135. Mercy and Pardon
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God for he will abundantly pardon.
God will have mercy and He will abundantly pardon. This is the clear and repeated promise that runs through all Scripture, mercy and pardon. Mercy is unconditional and pardon is by grace. However, it sounds like a condition is placed upon this promise: forsake your ways and your thoughts and return to the Lord. Repent!
Mercy and abundant pardon is inherently not dependent on an “if.” Mercy and pardon is based on and entirely dependent on Christ. Because of Christ God forgives. Repentance does not cause the mercy; Jesus does. God has mercy whether one repents or not. However, repentance and faith is necessary to receive the freely offered mercy. Without repentance and faith the hearer purposely rejects the mercy and he effectively stops the pardon. God, also in His mercy, allows the unrepentant unbeliever to reject and not effectively receive mercy. So repentance is necessary, not that God will be merciful, but that we will not accept it. Faith receives the promise. Faith is a receptor of the Gospel, and this faith is even created in the heart by the Holy Spirit through the proclaiming of the Gospel.
Nevertheless, the promise is unconditional: God will have mercy and He will abundantly pardon. The giving is unconditional; the receiving is conditional. We are called wicked and unrighteous; don’t sugarcoat it, for all sinners are ungodly and inherently evil. But while we were yet sinners (wicked) Christ died for the ungodly (unrighteous). Mercy is for that kind of people, for people who admit they are wicked. After admission of guilt, the sinner will forsake his own ways and his own thoughts. I can be sure of one thing: I am wrong. My ways seem right to me, but God says, “No, you are in the wrong.” My thoughts must be right and good, because I thought them, but God says, “No.” Repentance and returning involves forsaking (giving up on) having my own way and being directed by my own thoughts. It means believing the Word of God is true: I am the sinner: God has mercy on sinners.