Why We Must Be Grateful That Jehovah Can Forgive?

1-2. How human being situation looking like the young man situation that paragraph 1 talk about?

THINK about the young man who grow up in one rich family. One day something bad happen. His pa and his ma die in accident. When he hear the news, his whole heart spoil. But his problem not end there. Later on, he find out that his parents spoil all the family money and they wor even owing plenty money. Just imagine, instead of the son benefiting from the family money, they leave him in plenty debts. In fact, the people who his parents credit from, wor forcing him to pay their money back. But even if he try, he wor not coming be able to pay all their debts.

² Our situation looking like this young man in some ways. Our first parents, Adam and Eve wor perfect and they wor living in one beautiful garden call paradise. (Gen. 1:27; 2:​7-9) They wor having the opportunity to live forever and be happy. But Adam and Eve not listen to God. So God move them from that beautiful garden, and they wor not having the opportunity to live forever again. Wetin they gave their children? The Bible say: “Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) Adam gave sin to all of us and that the reason why we can die. That sin looking like one big debt that we not able to pay.—Ps. 49:8.

3. How our sins looking like “debts”?

³ Jesus compare sins to “debts.” (Matt. 6:​12, footnote; Luke 11:4) When we sin, it just like we owing Jehovah and this debt can only be cancel when we die. So if Jehovah wor not coming to look for way to pay for our sin, we wor going to die with no hope to live again.—Rom. 6:​7, 23.

4. (a) Without Jehovah help, wetin wor coming happen to all sinners? (Psalm 49:​7-9) (b) In the Bible, what “sin” mean? (See the box “Sin.”)

⁴ On our own, it not possible to get back all the things Adam and Eve lost. (Read Psalm 49:​7-9.) If Jehovah wor not coming help us, we wor not coming get any hope to come back to life in the future. In fact, we wor coming die and never live again just like the animal dem.—Eccl. 3:19; 2 Pet. 2:12.

5. How our loving Father na help to pay for the sin we get from Adam? (See the picture.)

⁵ When we think about the young man we talk about before, how you think he will feel when one rich man decide to pay all his debts? You will agree that this young man will really be happy to accept what the rich man want do for him. That the same way, our loving Father Jehovah, na gave us one gift that pay for the sin we get from Adam. That the reason why Jesus say: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son.” (John 3:16) Beside that, this gift also make it possible for us to get good friendship with Jehovah.

6. What some words in the Bible we will talk about in this article, and why?

⁶ How we can benefit from this wonderful gift that make it possible for God to forgive our sins? We can find the answer by looking at the way the Bible use some word dem. For example, it talk about reconciliation, atonement, propitiation, ransom, redemption, and being declare righteous. In this article, we will talk about what all this word dem mean. When we think about what this word dem mean, it will help us to be more grateful to Jehovah.

THE GOAL: RECONCILIATION

7. (a) What else Adam and Eve lost? (b) Since we Adam and Eve children, wetin we really need? (Romans 5:​10, 11)

⁷ Beside losing the opportunity to live forever, Adam and Eve also lost their good friendship with their Father Jehovah. First, they wor part of God family. (Luke 3:38) But when they disobey Jehovah, he move them from his family before they start borning children. (Gen. 3:​23, 24; 4:1) None of his children wor qualify to be part of God family. So we needed help to be reconcile to Jehovah. (Read Romans 5:​10, 11.) That mean, we need to get good friendship with Jehovah again. According to one reference work, the Greek word they use here for “reconcile” can mean to “make your enemy to be your friend.” It interesting to know that Jehovah wor the first to make us his friend. How he do it?

THE ARRANGEMENT: ATONEMENT

8. (a) What atonement mean? (b) What propitiation mean?

⁸ Atonement that the arrangement Jehovah put in place for he and human being to get good friendship again. It involve changing one thing for another thing that get the same value. Like that, something that lost or spoil can be replace. The Christian Greek Scriptures use another word that almost get the same meaning with “atonement’.” That word that propitiation. (Rom. 3:25) Propitiation that the thing Jehovah do for somebody to get peace with him and be his friend.

9. What short time arrangement Jehovah put in place to forgive the Israelites sins?

⁹ Jehovah wanted the Israelite dem to get good friendship with him. So he make short time arrangement to forgive their sins. The Israelites use to celebrate one special day every year. They call it Atonement Day. On that day, the high priest use to make animal sacrifice for the people sins. But animal sacrifice wor not really able to cover or free the Israelites from their sin, because human being important pass animal. But so long the Israelites who repent offer the sacrifices that make Jehovah happy, he wor willing to forgive them. (Heb. 10:​1-4) Beside that one, that arrangement and the sacrifices the Israelite dem use to make remind them that they wor sinners. It also remind them that they needed something to cover or free them from their sin for good.

10. Wetin Jehovah do so that he can forgive human being sins for good?

¹⁰ Wetin Jehovah do to forgive human being sins for good? He make it possible for his Son who he really love to be “offered once for all time to bear the sins of many.” (Heb. 9:28) Jesus gave “his life as ransom to free plenty people.” (Matt. 20:28) Wetin ransom mean?

THE PRICE: THE RANSOM

11. (a) According to the Bible, what ransom mean? (b) Who the only person that could pay the ramson?

¹¹ According to the Bible, ransom that the price God pay to forgive our sins and for us to be his friends again.a In Jehovah eye, the ransom make it possible for us to get back what Adam lost. In what way? Remember that Adam and Eve lost their perfect life and the opportunity to live forever. So the ransom price suppose to be equal to what Adam lost. (1 Tim. 2:6) But who could pay the ransom? Well, only one man who wor (1) perfect, (2) able to live forever on earth, and (3) willing to give or sacrifice his life for us. That the only way that person life can replace the life that wor lost.

12. Why Jesus wor able to pay the ransom?

¹² Let see three reasons why Jesus wor able to pay the ransom. (1) He wor perfect and he not commit any sin. (1 Pet. 2:22) (2) Because of that, he wor able to live on earth forever. (3) He wor willing to die and give his life for us. (Heb. 10:​9, 10) Jesus wor perfect just like Adam before Adam sin. (1 Cor. 15:45) So Jesus death wor able to cover Adam sin and replace what Adam lost. (Rom. 5:19) That the reason why the Bible call Jesus “the last Adam.” So no need for another perfect person to come again and pay for what Adam lost. Jesus die “once for all time.”—Heb. 7:27; 10:12.

13. What the difference between the atonement arrangement and the ransom?

¹³ What the difference between the atonement arrangement and the ransom? The atonement arrangement that the thing Jehovah do for human being to get good friendship with him again. The ransom that the price God pay to forgive our sins and for us to be his friends again. This price stand for Jesus life that he sacrifice for us—Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:14.

THE BENEFITS: REDEMPTION AND BEING DECLARE RIGHTEOUS

14. Wetin we coming talk about, and why?

¹⁴ How the atonement arrangement can benefit us? The Bible use some word dem to show the benefits. Even though each of this word dem almost get the same meaning, but each of them focusing on certain part of the atonement arrangement that make it possible for Jehovah to forgive us. So let talk about two words that will help us to understand how each of us can benefit.

15-16. (a) In the Bible, wetin “redemption” mean? (b) How it must make us feel?

¹⁵ In the Bible, redemption mean to be free from sin because of the ransom. The apostle Peter say it like this: “You know that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you were set free [lit., “you were ransomed; you were redeemed”] from your futile way of life handed down to you by your forefathers. But it was with precious blood, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, that of Christ.”—1 Pet. 1:​18, 19; footnote.

¹⁶ Because Jesus sacrifice his life for us, we will be free from sin and death, and the suffering it can bring. (Rom. 5:21) So, we get good reason to really be grateful to Jehovah and Jesus that they wor able to free us because of Jesus blood.—1 Cor. 15:22.

17-18. (a) What it mean to be declare righteous? (b) How we benefit from it?

¹⁷ To be declare righteous mean that Jehovah na forgive our sin, and we clean in his eye. This one not mean that Jehovah na go against his own thing he say about what right and what wrong. But Jehovah willing to forgive our sins for good because we put faith in what He and Jesus na do to provide the ransom.—Rom. 3:24; Gal. 2:16.

¹⁸ How we benefit from it? The people who will rule with Jesus in heaven, God na already call them his righteous children. (Titus 3:7; 1 John 3:1) He na forgive their sins. It looking just like they never commit any sin, and they qualify to be in the Kingdom. (Rom. 8:​1, 2, 30) Those who get the hope to live on earth forever, God also call them righteous and he na forgive their sins. (Jas. 2:​21-23) For example, the great crowd who will survive Armageddon, will get the opportunity to live forever. (John 11:26) “The righteous” and “the unrighteous” who na die will come back to life. (Acts 24:15; John 5:​28, 29) Then all those who obey Jehovah on earth will “have the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:21) The atonement arrangement help us to get good friendship with our Father, Jehovah again! Yes, that not small blessing there!

19. How our situation looking better now? (Also see the box “How We Benefit.”)

¹⁹ Our situation wor looking like the young man we talk about before who lost everything. His parents put him in big debt that he wor not able to pay. But we want tell Jehovah thank you plenty for helping us. Our situation na change because Jehovah make way to forgive our sins and for Jesus to pay the ransom. Our faith in Jesus Christ na free us from sin and death. Jehovah can also forgive our sins just like it never happen. The most important thing that, we able now to get good friendship with our loving heavenly Father, Jehovah.

20. Wetin we will talk about in the next article?

²⁰ When we think about all the things Jehovah and Jesus na do for us, it can really make us to be grateful to them. (2 Cor. 5:15) If they wor not coming help us, we wor not coming get any hope! But what Jehovah forgiveness really mean for each of us? That what we will talk about in the next article.