I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.
Isaiah 43:25; Romans 4:8.
Some years ago in the state of Punjab in India the police arrested four women who had stolen belongings from a foreign tourist. While they were under arrest, the word “pick-pocket” was tattooed on their forehead in Punjabi.
One wonders what would happen if this were general practice and everyone, men or women had their wrongdoings indelibly marked on their forehead: liar, deceiver, thief. Would life still be possible? There would be more broken homes and family ties!
When the Pharisees brought an adulterous woman, caught in the act, to Jesus, what did He say to them? “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). He recognized the woman’s guilt and the legitimacy of punishment, but denied them the right to carry it out. He alone had the right to condemn her, for He was sinless. And He said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (v.11). However guilty people are themselves, they are quick to denounce the wrongs of others and condemn them. God Himself reveals the evil in men’s hearts, so that they confess it and repent before the day of judgment comes. They then obtain His forgiveness, believing in the sacrifice of His Son who bore their sins on the cross. “Such were some of you. But you have been washed, … sanctified, … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Image: By Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld – Die Bibel in Bildern, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5490768