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240 ♦ Bble waters'TTieohgy Chapter Eight
den the communion of Israel with the nations around (Deut. 7:1-5),
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In tixe Book of Job it is written, "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, 1 pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou letum to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles" (Job 22:21-23).
God declaied through Isaiah, "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evfl of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil" (Isaiah 1:16).
The impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, after being healed miracu lously, was reminded by Jesus in the temple, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).
• WhenChristreleasedthewomantakeninadultery,hewarned,"...go, and sin no more" (John8:11).
• TheapostlePaulasked,"Whatshallwesaythen?Shallwecontinuein sin,thatgracemayabound?"(Romans6:1). Itisadoublequestion, butthereisonlyoneanswertoit. ForPaul,theonewhoisbaptized for the remission of his sins, was "baptized into Jesus Christ...into his death, and therefore buried with him" (Romans 6:3-4). Such a one
must have come through the door of repentance. "God forbid," said Paul,"Howshallwe,thataredeadtosin,liveanylonger therein?" (Verse 2).
Repentance is not striving to go to death; it is dying, being "baptized into death." No one enters the experience of sanctification without the bur
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ialoftheoldman. Iftherehasneverbeenthiscrisisofdeath,sanctification is nothing more than a vision. This death has only one resurrection: resur rectionintothelifeofJesusChrist. Wearereminded,"ThisisthewillofGod,
even your sanctification" (I Thessalonians 4:3).
F Forgiveness is a Natural Drive in a Truly Repented Life
Jesus taught, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses"(Mark11:25). (SeealsoMatthew6:12;5:23-26.) Intheparableof foigiveness and the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus illustrates the matter of forgiveness, not God's forgiveness of man, but of man's for givenessofhisfellowman. ThisparablecameaboutasourLord'sreplyto Peter's question regarding the frequency of forgiveness (Matthew 18:21). Peter knew that in the past, forgiveness was on a three or four-fold basis.
"Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof..." (Amos 2:6). Now as a disciple of Jesus,hefeelsheshouldbemoregenerous. Therefore,hegoesfromthreeto