This is the continuation of my journey through Jonathan Edward’s sermon Great Guilt no Obstacle to the Pardon of the Returning Sinner, based on Psalm 25:11. We’ve looked at three excellent points that serve as reminders on how we must come to God for mercy. His first point is that we see our misery and need for mercy. His second point is that we should be sensible that we aren’t worthy of God’s mercy. His final point is that you can only receive mercy through Jesus Christ. Next, Edwards shares gospel truth of God’s great mercy offered through his Son. From here, Edwards shows and reminds us that this work of saving sinners is the very thing Jesus came to do. So, in seeking God’s mercy we should run to Christ and not away from him for mercy. He alone is our help in time of need. The end result is mercy for sinners and glory for God:
Herein doth the glory of grace by the redemption of Christ much consist, viz. in its sufficiency for the pardon of the greatest sinners. The whole contrivance of the way of salvation is for this end, to glorify the free grace of God. God had it on his heart from all eternity to glorify this attribute; and therefore it is, that the device of saving sinners by Christ was conceived. The greatness of divine grace appears very much in this, that God by Christ saves the greatest offenders. The greater the guilt of any sinner is, the more glorious and wonderful is the grace manifested in his pardon: Rom. 5:20. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” The apostle, when telling how great a sinner he had been, takes notice of the abounding of grace in his pardon, of which his great guilt was the occasion: 1 Tim. 1:13. “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious. But I obtained mercy; and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” The Redeemer is glorified, in that he proves sufficient to redeem those who are exceeding sinful, in that his blood proves sufficient to wash away the greatest guilt, in that he is able to save men to the uttermost, and in that he redeems even from the greatest misery. It is the honour of Christ to save the greatest sinners, when they come to him, as it is the honour of a physician that he cures the most desperate diseases or wounds. Therefore, no doubt, Christ will be willing to save the greatest sinners, if they come to him; for he will not be backward to glorify himself, and to commend the value and virtue of his own blood. Seeing he hath so laid out himself to redeem sinners, he will not be unwilling to show, that he is able to redeem to the uttermost.