Lesson No. 33 

Chapter 5 Divine Mercy and Redemption Lesson No. 33 God Receives the Penitent

Introduction: In previous chapters, I explained that God’s mercy is mainly manifested when a person is in a state of penitence. This is defined in this case as an act of repentance and humiliation. It consists of deep remorse for all the wrong actions committed against God and against our fellow men and involves a sincere desire and a determined attitude towards the definitive renunciation of such behavior.

According to what we studied in the previous chapter, after its moral fall, man was left under the sad condition of sin and guilt, inexorably subjected to the principles and rigors of penalty or punishment. However, God's love for the being He had created in His own image and likeness was so intense that He did not allow its definitive perdition; instead, He offered the means by which it could recover happiness and eternal life. To that end, He gives a second chance: if during the course of his life, the human being, who had strayed down the path of rebellion and disobedience, repented and turned back to the path of good, he would achieve eternal life. This was not a hidden opportunity of which man was not fully aware. For God has confirmed this glorious manifestation of His divine love from previous times in biblical history, making a prominent call through His Holy Word. Regarding this, let us look at what the following passages tell us:

Ezekiel chapter 18: verses 21 to 23: “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”. 51

Ezekiel chapter 33: verse 11: “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”. 51

The doctrine of repentance has maintained its validity through the ages, from the early prophetic discourses to having been the subject of the proclamations of our Lord Jesus Christ, of John the Baptist, and of the apostles of the Church. Let us read the following biblical quotations:

Matthew chapter 3: verses 1, 2, 8, and 9: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham”.51

Matthew chapter 4: verse 17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.51

Mark confirms this fact according to chapter 1: verses 14 and 15 of his book, stating: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The apostle Paul also declares: And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts chapter 17: verses 30 and 31).51

In these passages of the Scriptures, God is making a call with a promise to man, to turn away from evil and follow good. To repent of their sins and begin a new life in obedience to His divine will and not die eternally, but to attain eternal life for their soul. The death of the body is a natural phenomenon that we will all have to experience by divine design, but our Lord Jesus Christ said: Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John chapter 8: verse 51).51

Preamble To a Commentary on The Ten Commandments

Now, we know that the human being was equipped to make any determination concerning their conduct, such as repenting from their evil path. From the original sin, man had knowledge of good and evil. Moreover, as we saw in the biblical quotation of Romans chapter 2: verses 14 and 15,51 he was possessed of the knowledge of God's will, through the light of reason and the work of the law written in his heart. We also know that he was created with free will to choose what he preferred to do. However, due to the darkening he had already suffered in his conscience, God decided to give him in written form the principles of His divine will, related to the fundamentals of morality and human behavior, expressed in the Ten Commandments, written with His own finger on two tablets of stone. Regarding this, let us consider the following passages of the Scriptures:

Exodus chapter 24: verse 12: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them”.51

Exodus chapter 31: verse 18: “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God”.51

These commandments will be the object of our consideration in this chapter. With the study of them, we begin a valuable topic of legislative nature of high theological appreciation, considered in this case as biblical legislation. These commandments summarize the two great duties of the individual: to love God and to love one’s neighbor. Thus declares our Lord Jesus Christ:

Matthew chapter 22: verses 35 to 40: “Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.51

Evidently, according to real-life experience, respect and complacency are two inescapable conditions in demonstrating love. Therefore, if anyone thinks that they greatly love God, but are not practicing these two characteristics understood in the demonstration of love, unfortunately, that person is mistaken in their thinking on the matter. For when one truly loves God, it must be demonstrated by pleasing Him through obedience to His divine commandments and all that He has predisposed through His Holy Word, including obedience to the teachings of His Son Jesus Christ, who according to his own testimony did not speak of himself, but what he had heard from the Father, according to John chapter 8: verses 26 and 27.51 Similarly, the teachings of the apostles of Jesus Christ must be considered and obeyed as those of the Lord himself, because they spread the gospel they had received from Him, according to Galatians chapter 1: verses 11 and 12.51 Only when we do so, will we be practicing not only complacency and respect but also true love for God.

Likewise, if anyone believes that indeed God looks at the heart and not the external appearance, they must then be sure that their heart is in accordance with the will of God and that it is not in rebellion and disobedience to His Holy Word.