Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
-My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers
This is a vital part of God's nature that I all too often forget about. I forget that, although I am righteous now and holy in the eyes of my God, it wasn't always that way. I was once filthy rags that my Father couldn't even look upon, and yet, He wanted to hold me so badly that He gave Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, to be torn apart and separated from God himself. So that I could be added to the Kingdom.
If I fail to remember the sacrifice, my faith is worth nothing. If I forget about that a price had to have been paid, then I am sorely mistaken about who my God is. I am failing to recognize that I worship a God that is so supremely holy that I am unworthy to come before Him, even by faith. My filthiness must be resolved before I can freely dance with my Father.
This Thanksgiving, more so than ever before, I am thankful for the cross. For the debt that was paid, not merely that my chains are gone and I have found freedom, but for the means that it was accomplished. I am so loved, so humbled that the God of the universe, as indescribable as He is willingly suffered for the relationship that I still many times ignore and reject. He wanted me so badly, and there was NO other way than through pain and suffering of a sacrifice of such a perfect lamb.
I'm thankful for countless things this year, but I must remember that none of it would be here if it weren't for my Jesus, my love. So much has changed this year, but nothing is as constant as my Lord. Oh how I love His words, His presence, His gift of grace, how I love Him.
