You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
Psalm 99:8
Although this is an Old Testament verse, God-Who-Forgives is very clearly a title of Christ. Of the 98 times the word “forgive” appears in scripture, only 43 of those are in the Old Testament. Sometimes the Old Testament talks about one person forgiving another, such as in the case of Joseph’s brothers asking him to forgive them (Genesis 50:17). But most often it is used referring to the sin offering and temple sacrifice. In these cases God’s forgiveness seems very conditional: “…So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him” (Leviticus 4:31).
Of the 55 times that “forgive” occurs in the New Testament, 41 are directly the words of the Savior. Jesus put a tremendous emphasis on forgiving and being forgiven. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).
The Son of God freely forgave those who came to Him. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you'” (Matthew 9:2). Regarding the sinful woman who came in the Pharisee’s house to wash the Lord’s feet, He said concerning her, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much” (Luke 7:47).
The gospel of Christ Jesus is the message of the God-Who-Forgives. Paul certainly preached it: “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colosians1:13-14).
The Apostle John also preached it: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), because Jesus is the God-Who-Forgives.
November 21
