"I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and _Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin_." Ps. 32:5.
8. Upon what did he rest his hope for forgiveness?
"Have mercy upon me, O G.o.d, according to Thy loving-kindness: _according unto the mult.i.tude of Thy tender mercies_ blot out my transgressions." Ps.
51:1.
9. What is G.o.d ready to do for all who seek for forgiveness?
"For Thou, Lord, art good, and _ready to forgive_; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee." Ps. 86:5.
10. What is the measure of the greatness of G.o.d"s mercy?
"For _as the heaven is high above the earth_, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him." Ps. 103:11.
11. How fully does the Lord pardon when one repents?
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our G.o.d, for _He will abundantly pardon_." Isa. 55:7.
12. What reason is given for G.o.d"s readiness to forgive sin?
"Who is a G.o.d like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and pa.s.seth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, _because He delighteth in mercy_." Micah 7:18. See Ps. 78:38.
13. Why does G.o.d manifest such mercy and long-suffering toward men?
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us ward, _not willing that any should perish_, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.
14. What prayer did Moses offer in behalf of Israel?
"_Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people_ according unto the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now." Num. 14:19.
15. What reply did the Lord immediately make?
"And the Lord said, _I have pardoned according to thy word_." Verse 20.
16. When the prodigal son, in the parable, repented and turned toward home, what did his father do?
"When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and _had compa.s.sion_, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Luke 15:20.
17. How did the father show his joy at his son"s return?
"The father said to his servants, _Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him_; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and _bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it_; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."
Verses 22-24.
18. What is felt in heaven when a sinner repents?
"Likewise, I say unto you, _there is joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d_ over one sinner that repenteth." Verse 10.
19. What did Hezekiah say G.o.d had done with his sins?
"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for _Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back_." Isa. 38:17.
20. How completely does G.o.d wish to separate sin from us?
"Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19.
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Ps. 103:12.
21. How did the people respond to the preaching of John?
"Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, _confessing their sins_." Matt. 3:5, 6.
22. How did some of the believers at Ephesus testify to the sincerity of the confession of their sins?
"And many that believed came, and _confessed, and showed their deeds_.
Many of them also which used curious arts _brought their books together, and burned them before all men_: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." Acts 19:18, 19.
23. Through whom are repentance and forgiveness granted?
"The G.o.d of our fathers raised up _Jesus_, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath G.o.d exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for _to give repentance_ to Israel, and _forgiveness of sins_."
Acts 5:30, 31.
24. What is the only unpardonable sin?
"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but _the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost_ shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Matt. 12:31, 32.
NOTE.-As the Holy Spirit is the agent that convicts of sin, and brings the offer of pardon through the Word, the denial of the Spirit"s work is the refusal of pardon. In other words, the only unpardonable sin is the sin which refuses to be pardoned.
25. Upon what basis has Christ taught us to ask forgiveness?
"And forgive us our debts, _as we forgive our debtors_." Matt. 6:12.
26. What spirit must those cherish whom G.o.d forgives?
"For _if ye forgive men their trespa.s.ses_, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespa.s.ses, neither will your Father forgive your trespa.s.ses." Verses 14, 15.
27. What exhortation is based on the fact that G.o.d has forgiven us?
"And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, _forgiving one another_, even as G.o.d for Christ"s sake hath forgiven you." Eph. 4:32.
28. In what condition is one whose sins are forgiven?
"_Blessed_ is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
_Blessed_ is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." Ps. 32:1, 2.