It’s still one of the most arresting statements in the entire New Testament; when Jesus says, “If you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father,” because if this is true then that means all we need to do is look at Jesus if we want to see who God really is.
When we look at Jesus we see a God who loves everyone – especially those “sinners” that the religious leaders of the day couldn’t stand to be around.
When we look at Jesus we see a God who embraced the lame, the sick, the deformed, the broken and the outcasts.
When we look at Jesus we see a God who forgives everyone He sees, without bloodshed, without the need for a sacrifice and years before anyone got nailed to a cross.
In fact, in Jesus we see an automatic forgiveness reflex extended to everyone who comes within the sound of His voice.
Paralytic man? “Your sins are forgiven”
Sinful woman weeping at his feet? “Your sins are forgiven”
Roman soldiers nailing him to a cross? “Father, forgive them”
Even more alarming is the fact that Jesus claimed:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” [John 5:19]
So, why does Jesus forgive in a heartbeat? Because that’s what the Father does.
Why does Jesus forgive people who haven’t even asked for it? Because that’s how the Father forgives.
Where did Jesus get this idea that everyone deserves forgiveness, no matter what they do or don’t do?
Jesus could have only learned this from the Father, because he said he only does what he sees the Father doing. Therefore what Jesus saw the Father doing was forgive, forgive, forgive.
Want to know something even more amazing than this?
In the Gospel of John, we’re told this:
“Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son..” [John 5:22]
Got that? The Father judges no one. Instead, the Father has trusted Jesus alone to do all the judging.
Now, if we keep reading the Gospel of John we’ll come to this bombshell where Jesus says this:
“You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.” [John 8:15]
Waitaminutenow.
Read that last part again. Slowly.
Jesus says, “I judge no one.”
So, if we do the math we get this:
The Father does not judge anyone.
Jesus is the one who has the power to judge.
Jesus passes judgment on no one.
There you have it. Our sins are forgiven. Completely and totally.
The Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world has done it. We are forgiven.
“God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us.” (2 Cor. 5:19)
Take all the time you need to meditate on this, my friends.
This is why they called it the “Good News” of Christ.
Consequently, this is all included the New Covenant promises that Jesus gave to us when he declared this reality in the upper room.
As Hebrews 8:12 reminds us, [quoting from Jeremiah 31:31-34], the New Covenant ends by saying:
“I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
Sins? What sins? They’ve been forgiven.
God is love and love keeps no record of wrongs. Ever.
Rejoice!
**
Keith Giles and his wife, Wendy, work with Peace Catalyst International to help build relationships between Christians and Muslims in El Paso, TX. Keith was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of several best-selling books, including “Jesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment” which is available now on Amazon.
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