April 24: Accept the Lord’s Forgiveness

Steve Smartt is pastor of Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine.

“Years ago, a hydroelectric dam was to be built across a valley in Maine. The people in the town were to be relocated, and the town would be submerged. During the interim between making the final decision and actually evacuating the people, the town, which had once been well-kept, fell into disrepair. The townspeople saw no reason for maintaining their town. One resident said, ‘Where there is no faith in the future, there is no work in the present.’ We must have some hope for the future. With Jesus Christ, we can!” (Bits & Pieces, Feb. 6, 1992, p. 15)

For many people, however, there seems to be little reason to be hopeful about the future. The presence of sin has so seared their consciences that rescue seems unlikely. However, seeking and accepting God’s forgiveness through acknowledging their sin can restore hope and bring new life from despair.

That is exactly the sentiment expressed in this hopeful chapter of Jeremiah. “Behold, the days are coming” is a prophetic expression of the messianic age brought in through Christ that would bring hope for the future in the midst of judgment for their sin. Just as the fulfillment of their judgment came as promised, deliverance would surely come to them also.

While they were still suffering for the consequences of their sin, God offered this hope to the people of Judah in a promise of restoration (31:27-28). These were comforting words to the exiles, just as they are to any who are hurting or despondent as a result of sin. To know that God forgives offers great comfort in the midst of suffering, especially while still facing the consequences of iniquity.

Under this new hope, the consequences of sin are faced by each one for his own indulgence. This was a new twist for the people of Judah. Although the belief that judgment was passed on through the generations had become very popular, the core issue was their refusal to accept responsibility (31:29-30). It’s easier to blame our plight on the sins of another. However, as would be clear under this new covenant, we are each accountable for our personal behavior, and for our refusal or willingness to repent.

Repentance, therefore, is what leads to a transformation of the heart (31:31-33). As Paul instructed in Ephesians, we are “to put off [our] old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of [our] minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22-24). This, then, is repentance. The new covenant that God would offer was not to be one of external observance, but of internal transformation, an absolute change of identity. To the Corinthians, Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Consequent to our new heart through the grace and mercy of God’s calling, we are welcomed into a new relationship with the Lord. As a result of this new covenant, we are able to “know” the Lord with an intimate and personal relationship. The bond that is described to the people of Judah, and that we now share, is the result of faith, not the observance of ritual and instruction.

Like the people of Judah, we enjoy the liberty of God’s forgiveness. Incredibly, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We should therefore accept God’s forgiveness. For “behold, the days are coming …”