Why Does God Forgive People?
ROM. 3:21-26
SUBJECT: THE FOUNDATION OF FORGIVENESS
THEME:
The
Only Thing That Motivates God to Forgive Fallen Humanity is His Great Love and
the Fact That All Sin Was Paid for in the Death of Christ. God Pardons Us When
We Receive His Grace, and Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice Provides the Basis, or
Foundation for Forgiveness.
RELEVANCY:
God’s wants you to experience complete
forgiveness of your sins and to receive full restoration in your relationship
to the Lord God. If you are looking for forgiveness based on your pleas, promises, and
performance, then I can guarantee you will remain in sin and guilt. If you
accept Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf, you will receive the fullness of God’s
life-giving forgiveness.
INTRODUCTION:
1. At
the base of every modern skyscraper you will find a foundation or platform on
which it is built. Often this would involve digging down deep
into the ground to ensure that a good substructure or basis is established. This
will prevent the skyscraper from sinking into the ground, tipping over, improving
the structural integrity, and strengthening the building. It provides a more
stable basis. Simply stated a good foundation must be laid if that building
structure is to last. (Dr. C. Stanley)
2.
Likewise, when it comes to building our lives we must have a solid
foundation, some things that will not give away during the pressures of life. In the matter of our salvation, it is vitally important
that it be based on the correct foundation. A failure to lay a reliable
foundation will certainly result in an eternity in the lake of fire. This is
extremely important to us.
3. God’s
foundation for Forgiveness is the finish work of Jesus Christ. One
of the key words in our text is the word “Propitiation”. Which basically means to satisfy justice. God
accepted the blood of Christ as the complete and satisfying sacrifice for all
human sin, thus establishing the only method of reconciliation between God and
Man. Again, God expressed his entire righteous anger against our sin on Christ
on the cross to the point of death, paying what we owed in full. This gift of
the sacrifice of God’s own Son to atone for our own sin must be received to be
forgiven. The finished work of Christ is the reliable, dependable, eternal,
trustworthy, unfailing, and guaranteed foundation for our forgiveness of sins. Romans 3:25, Whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation [fair complete payment] through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission [forgiveness] of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
MESSAGE:
I. What Does Not Motivate God to Forgive
(Rom.
3:21-23).
What if
someone asked you, “Why does God forgive people?” I have encountered many people
who have given me answers implying that God has
to forgive people for this reason or that. God doesn’t have to do anything! God certainly does not forgive us for any of
these reasons:
A. HE DOESN’T FORGIVE US BECAUSE WE ARE GOOD
PEOPLE.
We all
know that we aren't good. Even Jesus
said, “There is none good but One, that is, God”
(Matt. 19:17). We live in a fallen world, and
we are born in a fallen state. The apostle Paul taught the Romans,
Romans 5:12-14, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: [13] (For
until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no
law. [14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that
had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure
of him that was to come.
The Bible truth is clear; we are Adam’s heirs. We are born
in a sinful state, separated from God and in need of God’s forgiveness and
reconciliation to Himself.
B. HE DOESN’T
FORGIVE US BECAUSE WE PROMISE NEVER TO SIN AGAIN.
In all probability, we will sin again, and God knows it
even if we won’t admit it to ourselves.
C. HE DOESN’T
FORGIVE US BECAUSE WE GO TO CHURCH OR GIVE MONEY TO WORTHY CAUSES. Our works, as noble
as they may be, have nothing to do with our salvation. We see this clearly in Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast.”
D. HE DOESN’T
FORGIVE US BECAUSE HE IS HAVING A GOOD DAY AND FEELS KINDLY TOWARD HUMANKIND. God is not capricious, bestowing forgiveness on one day
and withholding forgiveness on the next. God’s nature doesn’t change; He isn’t
ruled by whim; He doesn’t operate according to an emotional barometer. When
things go well, some people comment, “God
was smiling on me today.” The fact is, God is always smiling on us. (Dr. C.
Stanley)
E. HE DOESN’T
FORGIVE US BECAUSE WE ASK HIM TO FORGIVE US.
1. God forgives us when we ask Him to forgive us, but He doesn’t forgive us because we ask Him. That would imply
that God is in a state of unforgiveness toward us until we ask, which simply
isn’t the case. God is always extending an offer of forgiveness to us.
2. Our plea for forgiveness doesn’t move God to
action; He has already moved toward us—all the way from Heaven right to the
place where we live in our sin—and He is waiting for us to turn to Him and
receive the forgiveness He offers.
F. HE DOESN’T
FORGIVE US BECAUSE HE IS A GOOD GOD AND WOULD NEVER SEND ANYBODY TO HELL. That’s one of the foremost heresies of our time. I hear it
often: “God is a good God, and He’d never
condemn a person to an eternity without Him.” That isn’t what the Bible
teaches. John 3:16—the salvation verse that tells us that “whosoever
believeth” will have everlasting life—is
followed by these words: John 3:17-19, For God
sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved. [18] He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but
he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
1. Our actions condemn us. Primarily the sin of
unbelief!
2. God doesn't desire that any should perish,
but He will not override our will.
3. If someone chooses to reject God's offer of
forgiveness, then he or she has chosen his/her eternal destiny without God.
APPLICATION: If you have been offering these reasons to God
as to why He should forgive you of your sin then please stop today because you
are wasting your time and energy. God is the one who establishes the basis for
Forgiveness and this rest within His own Holy nature! There is nothing
that we could do to motivate God to forgive us! (Dr. C. Stanley)
II. What Motivates God to Forgive? (Rom. 3:24-25)
The motivation for God’s forgiveness lies totally within
God Himself. He forgives us because He has a basis to forgive—the propitiation of
Jesus Christ. But, what are the specifics?
A. GOD IS MOTIVATED BY HIS LOVE; FORGIVENESS IS
ROOTED IN GOD’S LOVE.
1 John 4:8-10, He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. [9] In this
was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him. [10] Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.
God forgives out of His unconditional, eternal love. John
tells us that God’s very nature is love, and forgiveness flows from His nature
(1 John 4:8–10). We are forgiven because it is God’s will to forgive.
B. GOD IS MOTIVATED BY HIS GRACE; FORGIVENESS IS
BASED ON GOD’S GRACE.
Romans 5:15, But not as the offence, so also is the free
gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Rom. 5:17, For if by one man's offence death reigned by one;
much more they which receive abundance
of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
C. GOD IS MOTIVATED BY HIS MERCY; FORGIVENESS IS
GROUNDED IN GOD’S MERCY.
Ephes. 2:4-5, But God,
who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;)
APPLICATION: Since God’s Forgiveness is rooted in His very
Nature and since He is the unchanging God, then we have a consistent unchanging
bases for forgiveness. God does not change in his nature. That means if He
forgives you for what you view as a little sin, then by the same motives He
will forgive a big sin. Just as He
forgave you for your few sins, He can forgive the worst criminal ever known by
the same motives. The quantity nor the quality, nor the impact
of our sins neither encourage nor discourage God from forgiving us. Forgiveness is based in His very nature, He
is Merciful, Loving, and Gracious these are the principles that motivate Him to
forgive. (Dr. C. Stanley)
Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
James 1:17, Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
How does it make
you feel to know that God forgives because He wants to forgive, and not as a
result of anything that you do?
III. God Sets the
Rules for Forgiveness (Rom. 3:24-26).
Because forgiveness is totally at God’s initiative and
subject to God’s will alone, we must ask, “Has God established any rules or protocol
for forgiveness?” He certainly has.
A. THE HOLY NATURE OF GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE.
We must recognize that God is a holy God, which means He is
separate from humankind in nature. God has no capacity for sin, and He cannot
have fellowship with sin. God is totally pure, righteous, and without fault. He
cannot coexist where sin is present.
Light and dark do not exist simultaneously. In a similar
manner, your sin cannot exist in God's presence. God consumes or destroys sin
just as light consumes darkness. And in that, we find a picture of our
vulnerability before God when we are filled with sin. We are subject to being
consumed by Him, having the innermost being vaporized by His fire of
righteousness. In a word, we are subject to death.
Hebrews 12:14, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord:
B. GOD’S PERFECT PROVISION IS JESUS CHRIST.
Romans 3:25, Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past, through the forbearance of God;
God made a provision, however, for us to be cleansed of sin
so that we might have fellowship with Him. Literally, Jesus satisfied the wrath
of God against us sinners and our sin…and it was God himself who “hath set forth” this
reality. God presented Christ as the atonement, and that provision was in the
form of a blood sacrifice. Through the cross God demonstrated His righteous
nature though he endured our sin for a season. No doubt, someone will say, “But I don't like this idea of blood.”
The idea of blood sacrifice was not our idea—it was God’s idea. It is not
within our prerogative to choose another means for reconciliation with God. God
sets the rules in this matter, and God established Christ’s blood sacrifice as
a means of reconciling us to Him.
1. There Is No Forgiveness Without Blood
Sacrifice.
This theme is in the Bible from cover to cover.
Hebrews 9:22, And almost all things are by the law purged
with blood; and without shedding of
blood is no remission.
a. When Cain and Abel made sacrificial offerings
to God, the offering that was accepted by God was the blood sacrifice of a
lamb. (See Gen. 4:2–5.)
b. The sacrifices that atoned for sin under the
law of Moses were blood sacrifices.
c. In like manner, the blood of Jesus shed on
the cross of Calvary is the sacrificial, substitutionary, all-sufficient
atonement for our sins. Each of the words in the previous sentence is important
to our understanding of the forgiveness made available to us through the death
of Jesus Christ. (Dr. C. Stanley)
1 Peter 1:18-19, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot:
2.
We Must Accept God’s Provision and Not Seek to Establish Our Own.
(See Rom. 10:1-5)
Romans 3:24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus:
“Being justified freely,” describes the worldwide opportunity for every precious
soul. God has made it possible for us to be justified—declared righteous and
sinless—by His grace. Such salvation is only through faith and reliance on God’s
pure unmerited favor, not through our good deeds or performance.
C. GOD’S RULES FOR FORGIVENESS SATISFY HIS
REQUIREMENTS.
1. Rule #1: The Sacrificial Death of
Christ.
Jesus gave His life on the cross as a sacrifice. He wasn’t merely
put to death by the Romans or the Jewish leaders. On the contrary, Jesus
appeared in history to “put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26). Jesus gave
His life, as an act of His will conforming to the Father’s will, as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). While
religious and political leaders of that time bear their responsibility for the
murder of Christ (Acts 2:22-24, Jesus was on a mission to sacrifice himself for
our sin.
a. A
Dying Sacrifice.
Hebrews 9:26, For then must he often have suffered since the
foundation of the world: but now once in
the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself.
b. A
Predetermined Sacrifice.
Rev. 13:8, And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
His death was not an accident nor a mere act of the will of
the Jewish and Roman officials. It was
the will of God as determined before the world was created that took place on
Calvary 2,000 years ago. It was God
radically making provision to rid His universe of sin!
2.
Rule #2: The Substitutionary Death of Christ.
1 John 2:1-2, My little children, these things write I unto
you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous: [2] And he
is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
a.
He Died in Our Place.
Jesus took your place and mine on the cross. He died in
your place and in my place and in the place of everyone you know.
b.
The Penalty for Sin Is Death.
And we are all sinners. Unless God, pure and righteous, take
our place and suffered the penalty for our sin, we would have to bear that
penalty ourselves. The apostle Paul explained this in Romans 3:10–18 by citing
several verses from the Old Testament: As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [11] There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [12] They are all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth
good, no, not one. [13] Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues
they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: [14] Whose mouth
is full of cursing and bitterness: [15] Their feet are swift to shed blood:
[16] Destruction and misery are in their ways: [17] And the way of peace have
they not known: [18] There is no fear of God before their eyes.
3.
Rule #3: The All-Sufficient Death of Christ.
a.
The Work That Jesus Did Was Definitive.
We no longer need to offer blood sacrifices in
acknowledgment of our sin. We need only have faith in Jesus Christ and accept
what He has done on our behalf. The writer of Hebrews says that God took away
the first means of blood sacrifice that He might establish the second means,
the sacrifice of Jesus. (Heb. 9:15-28)
b.
His Sacrifice Was Made Once and For All Time.
The sacrifice of Jesus was the only one necessary. The
phrase that is used is a powerful one: “once for
all.”
Hebrews 10:10-14, By the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and
offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: [12]
But this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13] From
henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. [14] For by one offering he
hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
4. Rule #4: The Atoning Death of
Christ.
Romans 5:1, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
a.
Atonement is a word that means
“reconciliation”—at-one-ment. Jesus' death
on the cross made it possible for the gap between God and people to be bridged.
Romans 5:1 speaks of atonement in terms of peace.
b.
Christ’s Death is THE Atonement.
Romans 5:11, And not only
so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now
received
the atonement.
What Jesus did on the cross, He never needs to do again,
and neither does anyone else ever have to suffer and die as He did. He is the
sacrificial, substitutionary, all-sufficient atonement (Romans 5:20-21;
6:10-11). Christ died for us. Jesus came so that you and I might transfer our
guilt to Him, and accept, by faith, that He is the guiltless One who has
received our sin and taken it to Himself.
CONCLUSION: If you are expecting forgiveness
based on your pleas, promises, and performance, then you will remain in sin and
guilt. But, if you accept His blood sacrifice on your behalf, you open yourself
to receiving the fullness of God’s life-giving forgiveness.
The Only Thing that
Motivates God to Forgive Fallen Humanity is His Great Love and the Fact That
All Sin Was Paid for in the Death of Christ. God Pardons Us When We Receive His
Grace and Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice Provides the Foundation for Forgiveness.
Beloved, this is the only reason why God forgives people.
1. If you need God’s
forgiveness you may come and receive Christ and his work!
2. If you think you
have gone too far to be forgiven, you need to remember forgiveness rests in the
nature of God, not in the quality and quantity of your actions.
