Hebrews 8:12
July 15, 2020 - Pastor Jacob Kanda
Hebrews 8:12 “ For I (God) will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
The word “for” expresses the grounds of what has been said to this point in the quotation. What God is expressing here in this verse is that, He (God) is a God of MERCY.
Not remembering is equivalent to forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins is a prerequisite to participate in a personal relationship to and fellowship with God. The words in this phrase are repeated in Hebrews 10:17. It is clear from chapters 9 and 10 that Jesus’ sacrifice for sin fulfilled this promise (He 9:15).
The thrust of God’s not remembering is that He will not penalize us for our sins. God can never lose His memory; this is an expression for not holding our sins against us. He deals with us in mercy and grace. God will never bring our sins before Himself because Christ fully paid for them.
The New Covenant removed the barrier between an absolutely holy God and sinful men. Although the New Covenant was specifically given to the nation Israel, it is apparent that the salvation benefits listed in verses 10–12 belong to the regenerate of the present age (Lu 22:20; 1 Co 11:25; 2 Co 3:6). The New Covenant was God’s vehicle for delivering the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant to Gentiles as well as Jews. The covenantal nation Israel and the church remain distinct except for the blessings of the New Covenant.
The law could not deal with sin in the fullest sense. It was only through the sacrifice of Christ that full and final forgiveness was possible (He 10:1–3, 18).
The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. He is foundational. The “Cap Stone” to this New Covenant is Forgiveness. God is sovereign, righteous and Holy. Filled with Grace and Mercy his Love is expressed within the pages of scripture. All have fell short of His glory due to sin, the Bible says there is not one who is perfect but the Son of God. Jesus Christ payed for the sins of those who repent, see their need for a savior, cry out for forgiveness and follow Him. Scripture teaches that we are all saved by Grace through Faith. These works no one can boast about, it was God’s Love from the very start.
Thank you Father.