Forgiveness and new life began with God’s favor upon one Abraham, a Shemite, living among Chaldeans thousands of years ago. Briefly put, we know about him from the Bible that he was to be the first of God’s chosen people, the Hebrews. ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ He won his approval by faith apart from works of his own merit. When the Hebrew population had greatly multiplied the Lord established the Jewish nation and religion with a temple, a holy law of commandments, a priesthood and a system of sacrifices for atonement of sins. Forgiveness of the peoples’ trespasses was granted to those who believed God and trusted in the blood sacrifices of clean animals at the temple. 

Regrettably the people were terribly disobedient and unfaithful even to the pursuit of false gods. But God, in his matchless love for his chosen people would not let them all perish in their guilt, but determined to redeem and save them himself by coming from heaven in the form of the man Jesus Christ, the prophesied Savior. Born of an especially appointed Hebrew woman, he was at the same time both holy God and fully man but with no earthly father. He lived in Judea a pious and holy life teaching and healing scores of distressed people of their ailments and diseases by divine power. Even so he was maligned and rejected by the corrupt religious leaders, as in the past also were numerous prophets sent to correct them. Incredibly Jesus their heaven-sent Redeemer was condemned to die by hanging on a Roman cross.

Buried in a hillside tomb he defied all the laws of nature and by great divine power arose from the dead to live forever, as mortal death had no power over the Holy One of God. This Christ demonstrated his complete supremacy according to prophesy that he himself would provide the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He paid the full sin penalty which was death. Forgiveness then, would come upon all those who turned away from their sins with sincere repentance and cried out to Christ the Savior to be their forgiver, to receive full pardon and eternal life.  We read in Hebrews 9:22 ‘Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.’ The sacrifice of the Savior’s holy blood was fully accepted by God the Father as payment for the sin penalty for all mankind.  And so the psalmist declared in Psalm 32:1 ‘Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.’ Rightly we read in Philippians 2:9-11 ‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’