Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!
I am Forgiven
Welcome to I am Forgiven part one of our our 7 Promises series.
In my first reading of this scripture, the following words jumped out to me:
- Merciful
- Steadfast love (x2)
- Transgression
- Fear
The phrase “towards those who fear him” prompted me with the following question:
Do only those who fear God receive His love?
To look for the definitions, I simply used an online dictionary. When looking at definitions you will realize that there are often a few different suggestions, I like to pick out the ones that help me best understand the context of this passage.
Merciful: treating people with kindness and forgiveness.
I love that the first word that stuck out to me in this passage is the literal embodiment of the theme of this section – FORGIVENESS! How great is God’s love for us that he will over and over grant us his mercy?!
Steadfast: not subject to change
When I noted this word in the passage, I also included the one that comes after it: Love. After reading the definition, the power of this phrase was increased exponentially. His love for us CANNOT be changed!
Transgression: violation of law, command, duty
When looking at the word transgression, my first response is one of shame. How often we break His law.ut that shame is quickly replaced with Hope! Remember, God’s merciful love is steadfast. It cannot change!
Question: Do only those who fear God receive his love?
When rereading the passage with these newly defined definitions, I am still unable to find a good answer to my question. So I decided to dig a little deeper into the word fear. The first definition I see is: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
Hmmmm… I this doesn’t help me. This definition makes God sound dangerous and threatening. However, when I read further I then found this definition: profound reverence and awe, especially toward God. There we go! Only those who have a true understanding of the awe of God can then truly receive his love. We must remember to have awe in God’s power and glory, and so by acknowledging this we show our faith and we receive love from God.
Steadfast Love
I feel the phrase “Steadfast Love” really captures the essence of this passage. When life gets me down and I really mess up, it’s important to remember that no matter how badly I break the law of God, he loves me and forgives me. I will do all I can to keep the awe of God and his mercy because I am forgiven.
This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on them and making a purchase may give us a small commission (Thank you!) To review all our policies and procedures, click here.
What is God’s word saying to you in this passage? Comment down below!
Check out part two of this series here!