Jeremiah 15:19 says, "Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them."
This is a great description for what God does with those who love Him in spite of our grievous sins. Though God is talking to Jeremiah in the verse above, it gives us a brief glimpse into God's character. He takes the precious from the vile.
We just finished going through the book of Judges in our weekly Sunday Bible studies, and the last judge mentioned (Judges 13-16), Samson, was probably the most immoral of them all. In fact, there seems to be a pretty clear descent in the book of Judges as each leader is more immoral than the last. In spite of the fact that Samson is a famous person and taught to every child growing up in church, he didn't make much effort to follow God.
Samson followed after his carnal desires and that's about it. He was like a hot-headed super jock that spent his spare time breaking every aspect of the Nazarite vow God had placed upon him and slept with prostitutes and women of low character.
In fact, Samson only called out to God when he was dying of thirst (killing 1,000 men can be quite dehydrating), and after he had been blinded and used for entertainment by the Philistines he asked God for strength to crush them all (and himself) in their temple.
Precious from the Vile
However, Samson is listed as in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews chapter 11! It's also significant that Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah are listed there as well in spite of their significant sins. God could have chosen to emphasis the negative traits and actions of all these people but instead He simply highlights their faith as examples to us all.
Listen friends, God has separated your sins as far as the East is from the West. He no longer remembers your sins but calls you a saint - literally "Holy One" in the Greek. He does not focus on your failures, mistakes, trespasses and sins but instead calls you a son. You are loved and accepted by Him now and forever.
How can His forgiveness be so complete and His love of such amazing magnitude? I don't know, but the Bible teaches this very clearly. If you are a follower of Christ then you are loved by God, and therefore can be at peace in His grace.
"Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy." - Psalm 132:9
