cleansed and pardoned

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

God was making an offer to bring full pardon to His people with this call for them to consider repentance. They carried on their hands the blood of broken lives and disobedience to God’s law. As a nation they had rebelled against God (Isaiah 1:2), dealt corruptly with one another (Isaiah 1:4), participated in fake, showy, pretentious religion (1:11-15), defied justice, oppressed the powerless for personal gain, and denied justice to orphans and widows (Isaiah 1:17).

Nevertheless, God was offering to cleanse His people of their guilt of all this if they would only turn away from these motivations and actions and willingly obey His covenant with them (Isaiah 1:19). God offers mercy and grace, even to the most persistent sinners. Israel did not deserve this offer of forgiveness. They earned judgment, but God was ready to bring mercy if they would just reasonably repent.

God is the same today, offering a forgiving mercy and a full pardon to all those who repent of sin and trust in Jesus (Romans 10:9-13)! It is not earned nor deserved. It is a gift to the undeserving. It is freely offered us in Christ... a grace greater than all the wrong we have done (Romans 5:15-17). Our sins put us at enmity with God, but Christ will put us into friendship with God (Romans 5:10-11). And that is why Christians rejoice in the cross and empty tomb! This proves our free pardon. The gospel accomplished this on the cross and the truth echoes joyfully in the empty stone tomb: Jesus has released us from the bondage of sin and death! Our sins are cleansed! Our salvation is here! We believe!