Topical Bible: Pardon: Exhibits The: Mercy of God

◄ Pardon: Exhibits The: Mercy of God ►

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Pardon, in the biblical context, is a profound demonstration of God's mercy, reflecting His willingness to forgive the sins of humanity. This divine act is central to the Christian faith, illustrating God's compassionate nature and His desire for reconciliation with His creation.

Old Testament Foundations

The concept of pardon is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where God's mercy is repeatedly shown to the Israelites despite their frequent disobedience. In Exodus 34:6-7 , God reveals His character to Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and truth, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." This passage highlights God's readiness to forgive, underscoring His merciful nature.

The Psalms also celebrate God's pardoning mercy. Psalm 103:8-12 declares, "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." This vivid imagery emphasizes the completeness of God's forgiveness.

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, the ultimate expression of God's pardoning mercy is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Through His sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus provides the means for humanity's reconciliation with God. Romans 5:8 states, "But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This act of grace is the foundation for the pardon available to all who believe.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this theme in Ephesians 1:7 : "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." Here, pardon is directly linked to the redemptive work of Christ, highlighting the abundance of God's grace.

Parables and Teachings of Jesus

Jesus' teachings often illustrate the mercy of God through the theme of pardon. The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is a poignant example, where the father's forgiveness of his wayward son symbolizes God's readiness to forgive repentant sinners. The father's actions reflect God's joy in granting pardon and restoring broken relationships.

Similarly, in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus teaches about the necessity of forgiving others as a reflection of the mercy we have received from God. The king's initial pardon of the servant's debt underscores the vastness of God's mercy, while the servant's failure to extend the same mercy to others serves as a warning against ingratitude and hypocrisy.

The Role of Repentance

While God's mercy is abundant, the Bible also emphasizes the importance of repentance in receiving pardon. In Acts 3:19 , Peter exhorts, "Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away." Repentance is the turning away from sin and turning towards God, a necessary step in experiencing His forgiving grace.

Conclusion

Throughout Scripture, pardon is a testament to the mercy of God, revealing His loving and compassionate nature. It is a gift offered to all who seek it through faith and repentance, demonstrating the depth of God's desire for a restored relationship with His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 34:7
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children's children, to the third and to the fourth generation.
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Psalm 51:1
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness: according to the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
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Library

Of Repentance, of Pardon, and the Commands of God.
... XXIV."Of Repentance, of Pardon, and the Commands of God. ... them, why should we despair
that the mercy of God ... And he who exhibits all these qualities offers a ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xxiv of repentance of pardon.htm

What God is to Us.
... The Lord exhibits himself in a twofold appearance, according to ... of his good-will
to save and pardon thee ... transgression of a finite creature, but my mercy is the ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture ix what god is.htm

Righteous Grace
... It is this great work of propitiation that exhibits God as "the ... It shows pardon not
only as the deed of a ... But now, mercy and truth have met together; now grace ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bonar/gods way of peace/chapter iv righteous grace.htm

Moses' Prayer to be Blotted Out of God's Book.
... The solution which the supposition exhibits, is this, by ... and made indiscriminate
offers of pardon and peace ... annihilation, that they might find mercy"Some as ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon vii moses prayer to.htm

Letter v. Prayer and Fasting.
... The life of Francke exhibits the most striking and signal ... sins we have committed
and seek for pardon; and to ... sinfulness of sin, and the abounding mercy of God ...
/.../letter v prayer and fasting.htm

The Blood-Shedding
... faithfully received, is delightful, for it exhibits boundless love ... robes, with this
rich ransom, get pardon without the ... Innis, I am relying on the mercy of God ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the blood-shedding.htm

Attributes of Love.
... an attribute of benevolence, is virtue, and exhibits itself in ... with this attribute,
extend a pardon but upon ... hand, justice is conditionated by mercy, and cannot ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xiv attributes of love.htm

The Difference Between the Two Testaments.
... away; whereas the Gospel, inasmuch as it exhibits the very body ... enabling them to
do good, and pardon imparted as ... which had long kept the divine mercy within the ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 11 the difference between.htm

The Prodigal Son.
... accord come forth to accept the pardon which he ... to meet his son, here figuratively
exhibits the sending ... peculiarly interesting in relation to the mercy of God ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/xxiv the prodigal son.htm

Do are Then Make Void the Law through Faith? God Forbid; Yea, we ...
... says, "He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy under two ... It exhibits his
disinterestedness ... to him from the government, offering him a free pardon on the ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/do are then make void.htm