FORGIVENESS

"God's forgiveness of the believing sinner is not becuase He decides to be enient and show pity to the sinner. God cannot retain His holiness and show leniency toward sin. Sin must be paid for and its penalty applied. The Lord Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for man's sin. He fully satisfied every demand of the offended righteousness of God. The Saviour God can and does forgive the believing sinner all his trespasses. The guilt and condemnation incurred by sin are forever removed (Col. 1:14; 2:13; 3:13; Eph. 1:7; 4:32). That is what forgiveness is all about. Divine forgiveness is the erasing, the removing of sin's condemnation."

--Robert P. Lightner
SIN. THE SAVIOR, AND SALVATION: 224.