Jeremiah 31: 33-34
“No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” vs. 34
Jeremiah was writing from the edge of calamity, the total destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, yet he looked toward the future with optimism and deep anticipation. One day, he believed, the union of God and the people would be so complete that the law of Moses would become obsolete, not because God had simply given up, but because the law had been internalized. We would simply know how to behave and how to act…everyone would be so in tune with God’s holy will that it would be done, not only in heaven, but on earth. Jesus expanded on that vision when he taught his disciples to pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We might dismiss such a notion as utopian or impossible in a world where sin is so entrenched…except for one thing. The new covenant is based, not on our ability to perfectly do what God wants, but on forgiveness. We will be freed to be what God intends because God will forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more. Even now we see countless persons living in the grace of this new relationship with God and their lives bear testimony to the truth of what Jeremiah proposed. They’ve feasted on forgiveness and we can actually see their pure hearts!
Thought for the Day: How does forgiveness change behaviors?
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