5月22日

標　　題：神赦免的法則

經　　節：你既藐視我，娶了赫人烏利亞的妻為妻，所以刀劍必永不離開你的家。（撒母耳記下十二章10節）

神饒恕我們的罪，其必要的條件是什麼？答案是悔改。但就算是悔改，也無法保證你能夠挪去罪。這些罪的後果常提醒我們那可怕、毀滅的罪性。

大衛的色欲、淫亂、劫奪和謀殺的重罪，得到神的赦免。神完全赦免他，並且完全挪去他的罪（詩篇一○三：12）。然而，神並沒有挪走他的痛苦，他還是得承受罪惡的後果。大衛淫亂所生的孩子得重病死了（撒母耳記下十二：14）；大衛的兒子暗嫩玷污自己的妹子她瑪（撒母耳記下十三：14）；大衛的兒子押沙龍謀殺暗嫩（撒母耳記下十三：28∼29）；押沙龍結民謀王位（撒母耳記下十五章）。在大衛的餘生，他的王國與家庭充滿了暴力，雖然大衛知道自己的罪已被赦免，但終其餘生，還是得擔負起自己所犯之罪的痛苦後果。

假設在你悔改的那一刻，神會除去你每個罪惡的後果，那你是太一廂情願了。別以為每次你一為自己的罪行痛悔，神就會讓所有的事情恢復原狀。祂不見得如此行。有些罪是根源於個性上的弱點，如淫亂罪等。因著你的悔改，神會立即赦免你的罪，但要創建一個人的德行，得花上更多的時間。你的品格是神對你下一步作為的決定因素，與饒恕無關。

我們既然清楚不順服的可怕下場，讓我們竭力避免犯罪，並且「存心忍耐，奔那擺在我們前頭的路程」（希伯來書十二：1下）。

God’s Manner of Forgiveness

Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. (2 Samuel 12:10)

What is required for God to forgive sin? Repentance. But even repentance does not ensure the removal of the consequences of sin. The consequences often remain as a reminder of the terrible, destructive nature of sin.

David was forgiven for his grievous sins of lust, adultery, robbery, and murder. God forgave him absolutely and removed his sin from him completely (Ps. 103:12). God did not, however, remove the pain that David would endure as a result of his transgressions. The child born of David’s adultery died (2 Sam. 12:14). David’s son Amnon raped David’s daughter Tamar (2 Sam. 13:14). David’s son Absalom murdered Amnon (2 Sam. 13:28–29). Absalom brought the kingdom into rebellion (2 Sam. 15). For the rest of David’s reign, violence filled his home and his kingdom. Although David knew he was forgiven, he bore the painful consequences of his sin for the rest of his life.

It is presumptuous to assume that God removes every consequence the moment you repent of your sin. Do not think that the instant you show remorse God will restore everything as it was. He may not. Some sins, such as adultery, come from a flawed character. God forgives sin immediately upon repentance, but it takes longer to build character. It is character, not forgiveness, that determines what God brings next to your life.

Because we know the devastating consequences of our disobedience, let us diligently avoid every sin and “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1b).