God Ready to Pardon

 The latest installment in my writing project, The Names of God II

God Ready to Pardon

… but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Nehemiah 9:17b (KJV)

I’ve never been incarcerated. I cannot imagine what being imprisoned against your will would feel like. Once found guilty and a sentence pronounced over you, the only hope you have for a reprieve from the punishment meted out to you is to be pardoned or paroled.

In the United States and other western nations, we have a system of laws which govern the lives of its citizens. It is designed to maintain a civil society and protect that society from harm. When someone violates a statute they face the possibility of arrest, and if found guilty of the offense, placed in jail or prison for a prescribed amount of time, known as a sentence. The length of punishment is stated in the law and is up to the discretion of the judge and/or jury. This time varies by the severity of the offense. Some carry the ultimate penalty of death.

In the U.S., the Chief Executive Office, the President, has the ability to pardon anyone. Once pardoned, it is as though the individual had never committed the crime. The record is expunged; completely removed from the books.

God chose to implement a set of laws, the Old Testament, in order to show mankind that they could not live up to the standard required for fellowship with Him. This Law only had one punishment – death. It hardly seems amicable; especially since He knew mankind would not be able to keep the Law.

Because God is holy, you cannot enter His presence and live if you are in any way unholy. However, God invites us into His presence, so there must be a way for us to be holy, even though we are born with a sin nature and cannot live a holy life on our own. In the Law, God gave a remedy for sin. He created the practice of sacrifice where one could atone for their violation of any Law. Atone. It simply removed the penalty but did not acquit the offender.

This all changed under the New Testament. God put in motion a plan of redemption when He sent Jesus to become the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for the ultimate penalty. He exchanged the life of the Son so that mankind could become the sons and daughters which God wanted in the first place. Now, through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be pardoned, not just forgiven!

This name for God, “God Ready to Pardon”, gives all of us hope, and speaks to the very nature and character of God. You do not have to earn this pardon. You cannot earn it. You do not have to pay an extreme price. You cannot afford it. You only have to accept the provision made for you when Jesus placed His own blood on the Mercy Seat when the price for sin was paid once for all. When we become identified with Christ our sin debt is cancelled and any record of it is expunged – as far as the east is from the west – and it is remembered no more.

The image many have of God is one of exacting justice on anyone found guilty of an offense. They envision Him waiting to squish them like a bug under His thumb. This causes fear to run from God. If we can only see Him for who He really is. God is waiting, but not to exact punishment. Instead, He is waiting, even calling out to us to receive the pardon He wants to give, so that we can approach Him and be restored to fellowship as friend to friend.

What a complete difference this can make in our lives, to know fully the One who knows us best. In Him, there is nothing hidden, nothing held back, and nothing else needed. Receive the “Pardon”, who is Jesus Christ, and begin to live the life for which you were created; one free of guilt, shame, and obligation. Instead, live a life of joy, peace, and wonder as you revel in the presence of the Creator. It will make all the difference.