Forgiving One Another As the Lord Has Forgiven You
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Series- The “One Anothers”
My goal in this series is to come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a member of a local New Testament church.
What are the duties and responsibilities of church membership?
As we study these “one another” passages they will define for us the solemn agreement or promise or covenant that we make with each other when we become members of this local church.
Important question: What makes this gathering of believers a local church? Not all gatherings of believers together into the same local qualify to be a local church. Bible colleges, Christian camps, or bible conferences involve a large number of Christians gathering together into the same physical location, and yet these kinds of gatherings are not local churches.
So what makes our gathering together on this Sunday morning a local church? What makes us a church?
The difference is we specifically and deliberately intend to be a church. We have formed a relationship with one another to be a church. We have voluntarily submitted to God’s Word and to one another to become a local church body. We have agreed to accept certain responsibilities toward one another. Becoming a church member involves a solemn agreement, a promise that church member make to each other.
This agreement in embodied in our church covenant. Did you know we have one of those? We do. It was written may years ago and many of the baptist churches in our area have the exact same covenant. It has its strengths and its weaknesses.
My mission is to discover exactly what kinds of things we promise to do for each other when we become members of a local church. And I believe these responsibilities are found within the “One Another” passages of the NT.
So ultimately I want to sharpen and clarify exactly what we are promising one another when we covenant together for church membership.
Significant Statements:
We will be proactive in maintaining and restoring unity with one another (Eph. 4:2-3).
We will be diligent in helping one another grow in every way in Christlikeness (Eph. 4:12-16).
We will forgive one another in the same way that God has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13).
God expects believers to forgive others in the way that He forgave them
God expects believers to forgive others in the way that He forgave them
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
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.
How does God forgive us?
This is a very helpful question, because the Bible has a lot more to say about how God forgives people than it does about how people should forgive people.
One of the responsibilities that we have as church members, one of the things we promise to each other when we join a church, is that we will forgive one another in the same way that God has forgiven us.
So how does God forgive us?
I want us to consider fvei truths about God’s forgiveness that will help us understand how we are to forgive one another.
These truths about forgiveness come from a wonderful book called Unpacking Forgiveness, by Chris Brauns
Truth #1:
I. God’s forgiveness is gracious but not free
I. God’s forgiveness is gracious but not free
If you were to talk with people on the street and ask them this question, “Do you believe you have been forgiven by God?” What do you think their response would be?
Usually we hear the question asked this way, “What will happen to you after you die?” “Will you go to heaven or to hell?”
I have asked many people this question and I don’t think that I have ever had anyone tell me that they believe they will go to hell. Most people will answer that they believe that God will accept them.
When you ask them why? They do this with their hands- example
What do they mean? I have done more good things in my life than bad things.
Then I might ask them, what about me? Do you think that if I died tonight I would make it into heaven? Why do you think God would forgive me?
Why? Especially if they knew I was a pastor what do you think they would say? If a pastor can’t make it into heaven then what chance do I have?
Friends, if that is the way you think about forgiveness then you do not know God. You do not know they way God forgives. His forgiveness is not based on my performance or my good works. His forgiveness is based upon grace.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The Bible teaches that our salvation and God’s forgiveness is only by grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”
What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor or undeserved kindness. Think about undeserved kindness.
It is kindness that I do not deserve. Every time I sin I offend God. I offend a holy infinite God who gave me life, who made me for His own purpose. And yet the very life he gave me I used to rebel against him. I could pastor for a million years. I could donate all my earthly wealth to the poor. I could pray for 20 hours a day. And it would get me no closer to earning God’s forgiveness.
God’s forgives because of grace, undeserved kindness. And his forgiveness is a free gift to me.
“And this is not of your own doing it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Now why would God offer me this amazing gift called salvation? God didn’t offer me this gift because he looked within me and saw that I somehow possessed some small seed of goodness that merited his salvation. That is not what motivates God to forgive.
as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
God is not motivated to forgive because we have within us a small seed of goodness. So what motivates God’s forgiveness?
Ephesians 2:4 (ESV)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
God’s forgiveness is motivated by his own mercy and his great love. Because of his great love he graciously offers us the gift of forgiveness.
So God’s forgiveness is gracious but it is not free. It is free to us! He offers it to us as a gift, which by very definition is free. But it cost God something very dear.
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Propitiation- “the turning away of wrath by an offering.” The satisfaction of God’s wrath, the satisfaction of God’s justice for our sins.
How was God’s wrath for our sin turn away? How was it satisfied? How was His justice appeased.
Illustration: Police detective show- a girl was killed by a young man while this man was still a juvenile. This young man went to a juvenile detention center for two years, and because of a technicality was let out of jail after only two years of punishment. In the eyes of the court this man had paid for his crimes. But in the eyes of this little girls father justice had not yet been done. How could two years in prison pay for the entire life of his precious daughter. His sense of justice was not yet appeased. So, the father took matters into his own hands and shot his daughter’s killer. (I am not advocating for vengeance, “Vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord”). But, the police caught the father. And as the father was being hauled away in the police car he said to the detectives, “Now justice has been served.” What did he mean? After the dad shot the killer, then his justice was satisfied. His wrath was appeased.
Every time we sin we offend a holy righteous God. He violate God’s justice. And when we do that we occur a debt for our sin. And that debt must be paid. Now, either we can pay it ourselves by suffering in hell forever. Or, because God is also a loving God he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus did something for us that fully satisfied God’s wrath for our sins.
What did Jesus do? He paid the price for our salvation. Our salvation is not free. Jesus had to pay an awful price so that we could be forgiven. We were ransomed not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
Lord’s Supper:
As we observe the Lords’ supper we remember the awful price that Jesus paid so that we could be graciously forgiven by God. Jesus commanded that when we partake of the bread and the juice that we do so in remembrance of Him.
First of all we partake of the bread. The bread is a picture of the body of Jesus Christ.
One of the costs of our forgiveness was that Jesus had to take upon himself a human body. Why did Jesus have to take upon himself a body?
John 1:29 (ESV)
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Why did John call Jesus the Lamb of God? Lambs were meant for sacrifices in the OT. It is what they offered to atone for their sins. But, an animal could never take away sins. That lamb pointed to Jesus Christ who would one day come and be for us the Lamb of God. Jesus, the Son of God, who is God. Jesus took upon himself a human body so that he could die, so he could be sacrificed to pay for our sins. As God, Jesus could not die. So he had to made like one of us.
Hebrews 10:10 (ESV)
And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
When we observe the Lords’ supper, when we partake of the bread in remembrance of Jesus it is an act of worship. This is something that only believers in Jesus should do. If you don’t know Jesus as your savior we would ask that you not partake of this Lord’s supper with us. Just observe and learn. For those who do know Jesus this is your opportunity to worship. What is worship? Worship is a right response to revelation about God? How should you respond to Jesus paying the cost of your forgiveness by offering his body for our sins?
Pass out the elements:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
The second element is the juice which represents his blood. One of the costs of our forgiveness was the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
What did it cost God to forgive our sins? “By the wounds of Jesus Christ we have been healed.” Our forgiveness required the precious shed blood of Jesus. Our forgiveness was not free. It cost God much!
When we observe the Lord’s supper, when we drink the juice, we remember the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We remember and we respond in worship. What is the proper response to remembering the wounds of our Savior?
Pass out the elements:
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
God’s forgiveness is gracious, but it is not free.
D. James Kennedy defines grace this way:
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
God, motivated by love, offers to us forgiveness graciously. Yet that gift was purchased for us by the shed blood of Jesus.
Truth #2:
II. God’s forgiveness is conditional — only those who repent and believe are saved
II. God’s forgiveness is conditional — only those who repent and believe are saved
So God’s forgiveness is free- it is an act of grace. His forgiveness is offered to all people. Does that mean that everyone is forgiven? Does that mean that everyone is saved? NO!
God has offered to all his gracious gift of forgiveness, but he will not force it on anyone. If you want his gift your must receive it.
Just like if I gave you a present that was all wrapped up in beautiful paper and bows and ribbon. If you wanted to receive the gift from me you would have to open it.
How do you receive God’s gift of forgiveness? By turning in faith to Jesus Christ.
There are two parts or aspects that happen simultaneously in order to receive salvation.
The first aspect is what the Bible calls repentance. Repentance is the idea of turning. It is turning away from yourself and your sin and turning toward Jesus.
Isaiah 55:7 (ESV)
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.
First, turn away from yourself- forsake your wicked way. Turn away from your sin- forsake your unrighteous thoughts. Understand that you are not good enough to earn God’s forgiveness and you never will be. Turn away from that kind of thinking. Realize just how much you have offended a holy righteous God. Realize just how much you have violated God’s justice. You need to be forgiven or you will be judged.
Forgiveness is given to those you repent- to those who turn to the Lord. When you do that he will have compassion on you and he will abundantly pardon.
Have you ever made the conscious choice to turn away from sin and to turn towards God?
The second aspect of salvation is faith in Christ alone. You must believe in Jesus. In what he did for you on the cross. You must trust that Jesus paid for all your sins by shedding his blood for you. You must depend upon Jesus alone to forgive you from all your sins.
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
So God’s forgiveness is conditional. Only those who repent and believe are forgiven.
Acts 20:21 (ESV)
testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Truth #3:
III. God’s forgiveness is a commitment
III. God’s forgiveness is a commitment
What do we mean when we say that God forgives us? What does that really look like? Forgiveness is a commitment by God to those he forgives. This commitment is the essence of God’s forgiveness.
Romans 4:7 (ESV)
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
Forgiven- This is the most common Greek word used for forgiveness in our bibles and it has this definition:
② to release from legal or moral obligation or consequence, cancel, remit, pardon
So when God forgives us he promises that he will no longer hold the sin against us.
Sometimes, people get confused about what it means that God forgives us. Some will say something like this: forgiving is forgetting.
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
So they will argue that forgiving is forgetting. Just forget about the offense that’s what God does. Right?
Does God really forget our sins?
Not in the sense that He no longer remembers them. That would be impossible. God is omniscient. He knows everything. He cannot forget our sins in that sense. So what does it mean that God will not remember our sins?
Romans 4:7–8 (ESV)
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
When God forgives us he releases us from the legal and moral obligations of our sins. He no longer counts them against us.
Do you remember the line in the old gospel hymn, To God Be the Glory… “The vilest offender who truly believers, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”
That is forgiveness. God makes a commitment to us. He no longer counts our sin against us because Jesus has paid the penalty for all our sin. And because Jesus paid for the penalty of our sins God is free to release us from all sins legal and moral obligations.
Truth #4:
IV. Forgiveness lays the groundwork for and begins the process of reconciliation
IV. Forgiveness lays the groundwork for and begins the process of reconciliation
God’s forgiveness is wonderful. When God forgives us he does not merely remove our guilt. He does not merely pardon us from the consequences of our sin and then leave us to ourselves. No the goal of God’s forgiveness always moves toward reconciliation.
“God’s forgiveness is inextricably linked to reconciliation. No one is forgiven by God without being reconciled to God.” — Chris Brauns
Do you know what the word reconciliation means?
the exchange of hostility for a friendly relationship
This is how God forgives us! Amen? He doesn’t just remove our guilt. He exchanges our hostile status for a friendly relationship!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Salvation and God’s forgiveness fundamentally lead to reconciliation. You cannot be forgiven by God without being reconciled to him!
Truth #5:
V. Forgiveness does not mean the elimination of all consequences
V. Forgiveness does not mean the elimination of all consequences
If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ then you are saved. You are forgiven.
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
With salvation comes complete forgiveness.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
With salvation and forgiveness comes a removal of all condemnation.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
However, that does not mean that we never face the consequences of our sin.
Example: David’s sin with Bathsheba. Did David ultimately repent of his sin and ask God for forgiveness? Did God forgive?
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Yet, did David still have to suffer the consequences for his sin?
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”
Amnon and Tamar / Absalom
God forgave David, but David still has to suffer the consequences of his sin.
Now if God truly forgives, if he no longer counts our sin against us, then why are there still consequences for our sin?
The answer requires that we distinguish between God’s wrath for our sin and God’s discipline for our sin.
When God forgives us of all our sin, his wrath is removed forever. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. However, as a loving heavenly Father He still disciplines his children. Not because he is mean or vindictive, but because he loves us.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Disciplines- means “to train” like raising children.
Chastises- means “to scourge or punish.” Lit. flogging.
When we sin we can expect the Lord to disciple us and at times it will be painful.
Why does God do this to us?
For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
God allows consequences into our lives because it causes us to share in his holiness and to reap the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Illustration: This is one of the hardest things to do as a parent. When you child gets into trouble every bone in your body is screaming at you to bail them out. But, the best thing for them is to let them feel the full weight of their choices. The best thing for them to is to experience the consequences for their actions. Why? It’s the only way the will grow up and mature. It is the only way for them to gain wisdom.
If we choose to sin, then we can expect to face the consequences. God loves you that much.
But, never confuse discipline with wrath.
Discipline is the loving correction of a parent. Wrath is the price required for the offense.
The other day I gave one of my sons a consequence for disobedience. And his response was, “that’s not fair.” I said, “You are right! It’s not fair. If we got what was fair we would all be in hell right now.”
If God gave you what you deserved for your sin you would be in hell right now. Thankfully, God does not give us what we deserve for our sins, but he does lovingly discipline us so that we will grow to become more holy.
God’s Forgiveness: “A commitment by the one true God to pardon graciously those who repent and believe so that they are reconciled to him, although this commitment does not eliminate all consequences.” —Chris Brauns
God’s forgiveness is gracious. He offers it freely because of his mercy and love. But it is not free. Jesus paid the price of our forgiveness for us.
God’s forgiveness is a commitment. When God forgives he does not forget, he instead promises to no longer count our sin against us.
God’s forgiveness is conditional. Only those who repent and believe are forgiven. You must open God’s present of forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness leads to reconciliation. When God forgives us he also restores our relationship with Himself.
Not all consequences are immediately eliminated. God disciplines his children like a loving father for our good and His glory.
Application:
1). Are you Forgiven? Have you received God’s gift? Have you opened the present of forgiveness? If you right now realize that you have never done that, I invite you to be forgiven today. Turn from your sin in repentance and turn to Christ in faith. Ask Jesus to forgive you and receive God’s free gift of salvation!
2). Is this the way you forgive? Especially as a church member? God’s wants us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us. Do you use God’s forgiveness as a blueprint for you all forgiveness should take place? Do you need to forgive someone today? Do you need to change the way you think about forgiveness?