Forgiveness (Part 2)

What is Forgiveness?

Freeing a Person From Guilt and its Consequences

No Longer Considering Someone Guilty of What They Did

And No Longer Treating Them as if They are Still Guilty of What They Did

There are a Few Different Words for “Forgiveness” in the NT

aphiēmi (ah-fee-ah-me), apoluō (ah-pahl-eeyo), & charizomai (kah-rriz-oh-may)

aphiēmi = “Send Away”, Mostly Translated “Forgive”

apoluō = “Set Free”, Mostly Translated as “Release”

charizomai = to Give Freely & Graciously

When God Forgives Us…

He Releases Us of Our Indebtedness to Him By Sending Our Sins Away

We Have Sinned and Our Sin Debt can Only Be Paid Through Death…

But God has Released Us From Our Debt and Cast Away Our Sin

When We Die in Repentance & Baptism into Christ, Our Debt of Sin is Erased…

And Our Penalty of Eternal Death is Taken Away

This Forgiveness is a Gift that God Graciously Offers to All People

When We Forgive Others, the Principle Remains the Same

We Release Them From Their Indebtedness to Us and Send Away the Wrong They Did to Us

Whatever it was They Were Guilty of, They are Guilty No More

And Whatever it was They Owed Us, They Owe Us No Longer

This is a Gift that We Graciously Offer to Others

Who Should We Forgive?

The Answer to that Question is the Answer to this Question:

Who Does God Forgive?

Anyone and Everyone Who Seeks His Forgiveness

If Someone Wrongs Us and Then Repents, Seeking Our Forgiveness…

We are to Forgive Them

Just as God Forgives Us, We are to Forgive Others

Ephesians 4:32 (NASB95)

32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

When Should We Forgive?

Does God Expect Us to Forgive Everyone Who Wrongs Us?

The Answer to that Question is the Answer to this Questions:

Does God Forgive Everyone Who Sins Against Him?

No, He Doesn’t

God Only Forgives Those Who Repent and Seek His Forgiveness

God Does Not Ask Us to Do Anything He Himself Won’t Do

And He Certainly Doesn’t Expect Us to Be More Gracious Than Him

Luke 17:3–4 (NASB95)

3 “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.4 “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

God’s Gracious Forgiveness Never Runs Out

And He Expects Our Gracious Forgiveness to Never Run Out Either

But He Doesn’t Expect Us to Forgive Those Who Don’t Want Forgiveness

Those Who Refuse to Repent Will Not Receive His Forgiveness

God Doesn’t Expect Them to Receive Ours

Is There Any Danger in Forgiving Someone Who Doesn’t Repent?

I Believe There Absolutely is

To Forgive is to Graciously Send Away a Person’s Sin…

And Release Them From Their Debt to You

That Means We No Longer Hold Them Guilty or Treat Them as Guilty

Is that a Good Way to Act Toward a Person Whose Living in Sin?

We are Told to Gently Rebuke Our Siblings Who are in Sin

If We Treat Them as if They’ve Done Nothing Wrong and Everything is A-Okay…

We are Enabling Them to Remain in Their Sin

Forgiveness Toward a Person Who hasn’t Repented…

Is Not the Loving Thing to Do

To Love Them is to Turn Them Away From Their Sins and Toward Repentance

I Don’t Believe We Should Forgive Those Who Refuse to Repent

But, We Must Always Be Willing and Ready to Forgive Them

The Moment They Choose to Repent, We Must Forgive Them

Ephesians 4:31–32 (NASB95)

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, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

We Have to Let Go of Our Bitterness, Wrath, and Anger

You’re Not Expected to Forgive Someone Who Doesn’t Repent…

But You Don’t have to Remain Bitter, Wrathful, or Angry with Them

Let Go of All of That, Because it’s Only Hurting You, No One Else

Love Them, Pray for Them, and Be Ready to Forgive Them…

If/When Ever They Have a Change of Heart

This is the Way God in Christ has Forgiven Us

And That’s How Paul Tells Us to Forgive Others

There are Other Times When We Shouldn’t Forgive, as Well

And Those are the Times Where We Should Just Get Over it

Not Everything that Hurts Your Feelings Should Be Considered a Punishable Offense

Sometimes it’s Better to Overlook a Wrong Done to Us

Proverbs 19:11 (NASB95)

11 A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)

11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

11 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11 (NLT)

11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

One of the Best Parables About Forgiveness is in Matthew 18:21-35

Matthew 18:21–35 (NASB95)

21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

26 “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’29 “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’30 “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

31 “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.32 “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.33 ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

34 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”