PODCAST
Forgiveness Requires Repentance
November 28th, 2017
Isaiah 1:10-20
God’s forgiveness requires earnest repentance. There is a shallow view of God’s forgiving grace that rejects any necessary response from those forgiven. Such a view is not biblical. We are forgiven by God’s grace through Jesus Christ, but this grace both requires and enables our cooperation.
The religious leaders of Isaiah’s day had their ritual down pat. Even though their hearts were in rebellion against God they continued to offer sacrifices in God’s name, observe the traditional festivals, even praying the prescribed prayers. Such insincere worship was detestable in God’s sight.
God offers forgiveness: “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD (Isaiah 1:18). God will forgive, but we must wash and be made clean, we must remove evil deeds from God’s sight, cease to do what is wrong and do what is right, we must seek justice and defend the oppressed. Only then is God’s forgiveness proven real in us.
Author: Duane Brush
