249. Cleansing and Pardon
Jeremiah 33:8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
God promises to cleanse and pardon, that is, He will forgive our sins. Each verb has a different nuance, but each means, generally, forgive. Cleanse implies something is dirty and it is washed clean. “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” Pardon is a legal or forensic term meaning that the sin or crime is not counted as something against one any longer. The judge or official legally pronounces one acquitted or not guilty, whether he is inherently guilty or not. He is free from the penalty that the sin justly deserved. It has to do with mercy instead of justice. He remains still guilty by nature, since he did the sin, but the sentence is commuted. Cleansing has to do with the sin that inheres in the nature of the individual. It is wiped away, washed away, and removed from the inner person.
Forgiveness includes the nuance of both terms. The forgiveness that God grants on account of Jesus Christ both cleans the inner man of filth and it also legally removes the deserved penalty for the action (even though the sinner really did it). Forgiveness does two things: 1) it pardons, that is, the penalty (eternal death and separation) of the sins are not counted against the sinner; he is acquitted, declared innocent, whether it is factually true or not. He is given an “alien righteousness.” He is justified, “just-if-I’d” never sinned.” 2) It cleanses, that is, the dirt and stench of the sins are washed away. The person himself, the sinner, is forgiven; it is not just the sins that are taken away, like dirt that clings, but it is also that the person as a whole is made clean and right once again, restored to an original righteousness.
One deals with the sin, the other with the sinner. Both the deed and the person are forgiven for the sake of Christ. We must be told this (the Gospel tells) because we do not see the dirt cleaned away or the sentence commuted. The Spirit convinces us that the promise is real and so we see by faith.
The word “transgression” signifies crossing the line, or trespassing, going into a forbidden area, a place that will do us harm and incur death. “Forgive us our trespasses,” trampling on another’s happiness and life. Transgressing against God is trespassing on other people’s lives, diminishing their life and joy. And because God forgives so do we. Forgiving others is receiving the promise of forgiveness.