives your most serious sins as completely as the least serious.

The apostle Paul wrote: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15–16, NIV)

7. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives justly.

He forgives because of the atonement he makes available through the substitutionary death of Jesus. He does not forgive anyone and everyone. He does not clear the guilty, that is, those who have not repentantly received the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. He satisfies and upholds perfect justice.

Acts 2:38 says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”

Exodus 34:6–7 says, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”

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8. Perfect forgiveness means God removes all your moral guilt.

God, the Lawgiver and Final Judge, justifies you. When he looks at the Law and looks at you, he regards you as utterly blameless because of Jesus.

Colossians 1:22 says, “He has now reconciled [you] in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”

Romans 3:23–26 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

9. Perfect forgiveness means God removes all your shame.

First Peter 2:6 says, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

10. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives in a way that discourages repetition of the offense.

When we sin, he does not say, “No problem.” Rather, he says, “That is a problem, but I will forgive you completely because of Jesus, and I will cleanse you of wrong living.” He fixes us, making us a new person who desires to be godly.

Romans 8:1–2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Psalm 130:4 says, “With you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”

11. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives in a way that requires sincere confession and repentance.

First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

12. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives many varieties of sin.

God describes himself as “forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” (Exodus 34:7) The NIV translates this phrase as “forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” The idea conveyed by piling up these three words is that God forgives all varieties of sin, including

(a) Inadvertent, unintentional, thoughtless, careless sins.

(b) Willful, eyes-wide-open sins. (However, see Hebrews 10:26–31 about a type of deliberate, habitual, unrepentant sinning by hypocritical “Christians” that will not be forgiven.)

(d) Sins of omission, failing to do what we should have done.

(e) Sins of commission, doing what is forbidden.

(f) Sins of ignorance, which we do not know we have committed, which are innumerable.

All are forgiven if a believer in Jesus sincerely confesses and repents.

13. Perfect forgiveness means God forgives in a way that vindicates his holiness and his name.

To forgive your sins he does not compromise his holiness or character one iota. On the contrary, he forgives in a way that magnifies his holiness.

That is the message you should see in the Cross of Jesus. It was horrific because forgiveness cost you nothing, but cost God much. At the Cross, God upheld his holiness.

Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

14. Perfect forgiveness comes only by a perfect savior.

Your forgiveness is perfect because it was obtained by God himself, not by an imperfect man. God perfectly redeemed sinful humanity through the atoning death of Jesus on the Cross.

The blood of animals under the Old Testament only brought forgiveness because it was a proxy for the blood of Jesus.

The Old Covenant required that the sacrificial animals be perfect, with no blemishes or faults. This symbolically revealed the need for a perfect Savior, who in the fullness of time turned out to be God’s own perfect, divine Son.

Lev 22:19–20 says, “If [the sacrifice] is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.”

1 Peter 1:19 says we were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (NIV)

Our way and God’s way

Our way: On the human level, fallen people hold grudges or forgive reluctantly. Many sinners assume God will never forgive them.

God’s way: The Lord forgives sinners completely, willingly, perfectly because—and only because—of what Jesus accomplished by suffering and dying on the Cross.

Life principle: God would rather forgive you than judge you. When he forgives, he perfectly forgives.

March 30, 2020March 31, 2020

The Savior of the World

The Lord has the heart of a savior. He is both mighty to save and willing to save. He is the ultimate, incomparable, quintessential Savior!

Recently my wife and I visited her brother in the hospital. He had just been diagnosed with cancer. Two days earlier he had almost died in the emergency room.

Some ten years ago he had suffered the same cancer, and after receiving various therapies for more than a month in the hospital he had fully recovered.

The doctor who treated him then was still working at the hospital and would be able to treat him now, for which he was very grateful. He had not yet seen her since coming into the hospital and was waiting for her to arrive in his room at any time.

He told us the story of how ten years ago, after recovering from the cancer, he had seen her at the hospital in the hallway from a distance and pointing toward her had called out loudly for all to hear, “She saved me!”

We visited for 20 minutes, and then the “savior,” his cancer doctor, suddenly walked in the door. She smiled broadly.

When he saw her, his face lit up, he beamed, and they began chatting enthusiastically like old friends.

Human saviors

A person who saves you holds a special place in your heart, especially if they literally save your life. We see such stories in the news regularly. A fireman rescues a person trapped in a burning building. Someone donates a kidney to a dying friend. A lifeguard rescues a drowning swimmer. A soldier rescues an injured fellow soldier under enemy fire. Those saved tell their stories with tears.

Even when threats are far less serious, we feel a special bond of gratitude toward people who help us in a tough situation. My wife called me last week from an hour away and said she had pulled the car off the road because it was making strange, loud noises from underneath. She texted a photo of something hanging midway along the muffler pipe. “Where should I take the car?” she asked.

We hung up so I could do some internet research. Suddenly I remembered a mechanic we had used several times when we lived in that area. He is a Christian and had always done quality repairs, at a fair price, with honest advice about what we really did or did not need. I called him immediately, and he said he could squeeze us in. Forty-five minutes later my wife called to say he had used one screw to reattach a pipe shield and charged us nothing for his time and no diagnostic fee.

Bonded with saviors

What a relief to have a “savior”! We love

the helpful tow-truck driver who gets your car moving again
the nutritionist who tells you how to eat and overcome health problems
the author or financial coach whose book saves you from crushing debt
the exercise coach who saves you from fat, fatigue, and heart problems
the roofer who installs a quality roof that saves you from chronic, home-destroying leaks
the skilled accountant who saves you from thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes
a friendly and competent clerk at a government office
the competent lawyer who saves you from an unjust lawsuit
the pastor whose sermons, podcasts, and books save you from spiritual ignorance and self-destruction.

They save us money, uncertainty, fear, time, frustration, and problems.

The ultimate savior

On an infinitely more important scale, what the gospel reveals about God is that he is the ultimate, incomparable Savior. First, of course, he is the Savior of one’s soul. But he doesn’t stop there. The gospel reveals Jesus traveling through Palestine healing the sick and crippled, delivering those tormented by demons, feeding the hungry. The gospel reveals the Lord as the Savior willing and able to rescue you from every harmful thing, every danger, torment, and problem.

The heart of God is to save people in need. He has the nature of a first responder, an emergency-room doctor, a beach lifeguard, a war hero, a financial coach to debt-crushed people, a suicide counselor. He rescues people who cannot save themselves.

God says, “I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11).

Scripture says, “The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

The angel told Joseph: your wife Mary “will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus [which means, Yahweh is salvation], for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

The title Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. A messiah is a savior.

God is not reluctant to save people. He “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

How do you need to be saved?

What threatens you? How are you in danger? What do you fear and worry about? The Lord is willing and able to save you from all the following needs and threats if you pray and put your faith in him.

Trouble: Jeremiah described God as the “hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble” (Jeremiah 14:8).

Pain, disease: Jesus “took our illnesses and bore our diseases” (Matthew 8:17). “By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Lack: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Spiritual, demonic torment: “That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick” (Matthew 8:16). “He went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mark 1:39). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Death: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die’” (John 11:25–26).

Emotional torment such as fear, despair, depression, meaninglessness, rejection: Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:9–10). “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (John 6:35). “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37–38).

Guilt for sin: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23–24).

Judgment Day and the wrath of God: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Our way and God’s way

Our way: Fallen people prefer to save themselves. They don’t want to have to trust in God.

God’s way: “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8).

Life principle: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

April 16, 2018March 21, 2018

The All-importance of Jesus

God forgive me

Have you ever wondered, Will God forgive me?

To have acceptance with God, we must always depend not on trying to be good enough for God, but rather on Jesus Christ and his atoning death on the cross.

God forgive me

Recently on a ride-share I asked my driver, “May I ask you a question about your faith?” and he said, “Sure.”

I then asked him a question that I often ask: “If you were suddenly to die and stand before God, and God asked you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would you answer?”

His response was to describe to me several of his religious activities. He said he went to mass daily. He showed me a prayer card that he keeps with him always. And he said he tries to treat people well. But he said no one can be good enough for God.

Clearly he was sincere about his religion, but what stood out to me was what he did not say. Although he is Roman Catholic, he never said anything about Jesus Christ. He has faith in God, but when asked what will make him acceptable to God and give him access to heaven, his default answer was not to mention Jesus Christ.

My driver is not alone. In all the times I have asked people that question, I don’t remember a single time that the clear, immediate answer was, “I am trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior.” Ninety percent of the time, people do not mention him at all (even those who say they believe in him).

That’s a critical problem.

On what basis God accepts us

This is the sixth in a series of articles on the subject of what God requires of those who want to know him and walk in his ways. We need to know something all-important: God does not accept everybody. He does not accept everybody into heaven, and he does not accept everybody into a relationship with him. In fact, on our own merits, God does not accept anybody!

The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That means we fall short of God’s holy, perfect standard.

That’s a critical problem because God does not grade on a curve. He is perfectly holy and just and does not lower his standards or requirements. Just as a dead fly in a bowl of soup spoils the whole bowl, so the presence of any sin in us pollutes us morally and spiritually and makes us unacceptable to him.

His highest requirement is expressed in these two commandments: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 12:30–31).

Who has perfectly obeyed either of those commandments for even one day? By nature human beings are simply not capable of that. We have a fallen nature. We are broken. That’s why we are basically selfish and must try so hard to be loving. That’s why relationships are so difficult. It’s why we resist centering our lives in God rather than in ourselves.

If we are to be accepted by God, it won’t be because we are good enough for him. No one comes close. No one can jump a mile high, and no one can meet God’s requirements.

God’s solution

Because God is loving and merciful, he decided to offer a solution to our critical problem. This is why he sent his unique Son to the world to become a man. Because Jesus is God, he was able to live a perfect life and then die a death on the cross for our sins that had divine, infinite capability to satisfy God’s just and holy requirements.

The death of Jesus atones for our failures. The death of Jesus on the cross is the only thing that enables God to forgive us without compromising his justice. He won’t ever compromise his holy justice, but he will in mercy forgive us because of what Jesus has done.

But God still does not forgive everyone or accept everyone.

The requirement of faith in Jesus Christ

The Bible says, “¹⁶ God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:16–18).

Notice in this verse the necessity of believing in Jesus Christ.

Returning to my opening story, this is why there is something deeply unsatisfactory about my driver’s answer. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. His default confidence was not in Jesus Christ, even though he believed in him.

God’s way and our way

God’s way: We find acceptance with him only through faith in Jesus Christ.

Our way: We rely on our own efforts to be good and religious to make us acceptable to God. We try to accumulate merit in God’s sight. We want some other way than to rely fully on Jesus Christ as our only way to find approval with God.

Next week: More on the crucial role of Jesus Christ for those who want to know God.