““Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 ESV
Reflection: if a brother or sister in Christ has wronged us, should we just forgive and then move on?
As Christians, we are called to forgive those who have wronged us, regardless of whether they ask us for forgiveness. Even forgive our enemies. But sometimes we can forget that the act of forgiveness is not the same as restoration, it does not cover the full picture required for healing of a relationship. There are two parties involved in a wrongful act – the “offender” and the “victim”. Clearly, it is the victim who has been wronged, who therefore is to offer forgiveness. But, what about the offender? Does the offender just get a free pass when we forgive? Of course not. If a relationship is to be restored, the offender has to first seek to understand what they have done wrong, take responsibility for their actions, and then change their ways in order not to hurt that person again. These are the basics of restoring a relationship, of healing.
As Christians, we think of the latter as “remorse” and “repentance”, and we are used to this as we understand we are sinners, or “offenders” towards God. God is therefore the victim, if you will, which is difficult to think about. This is the very foundation of being a Christian, as we come to Christ in repentance of our wrongdoings, of our sins, asking Him for forgiveness. We have to face Him, we have to confess what we have done wrong, and take responsibility for our wrongdoings. Now, Jesus Christ is Himself the atonement for our sins, for every word and deed we have done against the will of God. And as He shows us, tells us where we have done wrong, we seek to change our ways. Not to hurt Him, our neighbor or ourselves any longer. And, to maintain our relationship with Him, we must come to Him, when we realize we have done wrong. The Christian walk is therefore a walk in humility.
In our focus verse today, perhaps familiar to you, we see the Lord’s calling through the prophet Isaiah, to His people. If you have heard sermons on this verse before, you are probably familiar with the second half of the verse, which states “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18b ESV. It speaks of God’s forgiveness and cleansing of our sin. But, often the first part is overlooked, which is a very critical part to understand and to do. The verse starts out with “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:” Isaiah 1:18a ESV. Why does God first call for spending time “to reason together” with His people?
If we remember what we looked at yesterday in the first part of chapter 1, God is frustrated, sick and tired, even angry at His people, for their sin in disobedience, for their idolatry, falsehood, religiosity, and so on. And, although He desires to “wash them clean”, He calls on them first to “reason together”. The reasoning is for them to first understand what they have done wrong, to take responsibility of their wrongdoing, to therefore repent with a “contrite heart” as David said, and finally change their ways. Then to commit to follow the Lord.
And, this is consistent with what Jesus taught on the subject, and practiced. If you remember the story of the woman caught in adultery, about to be stoned by the religious leaders, whom Jesus challenged to look at their own hearts first. And they left, one by one. “Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”” John 8:10-11 ESV. We see the forgiveness offered from Jesus, but we also see Jesus telling the woman to “sin no more”. While we often take the side of the woman in this story, we have to remember that she actually was the offender, towards God, towards the community, and towards herself. It was therefore critical for her to understand her wrongdoing, and take responsibility for that so that her relationship with God could be restored.. John writes “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 ESV. And later “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3 ESV
When we have been a victim of wrongdoing, we all know that to forgive can be very difficult. In a way, we don’t want to “let them off the hook”. But, we also know that once we let it go, when we give their wrong to God to deal with, we can be free. Now, if we are the offender, the road might be even more difficult and painful, especially if we are a Christian. Because, we need to understand what we have done wrong, take responsibility for that and to repent before God and man for what we have done. If we want to restore the relationship with whom we have wronged, that is. If we have no intention of change, where is the proof of our faith in God? “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:8-9 ESV
As Christians, we recognize this purification process is ongoing, as we get closer and closer to God. In our text today, the Lord offer of mercy ends this way, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”” Isaiah 1:19-20 ESV.
