The gift of forgiveness is Good News to a person who knows that their sin sentence carries punishment in a place of everlasting destruction, the place of Outer Darkness.
On the previous page we read from Acts 13:38:
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Who is this man that scripture speaks of? The answer is found in the scriptures in the book of Colossians 1:12-14:
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
God has provided a way for us to be forgiven. He offers a way to be saved from everlasting destruction and darkness. This way is through his one and only Son, Jesus. There is nothing we can do to earn this forgiveness. The Bible makes it clear in many places that it is a gift. One place that this is made clear is in Ephesians 2:8:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Romans 6:23b says:
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is a gift; there is nothing that can be done to earn it. If a person were to work for something, then it would no longer be a gift. Only if something is given freely is it a gift. This forgiveness is offered freely; the next verse in Ephesians goes on to clearly state that there is nothing we can do to earn this gift. Ephesians 2:9 states that this gift is:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
There is nothing that can be contributed to a gift or it wouldn’t be a true gift anymore. God requires perfection and we fall short. Therefore the only way to be pardoned is to accept the gift of forgiveness. Christ speaking in John 6:47 said:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
In John 3:15-16 we read:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
There are several things that should be noted in these passages of scripture. The first that stands out is the phrase "everlasting life." This is quite a contrast from the everlasting destruction we have been talking about over the last few pages. Not only does this gift grant us a pardon for our imperfection, but it promises us everlasting life, and promises us that we can know for sure that we have everlasting life.
How do we know for sure that we have everlasting life? Note the words "hath" and "have" in the passages we just read. These are present tense words. There is no continual working to "be perfect." The person who believes that Christ has already done everything -- that there is nothing we can do -- has everlasting life. It is a gift; a true gift is not taken back once it has been given. Neither does God take back forgiveness once he extends it.
This is such Good News that John repeated himself just to make sure we didn't miss its implications. We can know for sure that we have that everlasting life and that we will dwell with the Heavenly Father forever.
As we read earlier, dwelling with the Heavenly Father requires perfection. When God's Son came and died, he took on himself the punishment we deserved for disobeying God's law. We read in Hebrews 10:14:
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Christ's sacrifice makes it possible for those who believe in him to be declared perfect! That sacrifice fulfills God's requirement in Matthew 5:48:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The only way to obtain perfection in God's eyes and receive forgiveness is to believe that only Christ's work on the cross can redeem us from our imperfection. There is nothing we can do to earn the gift of forgiveness. God grants pardon and gives everlasting life to those who accept his gift and believe on Christ. They are not pardoned because of something they have done, but based on what Christ has done for them.
*All Bible Quotes are from the King James Version