Exodus 34: 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty…..
This leads us to our fourth and final exhibit of quid pro quo: [4] When quid pro quo includes pardons. God has not granted to any mortal man the power to pardon sin, for the Bible explicitly says that this is the prerogative of God alone. Yet, over millennia the practice has been adopted in religious and in secular circles. Thus, before we move on, it is imperative to establish the truth in the matter beyond all doubt.
Mark 2:3 And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?… Par·don/ noun: The action of forgiving, or being forgiven for an error or offense.
Before we continue it is necessary for us to grasp the meaning of a particular passage in the Bible, so that when we speak of pardon or forgiveness on the horizontal, man to man level, we’ll understand what is being referred to. Question: On a human level, what does it literally mean to forgive one their trespasses?
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!