Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
We continue to contemplate the chilling words of Revelation 18:5b: “God hath remembered her [Babylon’s] iniquities.” Ultimately, our sins must be dealt with, either by divine judgment or by divine forgiveness. When we speak of this forgiveness, we need to distinguish it from ours. I can forgive and shake my head (inwardly, at least). I can forgive and feel good about myself. I can forgive as a way of storing up for when I need forgiveness. Jesus does not forgive in these imperfect ways. He is not grudging, does not need to feel better about Himself, and does not require forgiveness. In His forbearance, He gives us an opportunity – really, many opportunities – to enter into the fullness of His forgiveness: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34c). If we trust in Jesus for His everlasting salvation, we can be certain that He will remember to forgive us.