The ABUNDANT NATURE of GOD'S

FORGIVENESS, MERCY and

LOVINGKINDNESS

...from the free commentary which you can download at

http://sites.google.com/site/freecommentary.

Summary:
When we come in true repentance to God, we need not imagine that His
forgiveness is almost impossible to obtain. For us to obtain 'lovingkindness' or
'mercy from God' is not like trying to draw the last dollar out of a poor man. At
every turn He tells us that He is willing to, wanting to, and waiting to pardon.
Since He is merciful by nature, to go to God to secure pardon, is to tap into the
very nature of who He is. To pardon is His delight.

Jer 9:24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding,
and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth lovingkindness, justice,
and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah.

Mic 7:18-19 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth
over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his
anger for ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness. 19 He will again have
compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast
all their sins into the depths of the sea.

The New Covenant of forgiveness

David's prophecy of the New Covenant tells us that the forgiveness contained in
Christ's covenant is like eating a luxurious 'fat' feast. It is also 'free'.

Isa 55:1-3 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that
hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is
not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in
fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live:
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of
David.

It is followed up with 'abundantly pardon':

 Isa 55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Now consider Jesus' parables about God's generosity in forgiveness:

Mat 20:9-14 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour,
they received every man a shilling. 10 And when the first came, they
supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man
a shilling. 11 And when they received it, they murmured against the
householder, 12 saying, These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast
made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the
scorching heat. 13 But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee
no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a shilling? 14 Take up that which
is thine, and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil,
because I am good? {the Hebrew idiom is that 'a good eye' means 'generous'
and 'an evil eye' means 'not generous'.]

Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but,
Until seventy times seven... 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was
brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents... 27 And the lord of
that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him
the debt.
..The number 'seven' carries the meaning of 'complete' -- so to say 'Forgive
seventy times seven' implies 'Complete and utter forgiveness'.

Luk 16:5-7 And calling to him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the
first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, A hundred
measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly
and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he
said, A hundred measures of wheat. He saith unto him, Take thy bond, and
write fourscore.

The bread from heaven which was distributed at the feeding of the thousands
represents the New Covenant of forgiveness. There is a point to so much being
left over -- an overabundant supply of forgiveness.

Mar 8:19-21 When I brake the five loaves among the five thousand, how
many baskets full of broken pieces took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20
And when the seven among the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken
pieces took ye up? And they say unto him, Seven. 21 And he said unto them,
Do ye not yet understand?

He chooses to forgive the biggest sinner of all, to show everyone He

 can forgive them too

The apostle Paul described himself as 'the chief of sinners', but says in effect
'That's the point. That's why He chose me'.

1Ti 1:12 I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he
counted me faithful, appointing me to his service; 13 though I was before a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy,
because I did it ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord
abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15
Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief: 16 howbeit for this cause
I obtained mercy, that in me as chief might Jesus Christ show forth all his
longsuffering, for an ensample of them that should thereafter believe on him
unto eternal life.

The richness of God's mercy

Exo 34:6-7 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah,
Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in
lovingkindness and truth, 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's
children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.

Psa 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in
lovingkindness unto all them that call upon thee.

Luk 6:36-38 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 And judge

not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: release, and ye shall be released: 38 give, and it shall be given
unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall
they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again.

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I
came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and
longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?

Rom 9:23 and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels
of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory,

Rom 11:32 For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have
 mercy upon all. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
tracing out!

Eph 2:7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his
grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus:

Tit 3:5 not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but
according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 which he poured out upon us richly, through
Jesus Christ our Saviour;

His grace is 'free'

Rom 5:15-17 But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. For if by the
trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the
gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many. 16 And
not as through one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment came of one
unto condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses unto
justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the
one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift
of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ... 20 And the
law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded,
grace did abound more exceedingly:

Eph 1:5-6 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the
glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: 7 in whom
we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,

God gives cheerfully

I always think that God loves a cheerful giver... because He Himself is a cheerful
giver:

Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give
you the kingdom.

2Co 9:7 Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.