90 - How and Why are we to Forgive?

We've examined in previous posts what forgiveness is, the way in which it operates and the conditions that apply. To complete this study, although there are several other facets we might delve into, we want to look at the "How and the Why of Forgiveness" (in this post) and then next time to consider a warning to any who may be disinclined to forgive others in the way that we have examined.

1. How should I forgive someone else?

We saw earlier two important texts that need to guide our answer to this question:

Ephesians 4:30-32 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

Colossians 3:12-15 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

It is clear from the underlined sections in each text that we are to forgive in the same way God has forgiven us. We included some  of the context for the underlined phrases above, because it is helpful to set the tone for the appeal in each case.

In the Ephesians passage, we are instructed to put away all the elements that often feature in the enmity and alienation that are provoked when someone sins against us - bitterness (sharp, intense resentment), wrath (fury, intense anger, passionate outbursts), anger (a word meaning wrath and fury, used in conjunction with the word translated "wrath" here to heighten the intensity of what is expressed), clamor (loud screaming or shouting), slander (the same word is used of blasphemy against God - to speak against someone in such a way as to harm or injure his or her reputation), malice (a feeling of hostility and strong dislike, with a possible implication of desiring to do harm—‘hateful feeling.’). Paul indicates that such attitudes, thoughts and desires grieve the Holy Spirit, Who dwells within every true child of God (v. 30). 

How are these things to be put away from us? First by being kind to one another (this word actually means fit for purpose, good, useful - and therefore here it implies we should be what a Christian ought to be, in contrast to exhibiting the characteristics of enmity listed before) and tenderhearted (affectionate and compassionate). These virtues will be expressed in our lives through forgiveness, which will cancel the debt of sin and eliminate the enmity and alienation with all its evil characteristics. 

Note, though, that Paul says this is exactly how God has dealt with us in Christ. It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). It was while our hearts were overflowing with bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice against God that He was kind and tenderhearted to us, granted us repentance and faith in Christ and forgave our many grievous sins against Him, thus canceling our debt to Him and removing the hostility and enmity from our hearts. Whatever we see in God's forgiveness of us, we are to imitate by His grace in our forgiveness of others.

Turning to the Colossians passage, Paul comes to the same conclusion by a slightly different path. First, he reminds us of our standing in Christ - chosen by God, set apart to Him (holy) and beloved by Him. Since this is what we are, Paul tells us that we need to put on the characteristics that belong to such a standing. The first two in the list that follows are hearts of compassion and kindness, which he also urges upon the Ephesian believers above. Here, though, He expands the list of virtues to include humility (lowliness of mind), and meekness (gentleness and selflessness). Note that the Greek words here for "humility" and "meekness" are from the same roots as those Christ used to describe Himself as "gentle" and "lowly" in heart in Matt 11:29. Finally, we are to put on patience (literally, to be "long-tempered"). We are to endure one another and in the event of complaints against each other, we are to forgive each other, says Paul, and then underlines that we are to do so "as the Lord has forgiven" us. Finally, as the crowning virtue, Paul urges us to put on love, which binds everything together, and to let Christ's peace rule in every heart in His Body, the church.

Paul effectively gives us in these two passages the list of characteristics we are to cast away, and of the virtues we are to embrace so that we can forgive one another as God forgave us. Note also the mention of the indwelling of the Spirit in the Ephesians passage, and the need not to grieve Him. Note, also, that His fruit consists in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (Galatians 5:22), and that most of these spiritual fruits are mentioned here as being present in a believer and a body where true forgiveness is practiced. We may infer that the grace to forgive as God forgives is worked in us by His Spirit, and the less we grieve or quench Him, the more we will be able to truly forgive. 

Paul also invites us to consider how God forgave us so that we may model our forgiveness after that pattern. We have already touched upon some of the characteristics of God's forgiveness in previous studies, but here is a list to stimulate our thinking in this regard. God forgave His children:

• Freely - it cost Him the life of His one and only Son, but it is offered at no cost to all who will believe. Likewise, there can be no strings attached to our forgiveness of others.
• Fully - There is nothing left of our sin-debt to God when it is wiped out through the blood of Christ. All our sins, past, present and future are blotted out in Christ! Similarly, we are not to forgive in part the sins committed against us, and hold back forgiveness for other parts.
• Forgetfully - God will never take the sins of His children into account against them. He even says that He will remember them no more. We saw from 1 Corinthians 13:5 that love keeps no record of wrongs. If we continue to take someone's offences against us into account in our dealings with them, then we have not truly forgiven them, no matter what we may say.
• Lovingly - God's love for us is on dazzling display in the outworking of His plan to redeem us from sin by the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. "Greater love has no-one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends". We need, like God, to have a heart that is full of forgiveness, and like the father of the Prodigal son, we should stand ready to forgive in an instant those who come to us in repentance.
• Compassionately - He felt pity for us, seeing we were enslaved to our sin and justly condemned for it. We could not free ourselves, so He set out to free us. We must have compassion for the plight of those who are ensnared in sin, and to seek reconciliation through repentance and forgiveness also, but not from a position of superiority and condescension, seeing that we, too, were miserable wretches when God had compassion on us.
• Patiently - We are still prone to wander from Him and to return to the very sins He sent Christ to save us from. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He will never give up on us. Neither may we give up on our brothers and sisters who sin against us. Even if they sin 7 times a day but each time come to us and repent, we "must" forgive them, says Jesus in Luke 17:3-4.
• We will leave the reader to add to this list - it's a profitable study!

2. Why Should I forgive someone else?

There are many reasons why we ought to forgive others, not the least of which is that God has dealt graciously and kindly in forgiving us for our much greater offences against Him. There is one overarching motivation here that it is worth bearing in mind, though, and we have mentioned it previously in passing:

We exist entirely for the glory of God, and everything we do is to have His glory as the primary motivation:

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Peter 4:10-11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

We may ask, "How God is glorified when we forgive others?" We referred earlier in this series to the expression, "To err is human, to forgive, Divine". If we consider what underlies true forgiveness, it is nothing less than a demonstration of the heart and the character of God. That is why Paul tells the Ephesians and Colossians above to put off ungodly attitudes and behaviors and to put on those that Christ owned as His own (humility and meekness) and to evidence in their lives the fruit of the Spirit Who lives in them, out of which it is inevitable that there will be a spirit of true, heartfelt forgiveness at work between the members of the church. We will be imitating our God and our Father because of the new life He has caused to be created in us. All who look at us in our forgiveness will see something of the heart and the character of our God and in this, He will have glory!

Let's pay attention to Paul's advice in this passage, and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, while rejecting the rotten and corrupt fruit of our sinful natures. Then, among many other good things, we will have hearts more like God's, full of readiness and willingness to forgive others for His glory!

89 - How should we Relate to those who do not Repent?

So far, we have seen that sin brings with it both indebtedness of some sort to the one sinned against (and to God, since His law is broken) along with alienation or enmity with that person. Forgiveness discharges the debt and therefore removes the grounds for the alienation, paving the way for reconciliation. If someone truly forgives, they must also "forget" the offence and no longer take it into account in dealings with the offender. Most recently, we saw that forgiveness itself is conditional upon the repentance of the offender, and repentance is a gift from God.

Now, we need to go a step further and ask a very practical question - what happens where there is no repentance on the part of the offender? How should these situations be handled from a Biblical perspective? A moment's thought reveals that this circumstance can have several causes, and a different response may be needed in each case. 

1. The "Offender" Didn't Sin at all, but the "Victim" Took Offense

Recognizing the sinfulness of our hearts, this is the one we have to begin with. We need to ask ourselves whether the act which caused offense to us was actually a sin at all. For example, a brother or sister may have approached us in all humility to alert us to something in our lives that might be a stumbling block to others. They may have prayed sincerely before speaking with us. They may in reality be "speaking the truth in love". Still, in our pride and conceit, we may refuse their approach and take offense at them. Now there is sin, and enmity and alienation, but the sin is on our part and not on the part of the one who approached us!

A good rule when we feel offended is to pray, and search our own hearts to ask if we are right to be offended by someone else's action - did they really and truly sin against us, or are we just proud, thin-skinned and unwilling to hear loving words of correction from others? Such words, properly received, can be an instrument used by God for our spiritual growth. Rejected out of hand, they become a weapon in the enemy's hand to cause division.

If we find that in fact the problem is with us, then our own repentance (and if necessary, seeking forgiveness from the one who approached us) should resolve the issue and restore fellowship.

Ephesians 4:14–16 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

2. The Offender Sinned Unconsciously Against the "Victim," Who Took Offense
   
   The next situation that may arise is one where there was actual sin against someone on the part of the offender, but in a totally unconscious and un-premeditated way. In this situation, the "victim" feels offended but the offender has absolutely no awareness concerning their sin.
   
   If this seems the likely scenario after prayer and reflection, the one sinned against has some different options for maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
   

   Ephesians 4:1–3 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

   The first option is simply to cover over the sin in love - especially if it is a relatively trivial matter. Here, the judgment of the offended party is that the matter is not worth pursuing: the offender would more than likely be mortified and would immediately repent if they knew how their actions had affected the offended party. This is a practical operation of the benefit of the doubt, or the judgment of charity that we have mentioned before. Forgiveness can be extended to them on this basis, and the matter can be forgotten. If we raised every single minor infraction that others committed against us, and they did the same when we got under their skin, we would do nothing in life other than mending relationship fences!
   
   

   1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
   

   
   If the action of the offender was not public, then probably the only person to know about it and to feel its effects is the one offended. In this case, "least said, soonest mended" seems to be the approach most likely to maintain peace and unity.
   

   Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

   Even if the offense was public, the offender may choose to be wronged rather than to escalate the matter in a public manner that could lead to more division and dissension.
   

   1 Corinthians 6:7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
   

   
   However, if the one sinned against is not able to cover the sin in love for whatever reason, the offender should be approached privately and in a spirit of love, seeking their repentance, leading to forgiveness and reconciliation. In the event that the offender is unwilling to repent and be reconciled at this stage, the procedure in Matthew 18:15-20 (pursued in love) is available to seek to restore peace:
   

   Matthew 18:15–20 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

3. The Offender Sinned Wilfully Against the "Victim"
   
   Finally, we have the case where the sin was willfully and knowingly committed by the offender. Here, again, there is the option for the offended party to cover the sin in love, though in reality that is likely to be harder that for unintentional sins, and it may serve the offender less well for their actions not to be corrected in some way.  Generally, then, the one offended should, in love, approach the one who sinned and seek repentance leading to forgiveness and reconciliation. Depending on the severity of the offense and how publicly it was committed, the aim is to begin with private entreaties and (again following Matthew 18:15-20) to gradually involve more people in the process until the church itself reviews the situation and appeals to the sinner to repent.  Where that is unforthcoming, then the offender's life is judged to be no longer consistent with a genuine profession of saving faith in Christ, and the person is removed from the membership of the church. They are still to be loved, prayed for and entreated to repent and return to Christ and His church. 
   

In all these situations, Christ's love is the driving force, and the desire is reconciliation and peace within His Body, the church.

We are going to look at some other aspects of forgiveness in the next few posts - examining the motivation and the manner more closely to help us apply what we have been considering so far.

88 - Is Forgiveness Conditional or Unconditional?

So far, we have laid a foundation for what Biblical forgiveness is and how it works. Last time, we began to tackle some common misconceptions on the subject by considering if we can truly forgive someone unless we also forget (no longer take into account) what they did to us (we can't). We'll look at another, increasingly common misunderstanding today - that forgiveness on our part must be unconditional.

It has become somewhat fashionable in recent years to see forgiveness as a unilateral and unconditional act upon the part of the one doing the forgiving. It can certainly seem selfless and generous to announce our forgiveness to those who have perpetrated the most vile acts of wickedness against us, even in cases where it is clear the offender has no remorse for his or her act and is not seeking to be forgiven. We will need to unpack this subject carefully if we are to arrive at a balanced and Biblical perspective.

In this post, we will lay out Biblical data to demonstrate that forgiveness is, in fact, conditional upon repentance on the part of the offender. We will look at this in terms of God's forgiveness of mankind. We'll spend a few moments dealing with the objection that we may seem by this approach to make repentance a work that we do in order to be saved. Next we will consider forgiveness at the human level, where we will also reflect on similarities and differences between God's forgiveness and ours.  Finally, we will look at some verses that may appear at first sight to teach unconditional forgiveness, and see that they do not. 

Forgiveness of Man by God

There is an abundance of data in both Old and New Testaments that firmly demonstrates that there is a condition that must exist in order for God to grant forgiveness to a man or woman - repentance.

Old Testament Data

Here are some of the verses in the Old Testament on this subject:

1 Kings 8:48-50 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Both of these verses describe events when the temple built under Solomon was dedicated. The verses in 1 Kings 8 describes Solomon's prayer on that occasion, while the one in 2 Chronicles 7 records the answer God gave him to that prayer. Note in both these cases the "if, then" construction which sets up a condition for an action on the part of God. Solomon prays for forgiveness for a repentant Israel, and God answers that He will grant it under that condition.

Psalm 32:3-5 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

While this passage doesn't specifically say that David repented, he is clearly going through a time of powerful conviction of his sin, which ultimately leads him first to open up to God about it, and then to confession. All these behaviors on his part are indicative of a repentant heart, and the result is that David is forgiven.

Isaiah 6:9-10 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 

This passage is quoted both in Mark 4 and in Acts 28 (see below) and it clearly indicates that the pathway laid out for the healing (forgiveness) of the people was that they turn (repent).

Isaiah 55:6-7  “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

 The word, "that" in this verse indicates a condition to the reception of God's abundant pardon, and again it is forsaking wicked ways and returning to the Lord - repentance.

Jeremiah 36:1-3 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” 

This final example from the Old Testament affirms the link between repentance (turning from evil ways) and receiving God's forgiveness.

These passages clearly confirm a declaration on God's part, and an understanding among His people, that His forgiveness is conditional upon our repentance. There are certainly other verses that could be found to reinforce this point but let's move on to consider New Testament passages on the subject:

New Testament Data

Mark 1:4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

In the ministry of John the Baptist, it is clear that the baptism he administered was intended to be an outward sign of an individual's repentance toward God, which (if genuine) had resulted in their forgiveness.

Mark 4:11–12 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, ¹² so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ”

Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10 (see above) which links turning (repentance) with healing (forgiveness).

Luke 24:45–47 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Jesus summarizes the message of the gospel that is to be preached by His disciples - repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Again, the two are clearly linked.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 The verse doesn't mention repentance but in heartfelt confession, contrition and repentance are inherent. On this basis, God extends His forgiveness.

Acts 2:37–38 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Again, repentance precedes forgiveness as a precondition as the gospel is declared. This is really a record of obedience to the instructions Jesus gave His disciples in Luke 24 above.

Acts 3:19-20 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

Again, it couldn't be much clearer in this very early sermon in the life of the early church that repentance is a direct precursor to forgiveness - the blotting out of our record of debt to God. 

Acts 5:29–31 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

 Repentance and forgiveness are here closely linked again in the words of the Apostles.

Acts 8:22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

 For Simon the magician, who had demonstrated by his behavior that his profession of faith in Christ was highly questionable, the way back (if possible, since he had come perilously close to committing the unforgivable sin) was via repentance leading to forgiveness.

Acts 10:43-44 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. Acts 11:17-18 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

We combined the account of Peter's sermon to Cornelius and his household in Acts 10 with Peter's subsequent defense of his actions to the church (which was mainly Jewish at that time). Peter preached faith as being necessary to forgiveness, but the church understands that the Gentiles had also been granted repentance as part of this process.

Acts 26:15-18 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Jesus speaks to Paul on the road to Damascus and commissions him to preach repentance (turning from darkness to light etc.) as a precondition to their forgiveness.

Acts 28:25-27 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26  “ ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 27  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 

Paul quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10 (see above under Old Testament and for Mark 4) - a passage  that expresses the willingness of God to forgive all who will turn to Him in repentance.

It is certain there are more verses that could be produced on this subject, where the central idea is implicit that forgiveness is conditional on repentance. In the verses above, though, this is made especially clear. If we grant that the case is made by this evidence, and that forgiveness is conditional upon the repentance of the offender, could it follow that we are making repentance a work we can do to obtain spiritual favor? 

Does this make repentance a work we may do to earn favor?

We know that salvation is not by any work of ours, but is all of God. Paul tells us that even the faith by which we lay hold on Christ for eternal life is a gift, so that no-one could boast that they saved themselves by their own efforts (Ephesians 2:8-10). Intuitively, then, it has to be this way with repentance also, since repentance and faith are closely related - effectively two sides of the same coin. Repentance is a turning from the sinful ways of the past and faith is a turning to God for salvation through Christ alone. What Scriptures can help us answer this question?

Acts 5:29–31 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

We already saw this verse above, since it indicates repentance precedes forgiveness. However, it also shows us where that repentance comes from - it is a gift from God, just like saving faith.

Acts 11:17-18 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

In a similar way, this verse shows that the repentance Cornelius and his household displayed (as the first of the Gentiles to believe in the Lord Jesus) was not something they summoned from within themselves. Rather, it was granted to them by God.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 

Paul instructs Timothy how to conduct himself with opponents of the Gospel in Ephesus, where he was pastor. Paul says that Timothy should be gentle with them, in hope that God would grant them repentance leading to salvation. This accords with passages that indicate God's kindness is intended to lead the enemies of God to repentance:

Romans 2:3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 

So it's clear that our repentance is a gift from God - it is not a work we can do to gain spiritual favor from Him.

Man to Man

There seems to be a mountain of evidence to support the idea that when God forgives people, it is because they have first repented of their sins, and that their ability to do so is given them by God. We are now ready to explore the situation in which we are called upon to forgive our fellow man. Do they have to demonstrate repentance before we forgive them, too?

First, we should remind ourselves of the verses from Paul's epistles that we should forgive each other as God in Christ has forgiven us:

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

Colossians 3:12-13 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Note that these are imperatives - forgiving others is something we must do as God's children. Interestingly, the verse that immediately follows the encouragement to forgive in Ephesians 4:32 reads like this (the chapter division may hinder us from seeing the connection):

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

So we are to be imitators of God, who is a God of forgiveness. We are also to be imitators of Christ (indeed, the Christian life is one in which we are increasingly conformed to His likeness):

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

We know that Christ longed to see the lost coming to Him for salvation:

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

So if we are to forgive in the same way we have been forgiven, and to show our family likeness to God at the same time, It follows that we must forgive those who sin against us but come to us in contrition and with some indication of repentance. Jesus confirms this for us in this passage:

Luke 17:1–4 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. ³ Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, ⁴ and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

The situation seems fairly straightforward in principle up to this point (though we have noted that the practice can be challenging!). However, we do have to note one important difference between how God deals with those He forgives and how we need to deal with them.

God sees our hearts and also is the one Who gives repentance to those He will - so there is and can be no confusion with Him about whether repentance is genuine. We are not God - we cannot give repentance to others and we cannot look into the heart to see if repentance is genuine. How should we model God's forgiveness to us when we have such significant shortcomings? Here are some guiding principles to help us:

We can (and must) look for the fruit of genuine repentance. Genuine repentance should show itself in some outward way in the life of the one seeking forgiveness: 

Acts 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

However, because we cannot see the heart of those seeking forgiveness, we are to give the benefit of the doubt in cases where the evidence of genuine repentance is somewhat inconclusive. This may be how the early church baptized individuals like Simon the magician and admitted them to the church, but took the appropriate action when the condition of his heart became clearer.

Since forgiveness is an expression of love and aims at reconciliation, we should exercise the "judgment of charity," being inclined to think the best of all people, work and pray for their wellbeing - even if they are our enemies. Even if someone keeps on sinning against us, but keeps on confessing and repenting, Jesus says we must forgive them (see Luke 17:1-4 above)

As we draw to a close, let's take a quick look at some verses where this linkage between repentance and forgiveness may not be spelled out as clearly - and which may even seem to suggest that forgiveness is unconditional and unilateral, as some maintain:

Verses that May Appear to Teach Unconditional Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

There is no mention here that the forgiveness the disciples are to extend is dependent on evident repentance on the part of the offender. But in the parallel passage from Luke 17:1-4 (see above) Jesus clearly regards repentance in the offender as the feature that demands a response of forgiveness from the one sinned against.

Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

This passage seems on the face of it to say we can remember an offence against us as we pray, and without leaving that spot we can forgive and get on with the prayer. We'll look in a later post about Jesus' teaching on forgiveness in the Lord's prayer and about having a heart that is inclined to forgive as God's is. For now, though, the best way to understand this text seems to be as follows. If I am alienated from someone because they have sinned against me, and I have in my heart anger, bitterness and resentment against them, then it is likely that I do not have a heart that is ready to forgive them (a pre-requisite for us to know God's forgiveness of our sins, as the verse goes on to say. An angry, bitter spirit is in no way able to pray acceptably to God. It needs to be resolved for my prayer life to be restored. The way to restore it is to attempt to be reconciled with the one who offended us and if they are unwilling to acknowledge their sin and to repent at present, then we have to stand ready to forgive them as soon as they turn (see the Prodigal Son account below). The following passage seems to be a close parallel, except that the one seeking to draw near to God here is the one who offended a brother or sister. It lays out a procedure in which we attempt reconciliation before we approach God in worship, which seems consistent with what must be done in the case mentioned in Mark 11:25 above:

Matthew 5:23-24 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

 

Luke 15:20-24 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. 

Some would say there is no sign of looking for repentance on the part of the father in this parable - He is constantly looking for the return of his son and forgives him the instant it takes place. However, let's not lose sight of the fact that the earlier part of Luke 15 recounts the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, both of which conclude with a remark about the rejoicing in heaven that occurs when a sinner repents. The story of the prodigal then seems to answer the question, "What does repentance look like?" The answer is that it is a coming to one's senses spiritually from the folly of sin and a turning back to God in sorrow and contrition from a life of sinful dissipation. It is a confession to God of sins committed and an acknowledgment that punishment is justly deserved. That kind of repentance, says the parable, results in forgiveness, restoration and rejoicing! So really the parable adds to the New Testament data that forgiveness by God is preceded by repentance. 

Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 

Acts 7:59-60 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 

It is important to note that these final two passages show us more about the heart of forgiveness that Jesus and Stephen had than anything else. Neither Jesus nor Stephen declares his forgiveness for those who are sinning against them. So neither prayer is an example of forgiveness being extended without repentance, Rather, they cry out to God that He would be merciful and exercise His abundant forgiveness towards them. They are calling for compassion to be shown to these souls, and that this sin they are committing would not close the door to eternal life for them irrevocably.

Next time we will try to draw together what we have seen so far and try to determine how we should behave toward those who have sinned against us but have never repented or sought forgiveness.

87 - Forgive AND Forget??

Let's begin with a summary of what we have seen so far concerning Biblical forgiveness:

Forgiveness operates in relation to sin. When we sin against someone, we become indebted to them in some way (whether financially, or perhaps having damaged their reputation or injured them physically or in some other way). That debt, as long as it exists, brings about a state of enmity and alienation between the offender and the one who was wronged. This "victim" will feel disadvantaged, abused, unjustly treated, and will have a desire for reparation or even revenge. Resentfulness and malice easily breed in the heart of someone who believes they have been wronged but that the offender has escaped without proper consequences for their wrongdoing. 

True forgiveness cancels, wipes out or blots out the debt so that it no longer is an obligation laid upon the one who sinned. If the debt is canceled, it follows that there is no continuing ground for enmity or alienation, so a restoration of the relationship (reconciliation) ought to follow. Now we are ready to build on this foundation in practical ways. In the balance of the post, we want to deal with one common misconception about forgiveness.

How often have you heard of someone saying something like this, "I will forgive you, but I can never forget what you did to me"? Can we find any way in which this concept of forgiveness flows from the Biblical framework we established?

If I have forgiven you, then the debt that caused our enmity and alienation is gone - it has been blotted out. If I declare my determination never to forget your offence against me, then it hasn't been blotted out at all and I am saying that as far as I am concerned, I will never allow it to be blotted out. It is still there, and so is the enmity and alienation that comes with it. So it may sound very spiritual and very humble to say "I will forgive you," but forgiveness that maintains a record of wrongs done is no forgiveness at all.

What can we learn from God in this regard? How does His forgiveness operate? First, see what he says is true of the forgiveness He extends to those whom He saves through Christ's work, and brings into the environment of New Covenant He has made with mankind:

"...For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:34

The writer to the Hebrews quotes from this very verse in Hebrews 10:17, but he adds a very important comment in verse 18:

...then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.  (Hebrews 10:17-18). 

In other words, in these two short verses we see forgiveness equated with forgetfulness and with complete cancellation of debt (no further offerings are required, because the offering of Christ fully wipes the record clean).

God couldn't say it in any clearer way. When He forgives sin, the debt is blotted out and He forgets it. Yes, it is a great mystery how an omniscient (all-knowing) God can forget anything. Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand this is to look back at the verse we considered a couple of posts ago from Colossians 2:13-14.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 

The record of the debts of His people was made over to Jesus - nailed as the charge sheet that spelled out the grounds for His just death. And Jesus fully paid the debt that His people owed to God. He blotted it out. So if that long list of our offences has been rendered unreadable because it is completely covered by Christ's blood at Calvary, then it no longer features on God's "radar screen" when He looks at us - it is gone. 

Consider another passage that says much the same thing, when God is talking through Isaiah about how His people have sinned against Him, even though He had been gracious in His dealings with them:

 "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:25)

It is this understanding of God's forgiveness that led David to pray in this way:

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7  Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! (Psalm 25:6-7)

See also Psalm 79:8, Isaiah 64:9, 65:17.

With God, then, there is a strong element of what might be described as forgetfulness when He blots out a debt of sin through the blood of Christ.

So how does all this apply in the life of a believer? Are we also to "forgive and forget" in the way that God does? Logically, the answer has to be "yes", since (as we have seen) forgiveness that doesn't forget is no forgiveness at all. Can we find any support for "forgive and forget" in Scripture, though? Again, the answer is "yes".

First, take a look at Ephesians 4:32:  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

So whatever is true concerning God's forgiveness of us in Christ is to be true in our forgiving brothers and sisters in the Lord. We will explore some other ramifications of this in later posts, but it seems clear that if God declares He will forget the sins of those He forgives, then we need to strive to do the same.

Next, look at 1 Peter 4:8: Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Believers are to love each other. It is incompatible with the idea of love that we keep alive the memory of wrongs done to us by a brother or sister, and with them the almost inevitable brooding resentment and sense of injustice. If someone repents of their sin and asks for forgiveness, it is the loving thing for us to grant the forgiveness and cover over the sin - blot it out of our thinking.

Finally, consider 1 Corinthians 13:5, as the Greek text seems to say and is legitimately translated in the New International Version of the Bible: "Love..... does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

Again, we are in the sphere of Christian love and again, it is a characteristic of that love not to maintain a "record of debt" after a repentant person has asked us to forgive them. God keeps no record of our wrongs, seeing that they are wiped out through the blood of Christ. On what conceivable basis can we declare we have forgiven a brother or sister, and then hold a grudge against them? We have been reconciled to God and where there are signs of repentance, we must reconcile with those who have offended us.

Likewise, in the realm of church discipline, if the one disciplined for sin repents, then the church is not only to forgive that person for their sin, but they are to blot it out from their corporate memory and to reach out to comfort the repentant sinner. Otherwise, as we see in 2 Corinthians: 6-7 that the restored church member may be overwhelmed by sorrow (because it would be clear that they had not been completely forgiven.

Finally, having seen how the principle of "forgive and forget" works between God and man, and between believers, how should it operate where a believer is sinned against by an unbeliever? The answer has to be that it operates in the same way we have seen. After all, God forgave us when we were unbelievers, and Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for them. So when we see that there is sorrow over the offence on the part of the offender, we should gladly and willingly forgive them and forget the sin. We will go on to see that in determining what is true repentance, we cannot see the heart but in love we must give the benefit of the doubt and we must use the judgment of charity, all the time remembering how God has dealt with us so graciously in Christ!

So to conclude, God "forgets" when He forgives the repentant sinner, and we must forgive in exactly the same way, constrained by His love that is at work in us by the Spirit. This can be very difficult in practice, but it is clearly the Biblical approach!

86 - Forgiveness and Alienation

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-24)

Forgiveness, we saw, operates in the realm of sin, as the remedy. Sin causes at least two consequences - an indebtedness to the one sinned against and a resulting alienation from that person. Hopefully it is already clear that forgiveness has to deal with both the debt and the alienation of sin, or it is not really forgiveness at all. Last time, we looked at the indebtedness aspect, so we'll turn our attention in this post to the alienation/enmity piece. 

It's not hard to find places in Scripture where the alienation produced by sin is on display. Our passage above is without doubt the place to start, in every sense. It describes the first sin and its results in horrific detail - results that every one of us still lives with on a daily basis.

Adam and Eve were deceived into believing that God had lied about the death they would experience if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But God never lies, so when they disobeyed God, their spiritual and physical death became certainties. The spiritual dimension of Adam and Eve's death was implemented the same day, when, as enemies of God, they are driven out from His presence in the garden and banished from returning to eat of the tree of life. They would later also die physically.

Everyone entering the world since Adam sinned has been born spiritually dead - separated from God and at enmity with Him due to their identification with Adam in his sin. They are destined to die physically and to face eternal separation from God - the second death. 

Beginning with the passage above, the solemn truth resounds throughout the Scriptures: "Sin Separates Man from God". A few examples will suffice. 

Although God came to dwell with His people in the tabernacle, He was not accessible to them. The symbol of His presence, the Ark of the Covenant, was placed behind a curtain in the Holy of Holies so that no-one would see it. Even on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest had to burn incense so that as he entered behind the curtain to sprinkle sacrificial blood on the most holy things, the smoke would prevent him from seeing the Ark. Sacrifices were continually made to make the people outwardly clean so that God's anger wouldn't break out against them. They spoke of the indebtedness of the people to God on account of sin, but the fact that they had to be made over and over again showed that they never discharged that debt. So in truth the Ark of the Covenant - the symbol of God's presence with His people - really served to remind them how separated they were from Him on account of sin. And although God was approachable by the High Priest in intercession on behalf of the people, He made it very clear that if they did not keep His requirements, He would not hear their prayers:

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2).

The psalmist and Solomon felt the same thing in terms of his own prayers to God:

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (Psalm 66:18)

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)

After his adultery with Bathsheba and then having her husband killed, David well understood that the close relationship he had enjoyed with God had been badly injured and was in danger of being permanently ended:

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:11-12)

And when the nation of Israel rejected God and defiled His holy place, and His patience was exhausted because they would not respond to His calls through the prophets to return to Him, He sent them out of His presence again - they were carried off into exile (events that are reminiscent of the Garden of Eden scene in the passage with which we opened this study):

Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. 20 And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight. (2 Kings 17:19-20)

For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. (2 Kings 24:20)

And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim. (Jeremiah 7:13-15)

So sin (which results in incalculable indebtedness to God) excludes mankind from His presence. Why is this the case - why does God cast those who sin out of His sight? In short, it is because of His spotless holiness, the unspeakable corruption and vileness that is sin, and the infinite magnitude of mankind's offences against Him. Sin is utterly and literally repulsive to God - He cannot be in its presence at all without all His righteous anger and holy wrath being provoked and directed at it in full force. So a sinner has effectively embraced all that stands in opposition to the character and disposition of God. Clearly, such a person cannot come into God's presence while his or her debt to Him is outstanding. 

Why, though, are there impacts for human relationships also, and not just for our relationship with God? There are at least two reasons. The first is that our sin makes all of us fundamentally selfish. When someone sins against us, we are quick to take offense, to become resentful and to bear a grudge. We still bear the tarnished image of God, but we have delusional and sin-twisted concepts of our own importance and what others should do for us. Consequently, we push them away from us and regard them as enemies.

The second reason is that Satan is still active to stir up our natural inclination to sin. He is intent on working as much ruination and disharmony in God's kingdom as he can, and we all too easily fall into his traps and start accusing others of not according us the position of importance we think they ought to. Thus, sin makes friends into enemies, tears families apart, drives a wedge between those who have been close in any and all ways. Sin is toxic.

And the concept of separation from sin and from temptations to sin continues for us as believers. We are told, as holy people, to separate ourselves from this world and from those who love sin:

Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, (2 Cor 6:16)

And the church is commanded to expel from her midst those who continue in a life of sin without repentance - since there is no evidence in their lives to sustain their profession of saving faith in Christ:

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:17)

God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:13)

(for addition references on alienation from and its opposite - peace and reconciliation - see Titus 3:3, Eph 2:14-16, Col 1:19-21 and Rom 5:1+11)

So after laying this foundation, how does this  play into the subject of forgiveness? 

It seems that it is the obligation or indebtedness brought about by sin that gives rise to the alienation/enmity between the sinner and the one offended. That being the case, if the debt is discharged, there is no longer a basis for the enmity. So once I have blotted out their debt, I cannot continue to be alienated from them as enemies. 

Certainly, this is how it happens between God and us. As long as our sins are written in our record of debt to Him, we are necessarily at odds with Him. But once our record of sin is wiped out at the cross, we are made alive, and we are warmly and lovingly welcomed as God's adopted children into His family. 

85 - Our I.O.U. to God - Forgiveness and Obligation

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

In our last post, we looked at the account of Jacob's reunion with Esau, and we noted that Jacob's sin had produced two effects - creating an obligation to Esau and also introducing alienation and enmity between the brothers. When a sin is forgiven, both the obligation and the alienation/enmity are dealt with, and therefore we need to consider each of these aspects in more detail.  In this post, then, we will reflect on the concept that sin places the sinner under obligation to the one sinned against, and we'll consider forgiveness in the light of that. Next time, we will look at how sin is the cause of enmity and alienation between the sinner and the one sinned against, and we will look at forgiveness in that context.

In our text above, Paul reminds the Colossians that before they came to know Christ as Savior, they were dead to God because of their offenses against His law (there is the separation and alienation caused by sin). However, it is clear that their sins, at one and the same time, had rendered them bankrupt before God. They had run up incalculable spiritual debts to Him that they had no way of repaying. They were guilty and liable to punishment. Paul tells us this by describing the way in which God had made them alive from the dead (i.e. had removed the alienation and enmity).  He forgave all their sins, Paul says, by cancelling (wiping out, or blotting out) their debt to Him (v14)! 

The Colossians' misdeeds are pictured as being recorded in what was effectively an "I.O.U." to God - a certificate of their indebtedness, or "record of debt". This listed all the ways they had presumed upon His goodness, broken His gracious laws and rejected His rightful claims over them. It completely justified their condemnation by God and explained their alienation from Him - but God had forgiven them by blotting it out completely! How did He do this? Paul tells us. God took the Colossians' I.O.U., which called for His justice to be meted out upon them, and He made it over to Christ's account instead. Then He punished Jesus in the place of the Colossian believers. Their I.O.U. was nailed to Christ's cross as a charge-sheet that gave the reasons for His execution. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:56, Paul indicates that death gets its ability to hurt us from sin, and sin gets its power from the law (this is the source of indebtedness to God). When they were apart from Christ, the Colossians were dead in sins (see our passage above). But when Christ blotted out their record of debt, they had to rise to life in Christ!

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 1 Corinthians 15:56

This passage is not the only place in the Bible where sin is spoken of in language associated with debt. Jesus Himself talks about our sins as debts in the Lord's Prayer:

Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:11-12)

In fact, in the version of the prayer that appears in Luke, sin and debt are linked quite closely:

"..and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 12:4)

Why is it that sin is often pictured in terms of debt? It is because sin is a breaking of God's law, and in God's economy, all breaking of His law attracts a penalty that must be exacted. The law of God requires us to love Him first and foremost, and to love each other as we love ourselves. Therefore, all our sin is ultimately an offense against Him and creates an obligation to Him. We are not able to repay this debt to God, so (as we saw above) God has found a way to pay it for us by making our debt over to Christ and inflicting the penalty that should have been ours on Him instead (thus maintaining His justice) - if we will renounce our sin and trust Jesus alone to make that payment for us.

So with God, our sin puts us under an obligation to Him that is so great we could never meet it. If we are to be set free from that obligation, we must give up any idea of ourselves making the repayment or even contributing to it - Christ Himself must pay it, and He must pay it all. 

What about the sins we commit against one another? How does forgiveness operate here? Clearly these still put us in a place of obligation to God that we need Christ to fulfill on our behalf. But there is more we need to see here:

• First, such sins also put the one who sinned against us under an obligation to us (as they did for Jacob with Esau). They may or may not be able to make restitution. If they can, then they should (and this clears the financial aspect of the obligation). However, whether or not they can do this, we must be willing to forgive them. If they come to us in repentance and are able to make restitution, then our forgiveness will dismiss any lingering grudge, distrust or malice from our hearts (which means dealing with the alienation and enmity aspects of the offense). If they are not able to repay, but nevertheless show genuine indications of repentance, we are to be willing both to discharge the obligation they were under, and effectively forget the offence by not harboring ill-will towards them in our hearts.
• Second, this becomes easier for us to do if we remember that we have been forgiven an incalculable debt by God's grace. Therefore, we should be willing to forgive others their relatively trivial offences against us (see Matthew 18:21-35; Luke 7:41-50) We'll see more on this in a later post.
• Finally, as the old saying says, "To err is human, to forgive, Divine." When we exercise forgiveness towards others who show repentance for their sins against us, we are behaving in a way that is truly Godlike. We are putting His likeness in us on display, and that brings glory to Him.

Great God of wonders! all thy ways

are matchless, godlike and divine;

but the fair glories of thy grace

more godlike and unrivaled shine.

Refrain:

Who is a pard'ning God like thee?

Or who has grace so rich and free?

Or who has grace so rich and free?

In wonder lost, with trembling joy

we take the pardon of our God;

pardon for sins of deepest dye,

a pardon bought with Jesus' blood. [Refrain]

O may this strange, this matchless grace,

this God-like miracle of love,

fill the whole earth with grateful praise,

and all th'angelic choirs above. [Refrain]