FORGIVENESS: THE KEY OF THE
KINGDOM
08/03/2018
What is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness
is the act of pardoning an offender. The
Greek word translated “forgiveness” literally means “to let go,” as when a
person does not demand payment for a debt. Sin is a debt, either to God or to
another person which would also include sinning against God. Jesus used this comparison when he taught his
followers to pray: “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone
who is in debt to us.” (Luke 11:4) Likewise, in his parable of the
unmerciful slave, Jesus equated forgiveness with canceling a debt (Matthew 18:23-35).
We
forgive others when we let go of resentment and give up any claim to be
compensated for the hurt or loss we have suffered. The Bible teaches that
unselfish love is the basis for true forgiveness, since love “does not keep
account of the injury.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NET (4) Love is patient,
love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. (5)
It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
(6) It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. (7) It bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Forgiveness
is the underlying principle of the Gospel message. It is both difficult to explain and
understand without appearing legalistic or giving the impression of promoting a
doctrine of works. It is not a work, however,
if it is done purposely it may not be real forgiveness but merely an act or a type
of work.
Forgiveness
is realized through sanctification of the Holy Spirit within the heart of the
believer. When a believer is motivated and
led by the Spirit to uphold the Laws of God, some transgressions are relatively
easy to avoid, such as: fornication;
adultery; theft; murder; violence; etc. Even
some non-professing individuals can be good moral people and not perform the
sins mentioned in the previous sentence.
However, true forgiveness will require an anointing of sanctification by
the Holy Spirit through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As noted in the Freedom From Delusion article, Unforgiving Servant, the people of Jerusalem and Judah, around 600 BC, were
given an opportunity to declare a massive act of forgiveness to their slaves,
servants, and bondspeople by enacting and celebrating a Sabbath rest year which
they had never done before.
The people initially agreed
to forgive the debts of the servant class and then changed their minds and put
the debtors back into servanthood.
Because of this change of mind God nullified His promise to stop the
Babylonian army from destroying the city and allowed it to happen.
Ancient Babylon first laid siege to Jerusalem around
605 BC. The grace period for Judah had
run its course and God used Babylon to foreclose on their debt note. Jeremiah 34 explains that the people of
Jerusalem prayed to God asking for mercy similar to the parable servant who
owed 10,000 talents.
God sent word through Jeremiah offering an
answer. The solution was for Judah to
actually enact a rest year which was something they had never done, however the
king and the people agreed to proclaim a Sabbath rest.
Jeremiah
34:8-10 NET The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had
made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to grant their slaves their
freedom. (9) Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves.
No one was supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved. (10) All the people and
their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free their male and female
slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They originally complied with the
covenant and freed them.
Everyone freed their slaves and servants. The above scriptural final sentence states, “They originally complied with the covenant
and freed them”. All the slaves,
servants, and bondpeople were released from all debts and servanthood. This allowed God the position to forgive
Jerusalem and Judah of their debt to the law of God. The Babylonian military would be stopped and
turned back leaving the people of Judah with their freedom and life.
The problem was – the people reneged on their
promise and later reclaimed their servants and slaves. They had been forgiven a tremendous debt note
of sin, but they could not forgive their neighbors of their small debts. Or perhaps, they were too selfish to live
without servants and slaves. As a
consequence, God’s grace came to an end. No extension of grace was given to
them. God canceled their Jubilee and sold all Judean survivors into Babylonian bondage
for the next 70 years.
Just
like the days of Jeremiah, we are currently given an identical choice, which
will determine whether we escape the sword of Babylon (metaphoric) or not. We may either retain the debts of others by
holding grudges against them, or we may declare a Jubilee and forgive all our
debtors.
Matthew
6:12 NET and forgive us our debts (transgressions), as we
ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
Word
Study Dictionary
Debt:
opheílēma; gen. opheilḗmatos, neut. noun from opheílō (G3784), to owe. Debt, that which is owed, which is strictly
due (Rom_4:4). Also an offense, a
trespass which requires reparation.
Matthew
18:21-22 NET Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how
many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven
times?" (22) Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! (literal versions translate this as seventy
times seven, which is the correct translation and should be metaphorically understood
as “every time with no limit”)
When one forgives a wrong you are not condoning the
wrong or acting as if it never happened
Proverbs
14:30 NET A tranquil spirit revives the body, but envy is
rottenness to the bones.
The
Bible actually condemns those who claim that bad actions are harmless or
acceptable.
Isaiah
5:20 KJV Woe unto
them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
We are not allowed to
pretend that the offense never happened. God forgave King David
of serious sins, but he did not shield David from the consequences of his
actions. God even had David’s sins recorded so that they are remembered today.
(2 Samuel 12:9-13).
Forgiving does not
mean allowing others to take advantage of you.
If one
makes a bad non repaid loan, the debtor may be forgiven by not harboring
resentment, not rehashing the matter with him continually, and perhaps even
canceling the debt altogether. However, you might also choose not to loan that
person any more money.
Psalms
37:21 NET Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but
the godly show compassion and are generous.
(this passage is comparing two
types of individuals and is not saying the Godly should continue giving the
evil man more loans)
Proverbs
14:15 NET A naive person believes everything, but the shrewd
person discerns his steps.
Galatians
6:7 KJV Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap.
Joseph
Joseph’s
brothers sold him as a slave. He ended
up in Egypt enduring years of suffering in the dungeon. Years later, after
their father had died his brothers considered, “What if Joseph bears a grudge
and wants to repay us in full for all the harm we did to him?" In fear, they
came before Joseph and said, “Here we are; we are your slaves”. His reply to them was, “Don't be afraid. Am I
in the place of God? As for you, you
meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve
the lives of many people, as you can see this day. So now, don't be afraid. I will provide for
you and your little children."
Joseph
was a forgiving Overcomer. He saw that God had a purpose in all of those past
trials, and it was for a good purpose. God could have delivered him at any
moment, but He did not. It took years for Joseph to work through his bitterness
and to come to a true knowledge of God and His character. But this passage of
scripture shows that Joseph was not a bitter man. He had overcome. He had not
only learned to forgive; he had learned that his brothers had only been part of
a great Master Plan of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ
First
off, let it be clear that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and thus overcame
all issues during His 33 years of human existence.
The
religious leaders attempted to steal His rightful throne as King of the Kingdom
by issuing false charges and then allowing Him to be executed by the Romans.
The
Lord was whipped almost near death. He was
then nailed by large spikes to a cross, jabbed with a spear, mocked, ridiculed,
and then allowed to die. At some point
after He was nailed to the cross, Jesus stated:
Luke 23:34 NET But Jesus said,
"Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."
Stephen
Acts
6:8 states that, “Stephen, full of grace and power, was
performing great wonders and miraculous signs among the people”. Stephen enraged the Jews and Edomites causing a
group of them to seize him and bring him before a council for trial. Stephen, representing himself, gave them an
Old Testament history lesson which is found in Acts 7. The infuriated Jews and Edomites ran him out
of town and stoned him to death.
Acts
7:55-60 NET But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked
intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the
right hand of God. (56) "Look!" he said. "I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" (57) But
they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with
one intent. (58) When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone
him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
(59) They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit!" (60) Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud
voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" When he had said
this, he died.
Immediately
before his death, Stephen cried out with forgiveness in his heart, ”Lord, do not
hold this sin against them!”
Those
who sin against us are indebted to us, according to God’s law. We are their
creditors. If we retain their sins against us, they are retained; and if we
release their sins, they are released.
John
20:23 NET If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven;
if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained."
If
we insist upon pressing charges against those who wrong us, God will back us as
our attorney, because the law is always on the side of justice. If we decide to drop all charges and forgive
the offenses of others, God will drop all charges against them as well.
1
John 2:1 NET …..But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate (parakletos) with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous One
Word
Study Dictionary
paráklētos; gen. paraklḗtou, masc. noun from parakaléō (G3870), to comfort, encourage or exhort…..used of a legal
advisor, pleader, proxy, or advocate, one who comes forward in behalf of and as
the representative of another. Thus, in 1Jn_2:1,
Christ is termed our substitutionary, intercessory advocate. Christ designates
the Holy Spirit as Paraclete (Joh_14:16),
and calls Him állos (G243), another, which means another of equal quality.
Our Attitude Towards God
The
general Christian secretly believes that if they are doing the work of God, and
for the benefit of God, then only pleasant and good things should happen in
their lives. Several examples of the
lives of overcomers have been given in this article and several endured much
pain and hardship in a portion of their lives and other’s lives were terminated
with a gruesome death.
Joseph
spent a large portion of his early life in an Egyptian dungeon but he endured
and did not curse God. He finished his
life as second in command under the Pharaoh and preserved the lives of his
family and the Egyptians due to seven years of drought.
Jacob
was sent to secure a wife but was robbed of his dowry by a gang of Edomites. His future father-in-law, Laban, required him
to work many years for the woman of his choice but was given the twin sister
instead. He then had to continue working
the same number of years as before to get the wife of his choice.
As
a young man, Daniel was forced to eat unhealthy food; he was later placed in a
den of lions; his three friends were thrown into a fiery furnace because they
would not bow to a statue. God delivered
all four of the Judeans from their situations but they still had to endure the
situation.
Stephen
was stoned for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The majority of the apostles were executed in
some manner. John was imprisoned on an
island where he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
God
creates a type of “tension” by promising something and then not delivering in
the time and manner we had expected and wanted. Suddenly, we react in anger and
bitterness against God. We are “hurt” that the One who claims to love us would treat
us this badly. But if He had not done this, we could never apply the Jubilee
Principle to the most basic problem in human nature which is bitterness against
God.
If
we can learn to release God of His (temporary) injustices toward us, we can
release the sin-debt that any man owes us.
This is the real secret of the Jubilee attitude and must be understood
to really understand the meaning of grace.
Luke
17:7-10 is an example, given by Jesus, of the correct attitude one should have
if one feels mistreated by God.
Luke
17:7-10 NET "Would any one of you say to your slave who
comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, 'Come at once and
sit down for a meal'? (8) Won't the master instead say to him, 'Get my dinner
ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may
eat and drink'? (9) He won't thank the slave because he did what he was told,
will he? (10) So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to
do, should say, 'We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done
what was our duty.' "
The
key component is humility. Our purpose
is to live for the will of God and to be His servant – not the other way
around. Unpleasant things may happen but
there is always a purpose in the plan of God.
Always avoid blaming God for not providing things we consider promised
in His Word even though we may feel they are legitimate. If we cannot forgive God then how can we
forgive another person.
A Testimony From Stephen
Jones:
What a marvel that God would make it so simple that
anyone could become a part of the remnant of Overcomers! Until I read Jeremiah
34 and Matthew 18, I thought I had to attain some sort of quasi-sainthood as
the Church defines it— yet all my works, my education, even my faith only
proved to be filthy rags. Everything I did seemed only to prove I was unfit.
Qualifying for remnant status is not a matter of works, no matter how good
those works are. You will not qualify by working miracles, or by spending long
hours in prayer daily, or by disciplining yourself to read the Bible for many
hours a day. Miracles are good, and it is even better to pray and read the
Bible. This may be the road to a better understanding of the Word, which is
certainly helpful, but it is not the path to remnant status. You were not saved
by disciplining the flesh; neither will you be perfected by disciplining the
flesh.
It
is not necessary to be a Doctor of Theology, a mighty preacher, or a
super-spiritual person. The law of
Jubilee (i.e. the remitting or forgiveness of all debts both physical and
spiritual) should not be an offense to anyone.
The way to overcomer status is open to all, even the poorest of
Christians. It can be anyone from a
stay-at-home housewife, a ditch digger, or a mechanic. It is not necessary to be a pastor, preacher,
missionary, or a Bible scholar. The
Kingdom of God is within the reach of everyone, even the lowest of the low
(i.e. the little people).
It
is occasionally easy to forgive, and most people do so, until the next time
their neighbor offends them. Suddenly, all the old offenses are brought up and remembered
again. If we do this, then we are not a
forgiving overcomer. Anyone can qualify
but few will actually do so. It is not
easy but it is simple. It is only a
matter of learning the art of grace, and that God is busy teaching this to us
every day by giving us people to forgive.
Why
does God send trouble your way? Why does He allow people to offend and
humiliate you? It is to give you the opportunity to learn the art of grace. As
a Christian, you have been enrolled in God’s school, and the prime course of
study is the Grace of forgiveness. Instead
of learning grace, we learn bitterness, which makes us profane and a good
example to not follow is Esau.
Most
of us assume that if we forgive our offenders, they are let off the hook and
free to do as they please while we unfairly suffer from their actions. We also
may think that we have to be friendly with them again, or go back to the old
relationship. While God commands us to forgive others, he never told us to keep
trusting those who violated our trust.
Colossians
3:12-13 NET Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly
loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness,
and patience, (13) bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint
against anyone else. Just as the Lord
has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.
Matthew
6:14-15 NET "For if you forgive others their sins, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive others,
your Father will not forgive you your sins.
Luke
17:3-4 NET Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke
him. If he repents, forgive him. (4) Even if he sins against you seven times in
a day, and seven times returns to you saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive
him."
Ephesians
4:31-32 NET You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger,
wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. (32) Instead, be kind to one
another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also
forgave you.
From Focus on the Family by Rose Sweet
Forgiveness is not letting the offender off the hook. We can and should still
hold others accountable for their actions or lack of actions.
Forgiveness is returning to God the right to take
care of justice. By refusing to transfer the right to exact punishment or revenge, we
are telling God we don't trust Him to take care of matters.
Forgiveness is not letting the offense recur again
and again. We
don't have to tolerate, nor should we keep ourselves open to, lack of respect
or any form of abuse.
Forgiveness does not mean we have to revert to being
the victim.
Forgiving is not saying, "What you did was okay, so go ahead and walk all
over me." Nor is it playing the martyr, enjoying the performance of
forgiving people because it perpetuates our victim role.
Forgiveness is not the same as reconciling. We can forgive someone
even if we never can get along with him again.
Forgiveness is a process, not an event. It might take some time to
work through our emotional problems before we can truly forgive. As soon as we
can, we should decide to forgive.
We have to forgive every time. If we find ourselves
constantly forgiving, though, we might need to take a look at the circumstances
that sets us up to be continually hurt, attacked, or abused.
Forgetting does not mean denying reality or ignoring
repeated offenses. Some people are obnoxious, mean-spirited, apathetic, or unreliable.
They are unlikely to ever change. We need to alter the way we respond to them
and quit expecting them to be different.
Forgiveness is not based on others' actions but on
our attitude.
People will continue to hurt us through life. We either can look outward at
them or stay stuck and angry, or we can begin to keep our minds on our loving
relationship with God, knowing and trusting in what is good.
If they don't repent, we still have to forgive. Even if they never ask, we
need to forgive. Forgiveness is about
our attitude, not their action.
It is sometimes not necessary to tell someone you
have forgiven them. Self-righteously announcing our gracious forgiveness to someone who
has not asked to be forgiven may be a manipulation to make them feel guilty. It
also is a form of pride.
Withholding forgiveness is a refusal to let go of
perceived power. We can feel powerful when the offender is in need of forgiveness and
only we can give it. We may fear going back to being powerless if we forgive.
We might be pressured into false forgiveness before
we are ready.
When we feel obligated or we forgive just so others will still like us, accept
us, or not think badly of us, it's not true forgiveness, rather it's a performance
to avoid rejection.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It's normal for memories
to be triggered in the future. When thoughts of past hurts occur, it's what we
do with them that counts. When we find ourselves focusing on a past offense, we
can learn to say, "Thank you, God, for this reminder of how important
forgiveness is."
Forgiveness starts with a mental decision. The emotional part of
forgiveness is finally being able to let go of the resentment. Emotional
healing may or may not follow quickly after we forgive.
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