Who is a God like You?

“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.” – Micah 7:18

Micah paints for us a picture of a God who, by His very nature, is inclined toward mercy.

It is His default setting, so to speak.

And in that thought, a question is asked that can be applied over any prayer we offer, any situation we are presented with: Who is a God like You?

Immediately, it resets the scope and perspective of any circumstance.

The concept of pardoning iniquity presented here speaks of a sense specifically of the wicked condition of our hearts being carried away from us.

Not just the outward action of the sin, but the deeper nature that our sin grows from.

We have a tendency to judge our own condition by whatever is revealed externally in the moment. And, in that, we often end up with a very shallow view of where we actually stand before God.

If you think of a fruit tree – there are many who go through life attempting to pick the branches clean of the end fruit – the outward actions of sin in a life.

And while one may find a short measure of success in that pursuit, inevitably, those branches will inevitably bear that same fruit again.

The simple truth is that fruit bears from the nature of the tree.

If you want different fruit to grow from your life, or if you want the rotten fruit to cease from growing, there has to be a compositional change to the tree, so to speak.

If you want victory over sin in your life, there is a deeper condition of the heart that God desires to deal with – one that He promises to bear away. And yet one that you must surrender to Him.

Jesus would say, in Luke 6:45, that a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

That’s why the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has such a radical effect upon a life: Only He can change the nature of a heart, that there might be good treasure to bring forth.

The outward sins grow from the deeper lusts of the flesh: passion, possession and position – all of which stem from pride, and self.

Jesus, through His sacrifice upon the cross, bears away the iniquity – the evil – the perversity of our hearts. And through His resurrection, He creates within us a new heart. He grants us newness of life, and restored fellowship with Him. He grants us His righteousness, where otherwise, without Him, we would have only depravity. And He draws forth His goodness out of our lives.

Galatians 5:16-17 says “Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish.”

God passes over transgression – literally, he passes over rebellion. He delights in mercy. He does not retain His anger forever.

These are truths we must know well in the struggle against our sinful nature. We have a God in heaven who is inclined first toward Mercy. And in His grace, He has paid the way to set you at one again with Him.

By His nature, He leans toward mercy, reaches with grace and bestows peace.

Joey Crandall is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Carson Valley.