How Far?
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
The poetry of Psalm 103 paints a beautiful picture of God’s forgiveness of our sins. How far does he remove them from us? “As far as the east is from the west. It’s immeasurable! It can’t be separated from us any further. What a beautiful picture this promise paints of God’s compassionate forgiveness.
Don’t believe Satan’s lies that your sin is too great for God to forgive. And don’t let the enemy weigh you down with guilt over your sin. Psalm 34:5 says that if we confess our transgressions to the Lord, he will forgive the guilt of our sin. How far? As far as the east is from the west.
In light of God’s redeeming grace, repetitive sin can be hard for believers to reconcile. It’s natural to feel like we’ve failed one too many times for God to forgive. Surely, he is fed up with us when we fail repeatedly. The enemy wants to use our guilt to cause us to give up and give in. But Isaiah 5:7 tells us that no sinner is beyond God’s capacity or desire to forgive and pardon: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
That doesn’t mean we should be lax about our sinfulness. It’s serious business. It’s the reason Jesus laid down his life for us. God’s call is a call to repentance. We are to “turn from evil and do good” (Psalm 34:14). We’re to “seek his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt 6:33). With confession and repentance come forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
How far? As far as the east is from the west!
Have you experienced God’s incredible forgiveness? Are you pursuing a life of righteousness?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.