Turning to God

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7

Note the terms of this promise of pardon: the wicked has to forsake his way, and the unrighteous also has to forsake his thoughts, and return to the Lord. It is upon this that God promises to abundantly pardon. This implies that the wicked has heard in the word of God that twofold message of the gospel that the wages of sin sin is death, and that the gift of God is eternal life; so,  upon this premise, he comes to God for forgiveness; the gospel calls to repentance and faith, and forgiveness follows. The mark of those who have been forgiven is that they depart from iniquity. Those who have turned to God forsake their evil ways.

The implication of this, for the preacher, is that he has the responsibility to call the wicked to repentance, it is not enough to tell him that God is merciful and willing to abundantly pardon. God does not envisage salvation without repentance, therefore, the servant of God must talk about repentance from sin. The sinner must be brought to the place where he realizes he is a debtor to God, and that, he, by himself, cannot pay the debt. And since he cannot pay his debt, he is liable to God's judgment, but God's Son became a man and died to pay the sinner's debts. God now offers him clemency at the expense of His Son. 

Turning to God in repentance, and forsaking our wicked ways must not be compounded with earning God's pardon because we have abandoned our wicked ways, but rather that in returning to God, there is a corresponding turning away from our evil ways.

Toni