"Unforgiven" -2

"The wicked borroweth, and payeth not back: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth." (Psalms 37:21) To put this into a better light, we could first examine the word "borroweth", which is the Hebrew word 'lavah', and it generally means to join, or be joined, to borrow, or to lend; something along the line of a contractual agreement is entered into, which thereby joins to or more parties together by an exchange. In our case, as we enter into the New Covenant agreement with Jesus Christ, the exchange involves the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life being given to us, while we surrender our lives over to Jesus and allow Him to be Lord over our lives. Remember what we are taking about here is "The Good and the Bad"; therefore we have a chance to see two contrasting attitudes that are presented, one that is good, and one that is bad. It really can involve far more than just forgiveness, but that is where I believe that it starts; because it all comes down to what Jesus died for, and what we accept and believe. Do we believe that He died on the cross for our sins, that we should have newness of life in Him, and that we will ever be with Him in heaven? or do we take for forgiveness part and the everlasting life part, yet leave out the newness of life? It's that newness of life part of the agreement that requires "New Creatures in Christ" to live as new creatures; to live as though they have now been affected by something that has changed their lives, because if Jesus has made us new, then we had better be new; otherwise, we have not really been forgiven of anything, because we are still living as though we are still in bondage to sin. Jesus said in John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed"; making a statement regarding being set free from the bondage of sin, which is to be the servant of sin; and Jesus has fulfilled His part of the contract, while our part is to make Him Lord, and then we become the servant of righteousness. If this is not the case in our lives, then we need to enter into the full agreement, which will then make it our desire to pay Him back for what He has done. It may not cost anything for us to receive our salvation and our newness of life, for that is a free gift from God, but that gift He has given is something that must change our life, otherwise we really have not accepted it fully. The reason that the "righteous showeth mercy, and giveth" is because they realize how much they have been given; it is now part of what they are in Christ, and is part of living out the love that they have been loved by God; a love that was demonstrated by Jesus coming down from heaven to die on that cross in order to give us eternal life in Him. If this love is not present in our lives, it is because this love has not been fully known to us, because we have not accepted the full agreement... "And hereby we do know that know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abide in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2:3-6)