• Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
    • Prayer Request
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Bulgarian-Translation
    • Chinese-Translation
    • Dutch-Translation
    • French-Translation
    • German-Translation
    • Hebrew-Translation
    • Italian-Translation
    • Portuguese-Translation
    • Russian-Translation
    • Spanish-Translation
    • Turkish-Translation
  • Are You Ready?
    • READY OR NOT...
    • The Rapture
    • The Good News!
    • For Our Muslim Friends
    • 22 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled From the Tanakh
    • Take the Quiz: Tanakh or Brit Hachadasha
    • Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
  • Interviews
    • MONSTER MIRROR Book
    • My Life Story Video - "In His Own Words"
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
  • Journal
    • 2025 >
      • January 2025
      • February 2025
      • March 2025
      • *April 2025
    • 2024 >
      • January 2024
      • February 2024
      • March 2024
      • April 2024
      • May 2024
      • June 2024
      • July 2024
      • August 2024
      • September 2024
      • October 2024
      • November 2024
      • December 2024
    • 2023 >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
      • April 2023
      • May 2023
      • June 2023
      • July 2023
      • August 2023
      • September 2023
      • October 2023
      • November 2023
      • December 2023
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017-2005
    • 2004-2003
  • Updates
  • Where is David Berkowitz Now?
  • David Berkowitz's Life in Prison
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • For Parents, Teens, and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • Stopping Teen Violence
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • Psychics, Mediums, & Yoga
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Satan's Bible
    • Famous Atheists' Last Words
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • A Satanist Has a Vision
    • Co-founder of Satanic Church...
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • Just Released Ministries
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Inspirational Testimonies
  • Son of Hope Gospel Tracts
  • Ministry Tools
  • Friends
  • Contact
  • Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
    • Prayer Request
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Bulgarian-Translation
    • Chinese-Translation
    • Dutch-Translation
    • French-Translation
    • German-Translation
    • Hebrew-Translation
    • Italian-Translation
    • Portuguese-Translation
    • Russian-Translation
    • Spanish-Translation
    • Turkish-Translation
  • Are You Ready?
    • READY OR NOT...
    • The Rapture
    • The Good News!
    • For Our Muslim Friends
    • 22 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled From the Tanakh
    • Take the Quiz: Tanakh or Brit Hachadasha
    • Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
  • Interviews
    • MONSTER MIRROR Book
    • My Life Story Video - "In His Own Words"
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
  • Journal
    • 2025 >
      • January 2025
      • February 2025
      • March 2025
      • *April 2025
    • 2024 >
      • January 2024
      • February 2024
      • March 2024
      • April 2024
      • May 2024
      • June 2024
      • July 2024
      • August 2024
      • September 2024
      • October 2024
      • November 2024
      • December 2024
    • 2023 >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
      • April 2023
      • May 2023
      • June 2023
      • July 2023
      • August 2023
      • September 2023
      • October 2023
      • November 2023
      • December 2023
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017-2005
    • 2004-2003
  • Updates
  • Where is David Berkowitz Now?
  • David Berkowitz's Life in Prison
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • For Parents, Teens, and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • Stopping Teen Violence
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • Psychics, Mediums, & Yoga
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Satan's Bible
    • Famous Atheists' Last Words
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • A Satanist Has a Vision
    • Co-founder of Satanic Church...
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • Just Released Ministries
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Inspirational Testimonies
  • Son of Hope Gospel Tracts
  • Ministry Tools
  • Friends
  • Contact
AriseandShine.org

December 2007

A God Who Pardons

12/22/2007

 
Who is God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity,
and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of
His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever,
​because He delights in mercy. 
Micah 7:18


Society scoffs as the idea that a criminal can be forgiven, that his sins could be erased... 
However, many are ignorant of the fact that all have sinned and done wrong. Therefore, everyone needs a Savior. We are all guilty of breaking at least some of God's laws and thus offending a holy God who hates sin. And as a result of being lawbreakers, we must thereby incur the wrath of the Lord.

But at the same time, God is also a being of compassion. As the above Scripture from the Old Testament states, God "delights" in showing mercy. Yet, this does not mean that anyone can get away with wrongdoing. On the contrary, the Bible makes it plain that each person who has ever lived will one day stand before the Creator of the universe. And when this happens there will never again be an unsolved crime, nor a sin which remains hidden. Even every bad word we've said, and every hateful thought we had against another, will be uncovered. While, at the same time, only those who've been "justified" by God through their faith in Jesus Christ, and His provision of salvation by dying for our sins, will be exempt from this future judgment.

Truly, Christ's atonement and sacrifice on that rugged cross has made all those who've trusted Him completely clean; not sinless nor perfect, but fully forgiven.

Moreover, God's forgiveness doesn't mean that one is exempt from reaping the consequences of his sins. I, for example, believe the Lord has forgiven me for my crimes. Yet, I am still in prison. I must live with the mess I've made. And all my remorse and regret cannot change anything. Nevertheless, God is merciful.

This became very clear to me today as I sat in a Bible study class this afternoon with about twenty-four other inmates and three volunteer lay ministers. As we all sat with our chairs in a circle, one of the prisoners shared his story of being "rescued" from a life of crime and drug addiction. He told us that he'd have to rob from someone every day in order to support his habit. But as he described his life and how he came to prison, I saw that he was, in a sense, snatched from the grave. If not for his arrest, no doubt he'd have died prematurely.

Thus, even in his coming to jail, the Lord was showing mercy to this man. His life was spared instead of judged. And it is a testimony of Christ's love for his wayward soul. He'd been rescued from his reckless ways and then brought to a place where he could hear the gospel and believe it. Now he lives for Jesus. Amen!

D.B.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Author

    David Berkowitz
    Copyright © AriseandShine.org