WHAT DOES THE BIBLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FORGIVENESS

The virtue of forgiveness is dominant in scripture. We must keep in mind that forgiveness is a commandment of the Lord, not an option (Mark 11;25;Ephesians 4:31, 32). The Hebrew term for forgiveness is the word calach which means to pardon. The Greek term is aphiemi; means to send forth or send away. The meaning we must explore first is that of forgiveness in relation to remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22; Matthew 6:12).

Forgiveness starts and ends with God. He is the author and finisher of it. The first act of forgiveness ever recorded in scripture was when God slew and animal, made coats of skin for Adam and Eve after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. So back in the beginning, God set a standard for forgiveness and covering of sin with the shedding of innocent blood to bear the sins of the guilty. It was the first substitutionary sacrifice in human history (Genesis 3:21).

The most ultimate expression of forgiveness is that of the Lord Jesus Christ when he offered himself on Calvary’s Cross for the sins of the world some 2000 years ago (Matthew 1:21; Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:34; John 19:30). Forgiveness in laymen’s terms means to pardon the punishment that is due the offender, and the deliverance of the sinner from divine penalty. The sinner must always be mindful of the reality that he is deserving of the punishment commensurate with his offense. However, God in his loving kindness did not hold our sins against us. Hear the words the Psalmist: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.” (Psalm 32:1, 2).

Even in the Old Testament the Israelites were well familiar with the reality of forgiveness through the offering of animal sacrifices. The children of Israel were required to offer sin and trespass offerings daily for the forgiveness of sins through the shedding of the animal’s blood on the altar. This daily ritual would cause them to be forgiven by the Lord (Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31). The shedding of the animal’s blood was known as Atoning which means to cover. All the incalculable sacrifices in the OT were merely antitypes of the perfect once for all sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Hebrews 10:10-18). The animal sacrifices were never designed to take away sins permanently.

JESUS AND DIVINE FORGIVENESS

Divine or vertical forgiveness is from the Lord. Why? Because man is utterly depraved and is a fallen creature who does evil continually (Genesis 6:5). The scriptures declare that “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In the same chapter it reads, “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). With the aforementioned passages alone one can see man’s hopelessness in the world without the salvation of the Lord.

Jesus is the embodiment of forgiveness. He not only taught on forgiveness, he demonstrated it throughout his earthly life and ministry and ultimately with his death so it’s to him where we must look to exercise this essential virtue in our lives.

Jesus forgave the sins of a man and healed him of Palsy (Matthew 9:2-7). Jesus forgave the woman who poured the alabaster box of oil on his feet and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:47-50). Note what Jesus said in verse 50 of the seventh chapter: “Woman thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace.” The word saved in the Greek is sozo which denotes to save a suffering one from perishing, one suffering from a disease, to make well, to heal, restore to health. In the case with this woman it was regarding eternal life. We know this because Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven (Luke 7:48). Apparently her actions were far more than what they appeared; that is her weeping along with pouring of the expensive oil on Jesus’ feet and wiping his feet with her hair. This woman recognized her sinfulness and was seeking mercy which Jesus provided by forgiving and saving her. This act proves that Jesus is God in the flesh for only God can forgive sins (John 1:1; Hebrews 1:8).

One of the finest moments of forgiveness ever recorded in scripture was regarding the thief on the cross. Realizing he was being justly condemned for his sins, he acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah and asked the Lord to remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus in agony on the cross forgave the thief and replied, “This very day you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42, 43). The thief was saved at that very moment! Although Jesus was dying, he still had the desire, power and willingness to save life (Luke 19:10). What a mighty God we serve!

True forgiveness is always motivated by a loving and compassionate heart which will no longer hold the offense against the offender nor call it to mind for the sake of retaliation. Jesus also in agony stated, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Jesus having created mankind had a compassionate heart to want to save it since it had fallen away and was utterly hopeless (Ephesians 2:12). Although man hated him, his loved never wavered.

HUMAN FORGIVENESS

Human or horizontal forgiveness is also a command of scripture and as all directives of scripture, it must be obeyed. Since God almighty forgave us which he willingly lavished upon us because it pleased him to do so, how much more should we forgive one another? It’s not an option. We must forgive or the Lord will not forgive us our trespasses (Mark 11:25-26).

Peter in Matthew 18:21 asked Jesus.”Lord how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him -til seven times?” Jesus said unto him, “I say not unto thee until seven times, but seventy times seven.” Was Jesus commanding Peter to forgive someone 490 times? No. The inference is to always forgive just as we’re also commanded to always pray and not faint (Luke 18:1). Forgiveness must be an abiding virtue in the life of the Christian.

How are we to respond when someone offends us directly? (1) we’re to confront the person face to face and tell him/her their sin. If they hear you and confess and forsake their sin and ask for forgiveness, then you’ve won them back and there’s no need for further reprisal (Matthew 18:15). But, if he will not hear you, then (2) take two or three witnesses for in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established (Matthew 18:16, Deuteronomy 19:15). And if they neglect to hear them (3) tell it to the church. If he neglect to hear the church (4) treat him as a heathen and a tax collector. At this point, the offender is be removed from the assembly due to his refusal to repent – why? Because a little leaven leavens the whole lump (I Corinthians 5:6); which in laymen’s terms means his stay in the church assembly ruins the purity of the church so excommunication is required. From this point he’s to be treated as an evangelistic prospect, not utterly abandoned. Remember, the ultimate goal is to gain him back once he repents so there has to be admonishment in the interim (2 Thessalonians 3:15).

The tragedy of this position for the offender is that as long as he’s impenitent and uncircumcised in heart, he’ll continue to harden himself in sin. His remedy is 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It’s also important that the offender seeks forgiveness from those he offended and when he does, they’re to forgive immediately. At this point, he’s welcomed back into the fellowship of believers. Do not withhold forgiveness from anyone who’s seeking it from you especially when they’ve confessed it to the Lord. To operate in unforgiveness is a clear indicator that the Spirit of God may be absent in the person’s life. Unforgiveness is antithetical to the nature of God and is a clear indicator of perilous times as described by 2 Timothy 3:2.

To sum up the matter, we heed the admonition of Paul in Ephesians 4:31,32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away for you with all malice, and be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.”