Forgiveness, the Promise of God

God keeps His promises.  This is one four-worded statement that the Bible proves true.

“When dreams come true,” is another four-worded statement that sums up the fulfillment of God keeping His promise—the provision of humankind’s salvation.  The statement reflects each of our hearts from the very moment we are conscious of desires we cannot avoid—good desires for safety, for prosperity, and for wellbeing.  These desires are human needs.

God knows these are human needs.

Salvation is the meeting of these needs.

He who created us, He who formed us, 
knows us, and He made us this way, 
and God has also made a way for us.

As is God’s nature, we have been given 
what is central to our need and our condition.

Our need is salvation,
for our condition is sin.

Our need resolves our condition.
There is salvation for our sinful nature.

The promise of God in salvation is one of those dreams come true—a deep desire and wish in us that our lack of goodness might be somehow understood, forgiven, absolved; we, who desperately WANT to be good.

The promise of God in salvation fills a gap that we ourselves cannot fill.  The promise of God in salvation achieves something that we both need but cannot achieve on our own.

THE FIRST GOSPEL – GENESIS 3:15

Interestingly, the first gospel comes way before the biblical gospels, and well before even the biblical prophets.

Protoevangelium (noun) is “a messianic interpretation of a text,” according to Merriam-Webster, “presaging [humanity’s] ultimate triumph over sin through the coming of a savior—used as the first anticipation of the gospel.”

Genesis 3:15 is the protoevangelium— 
the earliest foretelling of the gospel of God 
rescuing a humanity that cannot live up to its image.

Importantly, the elements of the first gospel feature God’s enamoured demeanour toward the first humans.  God does not curse them, but he curses the serpent and the ground.

The first humans were deceived, 
just as we today can be deceived. 

It is better to be deceived than be deceptive.

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God prophesies in Genesis 3:15 that, “He (Jesus) will crush your (Satan’s) head, and you (Satan) will strike His heel.”  Ultimately, Satan “bruised” Christ’s heel at the cross, but Christ’s death and resurrection “crushed” Satan, a decisive victory for all eternity.

TWO TYPES OF SEED

There is so much theology in Genesis 3:15 about the fall and God’s plan to redeem His beloved humanity.  One of the clearest signs that this theology is true is how it translates in life.

There are two types of seed in this spiritual life: 
God’s sheep and wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The former are those who try to do the right thing 
and repent when they don’t.
The latter are not interested in doing 
the right thing and they do not repent. 

There is God’s seed represented by Adam and Eve who have God’s seal of love, who are further represented by those who receive the gospel (receiving God’s forgiveness) which powers them to live in the light because they seek relationship with God, accepting and living in His grace.

There is also Satan’s seed represented by the serpent, and there are those who are counterfeit Christians who seem to “believe” in Jesus but do not follow His ways.  Theirs is a way of breaking relationship even if they feign affection—these are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They resist the gospel’s work in their lives even if they say they work in its power.

God’s seed is committed to contrition.
Satan’s seed manifests contempt.

Jesus Himself makes the case for those who have Satan’s seed in this extended passage from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:15-23:

“Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’”  (NIV)

It is hard as a pastor to preach about the things that Jesus spoke of, but it is plain in what we read. By their fruit we will know them, not always by what they say or promise, for their words are cheap in comparison to the evidence in their actions.  And not everyone who does things in God’s name is one of God’s people.

God knows the heart and 
deceivers do not deceive God.

Indeed, it is folly for a deceptive one 
to cry foul in the cold light of day.

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GRATITUDE FOR PROMISES KEPT

We can be grateful to the extent that we appreciate that God is true to His character.

What more can be given for the grace-gift that has been given to us?  It has ALL been given.  There is nothing left to give.  It was all done at the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished,” because once Jesus died, the resurrection was only a matter of time away, because death could not hold the Son of God down.

The promise spoken forth back at the 
beginning of creation has been kept.

Nothing is required of us other than 
our allegiance to follow the way of Jesus.

This is simply about God 
leading us in the way everlasting.

The truth is, gratitude is its own gift.  Especially when we consider that gratitude is built on the truth of a promise kept that we depended on being kept.

The foundation of this promise kept is the forgiveness we needed but could not grasp for ourselves.  In the delivery of the promise—the forgiveness of God—just so happens to be the promise we can make back to God:

“I will never be perfect, Lord, 
and thank You that I do not need to be.
But what I can do is forgive 
those who sin against me, 
just as in fact, 
You have done for me...
and, by doing so I trust You, God.”

Agreeing to live by the model God has given to us through His Son, we do not live an absurd example, even if the world might say we are mad to forgive someone who will neither appreciate the gift of our forgiveness nor repent.

We may forgive and thereby live according to the model we have been given, but our forgiveness will never cost us like it cost God.  Our forgiveness is a token in comparison.

Besides, our forgiveness is a promise made back to God, that we promise never to judge as we accept in this that God alone is judge.

In such forgiveness, as benefactors of the eternal promise of redemption, we are freed from the bonds of requiring a certain variety of justice—that we cannot procure.

In forgiveness is wisdom, 
for in forgiveness is freedom.

THE WISDOM IN FORGIVENESS

Death teaches us to live this life lightly.

Not only is death inevitable, but we also leave this life with nothing.  What is written as our life record matters.  How we live our life has consequences.

Forgiveness in this life matters.  It is significant beyond this life, just as it is significant in this life.  There is wisdom in forgiveness.  Indeed, there is only wisdom in forgiveness, and no folly.  But there is folly in unforgiveness.

Wisdom proves itself right by faith.
That is, when we apply wisdom, it works out right.

But we must apply wisdom by faith,
because rarely is wisdom vindicated beforehand.

There is life in trusting the path of goodness,
that all things will end well when ventured by faith.

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