Forgiveness: Introduction-The Child of God is Both the Object and the Subject of Forgiveness

The believer is both object and the subject of forgiveness.

The Scriptures present three major subdivisions:

The first is the forgiveness of God

At the moment of conversion, the believer received the forgiveness of his sins in a positional sense.

Ephesians 1:7 In Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood (metaphor for our Lord’s spiritual and physical deaths), the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. (NASB95)

Paul teaches in Ephesians chapter two that the Father graciously forgave all the transgressions of the Ephesian Christian community “for His own benefit” or in other words “for His own glory” since it manifested His character by doing so.

Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NASB95)

Colossians 1:14 In union with whom, we, as an eternal spiritual truth, are experiencing the redemption, specifically the forgiveness of our sins. (My translation)

In Colossians 1:13, the apostle Paul communicates to the faithful believers in Colossae another act which the Father performed for their benefit at the moment of their conversion.

He reminds them that the Father delivered them from Satan’s power.

This took place at the moment of their conversion when they exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

He also reminds them that simultaneous with this act, the Father transferred them to His Son’s kingdom who He loves.

Then, in Colossians 1:14, Paul continues to describe for these faithful believers in Colossae what the Father did for them by stating that they are, as an eternal spiritual truth experiencing the redemption, namely the forgiveness of their sins because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.

The Christian’s union and identification with Jesus Christ is the reason why they are experiencing this redemption and specifically experiencing the forgiveness of their sins.

So in Colossians 1:14, Paul is teaching the Colossians that they are presently experiencing redemption, namely the forgiveness of their sins as a result of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:8 Don’t stop making it your habit of watching out for anyone belonging to a group who would seek to take each one of you captive through empty, deceitful philosophy based upon the tradition produced by human beings, based upon the elementary teachings promoted by the cosmic system, which are by no means based upon the teaching originating from Christ. 9 The reason for this command is that in Him, the totality of attributes which compose the divine nature permanently dwell in bodily form. 10 Also, by means of your union and identification with Him, each one of you is made complete, who is the head over each and every ruler and authority. 11 Furthermore, because of your faith in Him, each one of you was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, by means of the removal of your body composed of that which is flesh, by means of this circumcision which is specifically your identification with the Christ. 12 Specifically each one of you were buried with Him by means of the baptism which is essential and superior. Correspondingly, by means of which each one of you were raised together with Him by means of your faith in God the Father’s exertion of power who caused Him to be raised out from the dead ones. 13 In other words, even though each one of you were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, specifically because of the uncircumcision which is your flesh, He caused each one of you to be made alive together with Him. Simultaneously for His own glory, He graciously forgave each one of our transgressions for the benefit of each one of us. 14 Specifically, He caused the cancellation of that which was against each one of us, namely a certificate of debt which is according to a written code of laws, which was opposed to each one of us. To be more explicit, He eradicated it, removing this partition by causing it to be nailed to the cross. 15 Simultaneously, for His own benefit, He disarmed the angelic rulers as well as the angelic authorities. He caused them to suffer disgrace publicly by causing them to be led in a triumphal procession through Him. (My translation)

Now, here in Colossians 2:13, Paul asserts that when the Colossians were dead spiritually in their transgressions and the uncircumcision of their human bodies, the Father made them alive together with Christ while simultaneously forgiving all their transgressions.

This epexegetical statement in Colossians 2:13 contains a concessive and a temporal clause.

The former emphasizes with the Colossians that despite the fact that each and every one of them existed in the state of being spiritually dead because of their transgressions, specifically because of the uncircumcision which is their flesh, the Father caused each and every one of them to be made alive together with His Son Jesus Christ.

The temporal clause emphasizes that while the Father was making them alive together with His Son, He also simultaneously forgave them each and every one of their transgressions.

The second major division with regards to forgiveness is the forgiveness of sins demonstrated between the children of God.

Since the child of God has received the forgiveness of sins at the moment of their justification through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, they are now obligated to forgive others and especially, their fellow child of God.

This principle is taught in Colossians 3:13 and Ephesians 4:32.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB95)

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, because each and every one of you are elected by God the Father, holy as well as divinely loved, I solemnly charge the clothing of yourselves with compassion, which is the product of deep seated affections, kindness, humility gentleness, patience. 13 Simultaneously, continue making it your habit of tolerating one another, while also continuing to make it your habit of graciously forgiving each other. Whenever anyone possesses a complaint against anyone just as the Lord in fact graciously forgave each and every one of you for His own glory, so also in the same way, each and every one of you must continue to make it your habit of graciously forgiving each other. (My translation)

The third and final division with regard to forgiveness is the forgiveness of sins demonstrated between the children of God and the non-believer.

The Lord Jesus Christ during His First Advent set the example for the church age believer in regards to forgiving those in the non-Christian community who sinned against them.

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive all of them, for they know not what they are doing.” (NASB95)

The Lord was generous in forgiving insults and injuries without being vindictive and becoming involved in petty resentfulness.

Luke 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 11:2 So he said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, may your name be honored; may your kingdom come. 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread, 11:4 and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation.” (NET)

The forgiveness of sins is offered to the entire human race by God the Father based upon the merits of the voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ.

A sinner appropriates by means of faith alone in Christ alone the forgiveness of their sins.

God bases His forgiveness or receipt of His pardon upon the restitution for sins that Christ voluntarily made for the world.

From the earliest mention of forgiveness, the Lord has never discounted nor overlooked our sins.

He forgives us because Christ made restitution.

Though God made the restitution for us, it was still required to obtain God’s forgiveness.

To put it the opposite way: without the restitution payment of Jesus Christ, there would be no forgiveness!

Unbelievers are not judged according to their sins at the Great White Throne Judgment but rather are judged according to their self-righteous human good works, which do not measure up to the perfect work of the impeccable Christ on the cross (Rev. 20:11-15).

The unbeliever goes to the lake of fire because of his rejection of Christ as their Savior.

1 Timothy 2:4 and John 3:16-17 clearly indicates that God desires all people to be saved, therefore, He has made provision for all people to be saved through the Person and Work of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross.