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Understanding Forgiveness
By Loren M. Chamberlain
No matter how abundant our Faith, Hope, and Love, without “God’s Forgiveness” we will never experience eternal life. How can we experience God’s forgiveness?
God’s Forgiveness
If we want to experience God’s forgiveness we must wholeheartedly confess our sins, our failures and then honestly repent. King David’s confession to God after a notoriously sinful episode in his life is expressed in one of his Psalms. In this written confession to God, David truly expressed his sorrow for his adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew the sins he committed were against God and his actions had hurt many people. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:3-4). But because David repented of those sins, God, in His great mercy forgave him. There is no sin too great to be forgiven!
We must never feel our sins are so ghastly that God cannot forgive them. God can and will forgive us of any sin, though while God forgives us, He does not always remove the consequences produced by our sins. David confessed and repented of his sin, but God’s judgment was that his child born of Bathsheba would die. The consequences of David’s sin were irreversible. “But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die” (2 Samuel 12:14). Sometimes an apology isn’t enough. When God forgives us and restores our relationship with Him, He doesn’t eliminate all the consequences of our wrongdoing.
Forgiven In Christ
“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone His sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them they are not forgiven’” (John 20:21-23). In these verses we see Jesus commissioning His disciples to be His representatives, even as He had been the Father’s. “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). Jesus gave the disciples the responsibility of spreading the gospel message around the world. They were given the authority to preach, teach, and do miracles (Matthew 28:16-20). No one has the power to forgive sins but God, however, Jesus gave the disciples the privilege of telling new believers that, because they have repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their Savior their sins are forgiven. Those who don’t believe will not experience the forgiveness of sins and their sins will be retained rather than forgiven. All believers have this same privilege. We can announce the forgiveness of sin with certainty when we find repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.
The Consistency Of God’s Forgiveness
Every time we ask for forgiveness in true repentance God will respond and forgive us. An example of God’s love is seen in the comparison between Judas and Peter. Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. He knew Judas would betray Him and Peter would deny Him, but He did not change the course of events, nor did He stop loving them. In the same way, Jesus knows exactly what we might do to hurt Him. Yet He still loves us unconditionally and will forgive us whenever we ask for it. Judas couldn’t understand this kind of love and his life ended tragically. Peter understood, and despite his shortcomings, his life ended triumphantly because he never let go of his faith in the One who loved him. “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). This command by Jesus was revolutionary because He is asking believers to love others based on His sacrificial love for them. Jesus was a living example of God’s love.
Complete Confession
Confession will free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. Confession eases our consciences and lightens our cares. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Just how does confession work? Are we to confess the same sins over and over, and then wonder if we might have forgotten something? What happens to us if we die with un-confessed sins? Will we be forever lost?
First of all, God loves us and wants to forgive us. Remember, He allowed His beloved Son to die just so He could pardon us. When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We do not have to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don’t need to fear that God will reject us if we don’t keep our slate perfectly clean or forget about a sin and then fail to confess it. We are born sinners and “sinners sin!” Of course, we are not practicing sinners and we should continue to confess our sins, but the reason for confession of sin is to maximize our fellowship and joy with Him, not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our relationship with Christ is secure!
Confession Includes Turning Away From Sin
True confession involves being committed to a life of turning away from sin. If we make plans to continue in sin our confession of sins to God would not be genuine. We need to pray always for strength not to sin and to defeat temptation every time it raises it’s ugly head whenever we face it.
What is the purpose of confessing our sins if God has forgiven us for our sins because of Christ’s death? Why must we confess our sins? In admitting our sins and receiving Christ’s cleansing, we are, first of all agreeing with God that our sin truly was sin and that we are willing to turn from it. Secondly, confessing ensures we don’t conceal our sins from Him and consequently, from our own self. Thirdly, doing so recognizes our tendency to sin and relying on His power to overcome it.
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Forgiveness in Scripture
“Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.’”
Matthew 18:21-22
“When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.”
Mark 11:25
“So be careful! If another follower sins, warn him, and if he is sorry and stops sinning, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in one day and says that he is sorry each time, forgive him.”
Luke 17:3-4
“All the prophets say it is true that all who believe in Jesus will be forgiven of their sins through Jesus’ name.”
Acts 10:43
“In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace.”
Ephesians 1:7
“But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.”
1 John 1:9
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Forgiving Our Brother
“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you” (Genesis 45:5). Joseph is a perfect model of genuine forgiveness. Can we possibly imagine being rejected, kidnapped, enslaved and imprisoned, and still not harbor a grudge towards our brothers? Though Joseph’s brothers had been so unfaithful to him, he graciously forgave them and even shared his prosperity. Through Joseph God demonstrates how He forgives us and showers us with goodness and blessings even though we have sinned against Him. God will forgive us through Jesus if we ask Him in a repentant attitude.
As Christians we have a mark upon us, and that mark is forgiveness. If we love others the way Christ loves us, we will be willing to forgive. Just because we give an enemy a drink this does not mean we condone his actions or excuse them. It is simply away of loving him in spite of his sins, just as Christ did for us. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21).
It is like a fish swimming up river to be forgiving in an unforgiving world. It is contrary to the pattern of the world. Why does Paul tell us to be forgiving of our enemies? For several reasons, forgiveness is one way to break a cycle of retaliation and may possibly lead to reconciliation. It might make the enemy feel ashamed and change his or her ways. If we repay evil with evil it often hurts us just as much as it hurts our enemy. Even if our enemy never repents, being forgiving will free us of a heavy load of bitterness.
Forgive And Be Forgiven
Jesus gives us a somewhat shocking warning about forgiveness. Should we refuse to forgive others, God will also refuse to forgive us. Why? Because when we don’t forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). God’s forgiveness of sin is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but is based on our understanding of what forgiveness means. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Sin Counting?
It is not wise to keep track of offenses. The rabbis taught that people should forgive those who offend them, but only three times! Compared to this, Peter was really generous when he asked Jesus if seven times was enough. However, the way of Jesus is quite different. Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). So Jesus answer was “Seventy times seven” (the number of eternity), meaning that we shouldn’t even keep track of how many times we forgive someone.
Because God has forgiven us there ought to be no limit to a believer’s willingness to forgive another. Understanding how completely Christ has forgiven us should arouse a most free and generous attitude of forgiveness toward others. If we fail to forgive others we are in a sense setting ourselves outside of and above Christ’s law of love. i
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