We saw yesterday how sincere believers need not be afraid of receiving a negative judgment from Christ. In fact, the true believer in Christ will never need to be judged at all for sins he has committed. When a person comes as a sinner in faith to Christ, receiving Him as Saviour and confessing Him as Lord, the whole record of that person’s past sins is immediately and eternally blotted out by God, never to be remembered anymore. Twice, in two successive chapters of Isaiah, God gives this promise to those whom He has redeemed.
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” (Is. 43:25)
“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins.” (Is. 44:22)
In both these passages there is mention both of sins and of transgressions. “Sins” are wrong acts that are committed without any necessary reference to a known law; “transgressions” are wrong acts committed in open disobedience of a known law. Sins are therefore compared to “a cloud,” but transgressions to “a thick cloud.” That is to say, transgressions are the darker of the two. However, God’s grace and power are more than sufficient to blot out both.
In the previous chapter we stated that there is a complete record preserved in heaven of the life that every human soul leads here on Earth. We compared the type of “book” on which this record is made to electro-magnetic tape. The parallel extends not only to the way in which the record is made but also to the way in which it may be erased.
If there is any error made on tape, it may be completely erased in a few moments by running the recording head past that particular stretch of tape a second time.
There is even an instrument called a bulk eraser which can completely erase in a few seconds the whole recorded contents of an entire tape. A completely clean tape is produced, on which a new message may be recorded without any trace remaining of the previous message.
So it is with the heavenly record of the sinner’s life. When a sinner comes for the first time in repentance and faith to Christ, God applies His heavenly “bulk eraser.” The whole record of the sinner’s former sins is thereby instantly and completely erased, and a clean “tape” is made available, upon which a new life of faith and righteousness may be recorded. If at any time thereafter the believer should fall again into sin, he needs only to repent and confess his sin. God erases that particular section of the record, and once again the tape is clean.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Lord, what a wonderful fact it is that as a Christian I can count on Your heavenly eraser; thank You for the glorious truth of forgiveness for all my human imperfections and missteps. I praise You for Your mercy! Amen.
