The Distance of Grace
God’s forgiveness doesn’t just separate us from our sins—it sends them in the opposite direction forever.
“. . .as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12 ).
When I was little, my older brother and I didn’t always (or ever) get along very well. We were always getting on each other’s nerves and causing a ruckus. This meant that in situations when we needed to be calm and quiet—like church—my mom usually had to separate us by sitting between us, one on her right and one on her left.
For a long time, that’s what I pictured when I read this verse: God put us on one side (east) and our sin on the other (west). “As far as the east is from the west” sounded like “within reach to grab an ear and give it a twist.” I didn’t understand the image of this passage.
God doesn’t just separate us from our sins; he does so completely and irreversibly. Our sins are not within arm’s reach or accusation’s reach. East and west aren’t adjacent; they are infinitely opposite. When Christ paid for our sins on the cross, he sent our sins completely and eternally in one direction, and he is taking us eternally in the other.
Good news!
Amen!