The God of love opened the way to salvation by giving His only begotten Son Jesus as an atoning acrifice. Until many people become His true children, He waits with patience and shows His endless love of mercy and forgiveness. He guides them to New Jerusalem. Let's now look into the depth of His love through biblical examples and offer our thankful hearts to the God of love all the time.
God Wants to Save People at Any Cost
In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, came and said to Jesus, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Then, Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."
The 'seven' is the number of perfection, and seventy times is the tenfold of seven. Jesus said, 'up to seventy times seven'. It means boundless forgiveness. That is, it is perfect forgiveness and love. Some people mistakenly think God judges people strictly and solely according to justice and the law because they do not know about Him. However, when you look closely into the Bible, you will find many examples that show the deep and great love of God who wants to save no matter what it takes. Is there the end to God's mercy and forgiveness?
Jeremiah 18:7-8
"At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it."
God told Jonah to go to Nineveh the capital city of Assyria, which was a hostile nation towards Israel, and to cry out against it because their wickedness came up before Him. Jonah cried out and told the people of Nineveh that it would be overthrown in forty days. Surprisingly, all people of Nineveh including even the king and his nobles called for a period of fasting, put on sackcloth, and repented. They even didn't let their flocks and herds eat. When God saw their deeds, He relented concerning the calamity and did not do it (Jonah 3).
Ezekiel 33:14-16
"But when I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live."
God does not punish wicked men immediately after they committed sin. But He wants to save them in any way He can. He gives them the opportunity to repent with love towards them. If they repent from their hearts and turn from their sins, He forgives them as if He has waited for the moment and He will not remember their iniquity.
When King Hezekiah became mortally ill, he thoroughly repented before God. Then, 15 years was added to his life (2 Kings 20:1-7). King Manasseh worshiped idols and did evil in the sight of God. Eventually he was captured and taken to Babylon. But when he humbled himself greatly before God and prayed, God brought him again to his kingdom (2 Chronicles 33:10-13).
Luke 15:31-32
"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"
This was the word of a man to his older son. He had two sons. The younger of them asked his father to give him the share of the estate that was to fall to him. He received it, went on a journey, and squandered his estate with loose living. When he came back home with nothing, the father welcomed him and threw a party. Seeing it, the older son felt bad and complained and the father spoke to him as he did.
If the older son had understood his father's love and had mercy and love for his brother, he would not have complained. He would have felt thankful to his father for forgiving him. He would also have run and hugged his brother, asking how he had been.
The father thought about his younger son all the time and waited for him. When the son came back in shabby appearance, the father felt compassion and held the party. This kind of love is the Father God's endless love of mercy and forgiveness.
Jesus' Intercession for Souls
As the first Son of God, Jesus showed the love like that of the father who welcomed his prodigal son. He comforted the heart of the Father with words of goodness by talking about His brother's good points. And He looked for his brother here and there and found out he was taken as a slave. He found that He should pay a tremendous amount for him. By paying the price to his brother's master, He opened the way for his brother to return to the Father. Moreover, He is even now interceding for the brother before the Father so that he can be forgiven.
During His public ministry on the earth, Jesus prayed habitually to God. He gave thanks to Him for being able to sacrifice Himself for us and prayed to God for us. Even when He was crucified, He prayed even for those who persecuted and ridiculed Him and nailed Him on the cross (Luke 23:34). His intercession is still going on unceasingly without skipping a day, a minute, or a second.
Even after His resurrection and ascension to heaven, He refused to sit on the throne in Heaven full of the glorious light on the right hand of God's throne. Even without eating anything, He has been praying for us all the time.
With the desire for all people to be saved and enter Heaven, He has been praying. And He will be praying until the human cultivation ends and the saved people enter the glory of Heaven.
Therefore, saved people should remember that they are living upon the prayer of the Lord filled with love. Then, they should also forgive their brothers and add love to the forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24; Colossians 3:13-14).
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