The third marvel of mercy is that God would condescend to reason with sinners. Man is but the “dust” of the earth (Psalm 8:3-4; 103:14). The fact that God offers to reason with us shows how unreasonable we have been in turning away from His will (Isaiah 1:18). God has made rich provisions for our salvation (Ephesians 2:4). God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, cared for them, and blessed them by allowing them to inherit the promised land. He was more than gracious with those people, but they stubbornly refused His will. This shows the fundamental difference between how determined a man wants to go his own way and how determined God wants to save man (Romans 3:11; John 3:16). When God is compelled to reason with us, it shows the deep well of love that is able to cover the mountain of man’s sins (Romans 5:18-21).
The fourth marvel of mercy is that God would be willing to transform the sinner. God promised that although our sins were like scarlet, He would make them as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). “Scarlet” means “double-dyed” or “twice-dipped,” signifying the deep-fixed permanency of sin. Only the blood of Christ can remove the deep, fixed permanency of sin in man (Isaiah 64:6; 1 John 1:7). God is willing to transform us from a person who is bent on sin to a person who is considered “new” (Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 7:1). Revelation 3:20 pictures obedience to the gospel as an invitation to be heeded. Isaiah 43:25-26 begs for the sinner to argue his case before God so that he may be justified. Obeying the gospel is not a difficult task. We need to hear, believe, repent, confess and be baptized. After baptism, we live like people who have been transformed (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:22-23).
Kyle Campbell
