Pardoned – March 28, 2022

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Roman 8:1,2

Pardoned

One of the greatest powers bestowed on the President of the United States is the near-absolute authority to pardon people who have been convicted of a federal crime. That power even extends over lawbreakers who have been sentenced to death because of their misdeeds. The second article of the Constitution of the United States grants this power to the president, except in cases where federal officers have been impeached and removed from office. Beyond that one exception, the president has the unconditional power to pardon whomever he pleases.

It has long been the custom in the Christian church to illustrate the eternal truths of the Bible with every day, earthly examples, with which we are familiar. So, when a Christian wants to illustrate God’s power to forgive sin, it might be tempting to compare it to a presidential pardon.

But when it comes to illustrating God’s power to forgive, all analogies limp. And that’s true of this one, too, because when God forgives our sin, we are more than pardoned. When a person is pardoned, the crime still exists. The president declares no person will pay for the crime and that crime simply remains unpunished.

But that’s not what God did with our sins. He didn’t ignore them or leave them unpunished through a divine pardon. That would mean our sin is still on our record; it would simply go unpunished.

But our sin is gone; it’s forgotten forever! Our rightful condemnation has been completely crushed by the perfect life and perfect sacrificial payment of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ. Our sin is not just pardoned; it’s vanquished and vanished forever. And not just our sin but the sins of the whole world. What power!

Make no mistake about it. We are more than pardoned. Sing for joy because “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for giving me the assurance that my sin has been paid for and my condemnation forever crushed. Amen.