Direct Answer
Together these ideas show a God who is merciful and serious at the same time. He offers the one cure for sin, and He cares whether the repentance brought to Him is real.
Support from the Message
- Early Christians believed there is only one remedy in the universe for the disease of sin, and that remedy is the forgiveness of God. - If God forgives, the stain is removed as far as the east is from the west. - Repentance is called the price at which the Lord has chosen to grant forgiveness, so forgiveness is His own offer. - Sellers inspect coins for cuts, scratches, or fakes. In the same way, the Lord tests repentance before giving something as valuable as eternal life. - Hermas says that when the Lord saw repentance was good and pure, and that people could abide in it, He commanded their former sins to be wiped away.
Discussion Follow-up
Does it comfort you or unsettle you that God looks closely at your repentance? What might He find if He examined it today?