Forgiveness with Paul

I just need to express the conviction that has been on my heart and mind. As this last week went on, my heart became heavier and heavier. I can honestly say that there is a growing sorrow in my soul concerning Paul. This last letter was disappointing on more than one level. I felt like we left it in his court and it seemed as though he dropped the ball.

Yet, I mentioned it last week, and this is the piece that has become heavy for me. What do we do with his confession? My understanding is that we as a team have in no way, ever extended forgiveness. Which would be appropriate given the way in which Paul has communicated around what transpired.

But on March 19, Paul sent us a letter where he did confess. He said,

My heart is filled with a deep sense of reflection and a desire for reconciliation

It’s with a humble heart that I reach out to you now, seeking forgiveness and healing for any pain and division that arose from those times.

Reflection has brought me to a place of understanding and a heart of repentance for the role I played in the discord within the Grace Church community. I regret the strain on relationships, the tension among staff, and elders, and the overall impact on the church’s harmony and mission.

I acknowledge that my decisions and actions, though made in what I believed to be good faith, were not without fault. My approach could have been more considerate, more open to dialogue, and more aligned with a spirit of unity and peace. For this , I am sincerely sorry. I deeply regret any hurt that was caused, directly or indirectly, and I take full responsibility for my part in those events.

Luke 17:3–4 “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.””

Matthew 18:21-35 - Unmerciful Servant.

The teaching of the Lord is not an emphasis on process but on readiness to forgive. Understanding that we have been forgiven for so much more than we could ever offer to another.

Additionally,

What does it mean to reflect Christ's posture of forgiveness?

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

This was not a universal forgiveness for all sin, it was specific to what was taking place at the cross. Also, not all of these would choose to receive it. But Jesus offered forgiveness first. He stepped towards them before they even understood what they were doing in their sin.

Meaning that when we are speaking of forgiveness, it is not a matter of waiting to see if Paul lives out repentance before we offer forgiveness.

In offering forgiveness, we are not saying:

“We trust you.”

Trust and forgiveness are related but they are not the same thing.

“Restoration is complete.”

There is still more work to do. We need to see a form of repentance lived out. Additionally, in order to start building trust, we need to hear more specifics one these 2-3 areas of your confession.... Offer him a few places to focus.

Or “even that things are in an okay place”

We still believe there is more work to be done for restoration to take place. We celebrate the movement in the March letter, yet, it is just the beginning of a restoration process.

Dave is working on a proposal for screens/projection

Proposal for deacon-ship - leadership in the role of worship deacon. Aiming to appropriate leadership to the two of them.

Old Testament

Exodus 34:6–7 “6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.””

Leviticus 19:17–18 “17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 “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.”

Psalm 32:1–2 “1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

Psalm 103:10–12 “10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

Isaiah 1:18 “18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

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

Micah 7:18–19 “18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

New Testament

Matthew 6:12–15 “12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Matthew 18:21–22 “21 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.”

Matthew 18:32–35 “32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.””

Mark 11:25 “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.””

Luke 6:37 “37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;”

Luke 17:3–4 “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.””

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

John 20:23 “23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.””

Acts 2:38 “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.”

Ephesians 1:7 “7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

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

Colossians 3:13 “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.”

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