The Wonder of Divine Pardon (Isa 43:25)

 Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

 Text:

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Outline:

      I.    The source of pardon is divine: “I, even I, am He.”

Application: Pardon, both God’s pardon and man’s pardon, is conditional, dependent on repentance (Luke 17:3).

     II.    The subject of pardon is divine: “He blots out your transgressions.”

Application: The best decisions accept guidance from the most informed sources, ones that display a godly perspective (Prov 1:1-3).

    III.    The reason for pardon is divine: “for My own sake.”

Application: Your heroes should be people you would recommend for others to emulate (Ezra 7:10).

   IV.    The duration of pardon is divine: “remembers your sins no more.”

Application: God has committed more to your happiness than you realize, and you will have a very long time to appreciate it. (John 3:16).

Introduction: One of the hallmarks of a successful marriage is the ability of each party to consider the preferences of the other.

A couple, married for more than 50 years, goes to a restaurant for lunch, where the man orders a Reuben sandwich. “He’ll have the red snapper,” his wife brusquely tells the waitress. “He doesn’t like Reubens.” “I’ll have the Reuben,” he says. “Red snapper,” she insists. The man sighs in resignation. Shrugging, he explains to the waitress, “When you’ve been married as long as we have, you get set in her ways.”

One of the hallmarks of a successful marriage is the ability of each party to consider the preferences of the other. God likens His relationship with Israel to a marriage, and through Isaiah gives some sense of His overlooking sin.[1]

Background: Isaiah is addressing much of the Israelite nation in exile in Babylon at this time. God assures His people through the prophet that He has not forsaken them. In fact, God will rectify the very cause of their current dilemma:

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

This is one of the most informative passages in scripture because it describes the wonderfully forgiving character of God.

      I.    The source of pardon is divine: “I, even I, am He.”

     The Israelites’ sin against God has caused them to go into exile, and they must seek His pardon from their sin if they hope to rectify their situation.[2] The repetition of the first person pronoun makes the opening phrase emphatic and stresses God’s unique responsibility to pardon sin: “I, even I.” This phrase is a particular favorite of Isaiah, who uses it on three other occasions:

I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from Me there is no savior. (Isa 43:11)

I, even I…have called [the messiah]….and he will succeed in his mission. (Isa 48:15)

I, even I, am He who comforts you. (Isa 51:12)

No other creature, natural or supernatural, has authority to pardon sin, although God gives His people the authority, even the responsibility to forgive those who sin against them:

If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matt 6:14)

This authority is limited, however. As some teachers of the law recognize: “Who can forgive sins but God alone” (Mark 2:7). Pardoning sin, the forgiveness that makes salvation possible, is a prerogative that belongs to “God alone,” which Isaiah recognizes here.

Application: Although it is ultimately and eternally God’s responsibility to forgive sin, He makes it provisionally your responsibility to forgive sin against you. There is a limit though:

If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)

Pardon, both God’s pardon and man’s pardon, is conditional, and is not automatic. It is dependent on repentance and faith, faith in God’s willingness and ability to forgive you. Pardon requires your turning from sin and committing to behave righteously, forsaking bad behavior. Moreover, only the person wronged can forgive and only if the guilty party repents.[3]

     II.    The subject of pardon is divine: “He who blots out your transgressions.”

     There are many powerful supernatural beings, both benevolent and malevolent, and they do many impressive things. Angels can protect, and they do:

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Ps 34:7)

He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Ps 91:11)

Demons can afflict, and they do:[4]

They brought to [Jesus] a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. (Matt 12:22)

A Canaanite woman…came to [Jesus]…“My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” (Matt 15:22)

But neither angels nor demons can forgive sin. Only God can do that, as the religious leaders in Jesus’ day recognize:

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21)

God grants forgiveness following repentance and faith in the one He specifically appoints for that task—His only son. He is divine. He is deity. That is how Jesus’ audience understands the significance of his miracles (Manuel 1999):

“I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the [Jewish authorities], “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:32-33)

Jesus’ identity is clear, even to those who would deny it. This same person is God’s son, the one He sent to deal with man’s sin:[5]

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. (Rom 3:25)

He is the divine subject (purveyor) of pardon, and because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God is positively disposed toward you.

The debt those transgressions incurred has been fully paid, and God’s blotting out is an act of justice and mercy. It is mercy, for He does it of His own good pleasure; and it is just, for the debt has been paid. (Young 1965 3:162)

Application: Many decisions you make are binary—yes or no, right or wrong. Still, the best course of action may not always be clear, unless a decision favors one side over another—saved or unsaved, heaven or hell. Those decisions are easier to make, or at least they should be. Decisions that are not clear-cut are more difficult. In those cases, you need to have a backlog of good choices you have made to compare and draw from, experiences that can provide some guidance. In the absence of such a backlog or to add to it, God offers…

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair. (Prov 1:1-3)

Such advice helps a person to make good decisions, like how to guard one’s speech:

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. (Prov 10:20) )

The best decisions accept guidance from the most informed sources, ones that display a godly perspective. As Solomon also notes, “many advisers make victory sure” (Prov 11:14).

    III.    The reason for pardon is divine: “for My own sake.”

     Sometimes, often, God does not give a reason for His actions. He does not, of course, need to justify Himself. One of the advantages of being God is that all your actions are in your own interest, and no one can oppose you:[6]

There is no god besides Me. I put to death and I bring to life….and no one can deliver out of My hand. (Deut 32:39)

From ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it? (Isa 43:13)

Moses poses the perennial, rhetorical query:

What god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works You do? (Deut 3:24)

The correct answer to this last question is the same as what God Himself gives: “no one.” He is without equal. No one else is able to forgive your sin, all of it:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Ps 103:12)

[Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb 9:26)

     You certainly benefit from His pardon, but you are not the main reason He offers it. His primary motivation is other, one He gives at other times and for other reasons:[7]

For the sake of His great name the LORD will not reject His people. (1 Sam 12:22)

“This pardon arises from within the divine nature” (Motyer 1993:340). Most often God acts to enhance His own reputation, and He takes responsibility accordingly.

“The LORD, the God of Israel, says… ‘I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’” (1 Sam 10:18)

At all times, God acts for His own interest and for the interests of His people. That is one advantage to being sovereign, the ability to weave together disparate details.

Application: Hero worship is a common fetish for sports figures especially among youth in our society. Too often the people we elevate as heroes are one-trick-ponies having little to admire beyond a single feature. It is better to choose more well-rounded individuals, especially ones that have a commitment to God:

Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

Who are your heroes, the ones you admire? Your heroes should be people you would recommend for others, like your kids, to emulate.

   IV.    The duration of pardon is divine: “remembers your sins no more.”

      Man’s depravity is great,[8] but God’s grace is greater. His pardon is complete, covering sins past, present, and future. So, you do not have to worry if you forget to ask forgiveness for something you did wrong last week or last year. It is all covered.[9] God’s pardon is also thorough. It covers even those sins you think need special dispensation (except an “eternal sin” see also Manuel 2012).[10] They should concern you no more. His grace is sufficient:[11]

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Ps 103:12)

You may think that you are not worthy, and you would be right, as the biblical writers remind us:

There is no one who does not sin. (1 Kgs 8:46)

All our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isa 64:6)

We all, like sheep, have gone astray. (Isa 53:6)

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

Thankfully, God acted preemptively, “while we were still sinners” (Rom 5:8). Anticipating what we would need, He provided the sacrifice of His son to atone for all our sin (cf. Grace Greater than Our Sin).

     God has a good memory, and He never forgets His promises, no matter how much time passes:

I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. (Gen 9:15)

God heard their groaning [in Egypt] and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. (Exod 2:24)

Likewise, His people must not forget their commitments to Him, especially regarding the laws He gave them:

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exod 20:8)

You will have…tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them. (Num 15:39)

By remembering to obey God’s precept, His people demonstrate their devotion.

Application: The best guarantee is for the life of a particular product. God’s guarantee is far, far better. It is an “eternal life” guarantee (42x).[12] Salvation is forever. That means your salvation will never expire or exceed its warrantee, which is good news given how long eternity lasts: “To infinity and beyond” (Buzz Lightyear = oxymoron):

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

God has committed more to your happiness than you realize, and you will have a very long time to appreciate it.

Conclusion: In this brief passage God reveals much about His forgiving character and much about His long-term plan for the people exiled in Babylon. Though Isaiah does not address us, it is still informative to us, because God’s character has not changed, and His plan for the redeemed of Israel is the same for all redeemed throughout history. They—we—will experience “The Wonder of Divine Pardon.”

 

Bibliography

 

Manuel, Paul http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com

     1999      “‘The Jews’ in John’s Gospel.”

     2001      “The Image of God in Man.” Anthropology Excursus 1 in A Reader’s Digest Approach to Theology.

     2012      “Unpardonable Sin.” Soteriology Excursus 6 in A Reader’s Digest Approach to Theology.

Motyer, J. Alec

     1993      The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Young, Edward J.

     1965      The Book of Isaiah. 3 vols. NICOT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

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[1]Hosea uses the metaphor of an unfaithful wife to illustrate the bad marriage union between God and Israel:

Hos 2:2 Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

[2]The primary cause of the exile is idolatry:

2 Kgs 17:7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods.

Deut 4:25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and provoking him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed.

Josh 23:16 If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD’S anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.

[3]It is improper to expect the spectators of a suicide bombing to forgive their attackers, as one parishioner suggested after the events of 9/11. The bombers are dead and beyond forgiveness. The victims are dead and unable to extend forgiveness. God had no expectation of the survivors to forgive the terrorists, whether those caught up in the tragedy or the spectators of the tragedy:

Heb 9:27 Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.

[4]Demons can give the false impression they perform miracles:

Rev 16:14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs.

[5]Solomon seems to allude to Jesus:

Prov 30:4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!

[6]The sovereignty of God is absolute:

Dan 4:35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

[7]God often makes His interests the reason for His actions (e.g., sparing Jerusalem):

2 Sam 7:21 For the sake of Your word…You have done this great thing.

2 Kgs 19:34 I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.

2 Kgs 20:6 I will defend this city for My sake.

Ps 23:3 He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Ps 25:11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Ps 31:3 For the sake of Your name lead and guide me.

Ps 106:8 He saved them for His name’s sake, to make His mighty power known.

Isa 37:35 I will defend this city and save it, for My sake.

Isa 42:21 It pleased the LORD for the sake of His righteousness to make His law great and glorious.

Isa 48:9 For My own name’s sake I delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off…. 11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.

Ezek 20:9 For the sake of My name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations…. 14 For the sake of My name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations…. 22 For the sake of My name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations.

An appeal to God’s interests is often the basis for prayer:

Ps 25:11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Ps 31:3 For the sake of Your name lead and guide me.

Ps 79:9 Deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.

Ps 109:21 Deal well with me for Your name’s sake; out of the goodness of Your love, deliver me.

Ps 143:11 For Your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life.

Jer 14:7 Although our sins testify against us, O LORD, do something for the sake of Your name. For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against You…. 21 For the sake of Your name do not despise us.

Dan 9:17 For Your sake, O Lord, look with favor on Your desolate sanctuary…. 19 For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.

[8]Man’s depravity is great:

2 Sam 12:14 By doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt.

Isa 6:5 I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.

Isa 28:22 Stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier.

Isa 29:15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”

Ezek 8:12 Have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”

Ps 19:12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

Ps 25:11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Ps 90:8 You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

Prov 14:9 Fools mock at making amends for sin.

Prov 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Eccl 5:6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.

Eccl 12:14 God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Job 22:5 Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?

Matt 12:31 Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Luke 12:2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

Luke 12:47 That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.

John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

John 9:41 If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

Rom 1:21 Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Rom 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Rom 16:17 Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.

Eph 5:12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

2 Tim 3:13 Evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?

Heb 12:1 Throw off…the sin that so easily entangles.

Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.

Jms 4:17 Anyone…who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

2 Pet 2:21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

But God’s grace is greater:

Isa 1:18 Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Ps 32:2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him.

Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

[9]Nevertheless, God does not forgive sin proleptically, in advance. A person cannot bank forgiveness if he anticipates he may sin; he must not:

1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

[10]A sin of ignorance (unintentional sin) is when someone acts without the awareness that such behavior is wrong. It is still sin and has a common penalty (sacrifice):

Lev 5:18 He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven.

A sin of defiance (intentional sin) is when someone acts with the awareness that such behavior is wrong. It is still sin but has an extreme penalty (excommunication):

Num 15:30 Anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people.

Nevertheless, ignorance of the law does not excuse transgression of the law:

Lev 5:17 If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’S commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.

Jms 4:17 Anyone…who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

A person who knows something is wrong beforehand must not do it:

Lev 5:17 If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’S commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.

Likewise, ignorance of the law does not excuse one from having to learn the law:

Deut 5:1 Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.

Deut 31:13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

John 7:49 This mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

God may not judge sins of ignorance as severely:

Exod 21:13 If he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate

[11]It is important to keep short accounts with God, not leaving sins unaddressed but dealing with them as soon as possible. For the redeemed, sin that lingers unforgiven does not affect one’s salvation yet may affect one’s reward.

[12]Several passages attest the duration of the life God gives:

Rom 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 5:11 God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Jude 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.