Pentecost 17
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12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Forgiveness: to stop feeling anger toward (someone who has done something wrong) : to stop blaming (someone) : to stop feeling anger about (something) : to forgive someone for (something wrong) : to stop requiring payment of (money that is owed)
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 40.8 ἀφίημι; ἄφεσις, εως; ἀπολύω
40.8 ἀφίημιf; ἄφεσιςa, εως f; ἀπολύωe: to remove the guilt resulting from wrongdoing—‘to pardon, to forgive, forgiveness.’ἀφίημιf : ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν ‘forgive us the wrongs that we have done’ Mt 6:12.
ἄφεσιςa: τὸ αἷμά μου … τὸ περὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυννόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν ‘my blood … which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ Mt 26:28.
ἀπολύωe: ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε ‘forgive and you will be forgiven (by God)’ Lk 6:37.
It is extremely important to note that the focus in the meanings of ἀφίημιf, ἄφεσιςa, and ἀπολύωe is upon the guilt of the wrongdoer and not upon the wrongdoing itself. The event of wrongdoing is not undone, but the guilt resulting from such an event is pardoned. To forgive, therefore, means essentially to remove the guilt resulting from wrongdoing.
Some languages make a clear distinction between guilt and sin, and terms for forgiveness are therefore related to guilt and not to the wrongdoing. Therefore, ‘to forgive sins’ is literally ‘to forgive guilt.’ Though terms for ‘forgiveness’ are often literally ‘to wipe out,’ ‘to blot out,’ or ‘to do away with,’ it is obviously not possible to blot out or to wipe out an event, but it is possible to remove or obliterate the guilt.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
Last week we had heard how sin is dealt with. We noted that we all sin against God but are confident that if we confess our sins to God, he will forgive us for the sake of Jesus who never sinned and who died on the cross to suffer the punishment that we deserve because we do sin. We also heard that when we witness that others are sinning, or they sin against us, there is a proper way to deal with it by first speaking to them in private with the goal of winning them over — warning them so that they too confess their sins to God and are forgiven. It all looks good on paper. But it isn’t so easy to follow. Immediately after this teaching Peter asks a question regarding forgiveness. He is not disagreeing with Jesus, but he seems to want to put a limit on just how often we should forgive others. He may have even thought that his number of seven was being generous. Well, it wasn’t as generous as God intends. And so, as he often does, Jesus, the great teacher, uses this question to teach some important lessons about forgiveness. He will teach them to forgive as God has forgiven them . . . OR ELSE.
God mercifully forgives those who sins against him.
God expects (yes commands) us to forgive those who have sinned against us because he has forgiven us.
If we refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us, we forfeit our own forgiveness.
Lest we think this is an isolated teaching, consider these other passages on how the way we treat those who have sinned against us has a direct bearing on whether or not we can be confident that God forgives us.
Application: Are you harboring a grudge against someone? Do you refuse to treat them as a fellow Christian because of it? Do you think that in any way you are justified in doing so? Then heed Jesus’ own warning. Pray for forgiveness for your sin and seek God’s help in forgiven others just as in Christ, God has forgiven you.
See Barclay.