“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” —Isaiah 55:7
I was recently reading a great old book by R. A. Torrey titled,
DIFFICULTIES IN THE BIBLE, in which he states the following concerning
David's sin and the pardon God gave him . . .
“But there is another precious lesson for us, too, in the history of David's sin, and it is that there is full and free pardon for the vilest sinner. David's sin was black, black as midnight, it was appalling, it was inexcusable, but he found pardon full and free. David said: 'I have sinned against the Lord' and God said through His prophet: 'The Lord also hath put away thy sin' (2nd Samuel 12:13). David himself has told us in one of his most beautiful Psalms the story of his pardon (Psalm 32:1-5).
God is a holy God. He hates sin with infinite hatred. He will not look upon the smallest sin with the least bit of allowance, but God is also . . .
A GOD OF PARDONING LOVE.
He stands ready to pardon the vilest sinner. He is ever calling to men and women who have sinned: 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' (Isaiah 55:7). There are those that think they have sinned too deeply to ever find pardon, but it is not so. It would be hard to find one who had sinned more deeply than David. He had committed the greatest wrong one man can commit against another, and he had stained his hands with the blood of his victim, still he found pardon.
I do thank God for this story of David. It gives me hope for any man. In the light of it as told in the Bible, I care not who comes and asks me:
'Is there salvation for me?'
I hesitate not to answer: 'Yes, for you. David found mercy and you can.' ”
SOURCE: R.A. Torrey, DIFFICULTIES IN THE BIBLE, pg. 67; copyright 1907, Fleming H. Revell Company, Moody Press.
Amen! The Bible is filled with examples of flawed believers who sinned against God, but God pardoned them by faith in HE THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY (Romans 4:5). Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1st Timothy 1:15). It is Jesus Christ Who justifieth the ungodly by faith. Christ's righteousness is IMPUTED (i.e., charged) to the sinner's account BY FAITH. What a wonderful Savior!
Here is David beautifully telling us about his pardon from God . . .
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” —Psalm 32:1-5
There is no depth of sin to which a person can go, to where God in His loving mercy won't abundantly pardon that person, if they'll acknowledge their guilt of sin and turn to the Lord by faith for forgiveness. END
