Grace vs. Karma

“If Christianity is about anything, it is about forgiveness. Not forgiveness as merely an end in itself or a legal means of escaping punishment, but forgiveness as reconciliation and total restoration.” Brian Zahnd “If Christianity is about anything, it is about forgiveness. Not forgiveness as merely an end in itself or a legal means of escaping punishment, but forgiveness as reconciliation and total restoration.” Brian Zahnd The central emphasis of forgiveness is reconciliation and total restoration of troubled relations between God and humanity, but also the key to peace between men, both individually and collectively. When grappling with the question of forgiveness, we eventually have to grapple with the question of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Do we see the practice of forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration with being Christian? In his ministry Jesus proclaimed and modeled the kingdom of God On his cross Jesus inaugurated the kingdom with these three words: “Father, forgive them” …God made (us) alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He (the Father) disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Jesus Christ, the Son.) Col.2:13b-15 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Heb.2:14-15 The wages of sin is death Rom.6:23a What did the resurrection mean to the early church? I Cor.15:1-28,29-34 If “Christ” (15x) is not risen, death has not been defeated and sins have not been forgiven and we are wasting our time. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 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. II Cor.5:14-19 So then if anyone in Christ, new creation. The old passed-away; behold, new have comeinto-being. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 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. II Cor.5:14-19 When Jesus teaches on forgiveness, he pushes us to the radical forgiveness— unconditional forgiveness Really?? Can we always forgive?? Should we always forgive?? If we always forgive, aren’t we enabling evil?? If we forgive unconditionally, aren’t we sacrificing justice? The leading candidate for the unforgivable Is genocide the realm of the unforgivable? Is there a way that a person in Simon Wiesenthal’s position could offer forgiveness of some kind to a dying Nazi? 28……no 16……yes 9….unclear The 16 who were in favor of some form of forgiveness were all Christians (13) or Buddhists (3) Among Jews, Muslims, and atheists who responded there appeared to be unanimity that an offer of forgiveness in this situation was impossible Point: Forgiveness here should be understood not as a legal pardon, but of personal forgiveness, an invitation back into the human community • • • • Nineteen men Box cutters Hate Changed the world?? What about twelve men filled with love and armed with forgiveness?? “You heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I say to you, be loving your enemies, and be praying for the ones persecuting you, so that you may prove-to-be sons of your Father in the heavens— because He causes His sun to rise upon evil and good ones, and He sends rain upon righteous and unrighteous ones. Mt.5:43-5 (Disciples Literal New Testament) The Christian life is a prayer of forgiveness Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us Jesus from the Lord’s Prayer The Christian life is a suffering cry of forgiveness Father, forgive them Jesus on the cross The Christian life is a commission to forgive If you forgive anyone, they are forgiven. Jesus, in his first post-resurrection appearance Christianity is a faith of forgiveness I believe in the forgiveness of sins The Apostles Creed