http://www.rbc.org/ds/q0602/
forgiveness
We should not be surprised if we continue to have questions about the
forgiveness of God. We cannot easily step away from the relational and
emotional issues that stubbornly refuse to be put to rest.
QUESTION 1: "What if I don't feel forgiven by God?"
Most of us struggle with feelings of guilt and shame. Long after we have
confessed our sins to God, we are apt to feel unforgiven. We might fear that
we have been rejected by God.
When feelings of guilt hound us-and they will-we need to remind ourselves
that our forgiveness does not depend on how we feel.
Forgiven people can feel like they are hanging by a thread over the fires of
hell. Forgiven people can be oppressed by the accuser of our souls (Satan),
who stirs up old emotions the way we stir up the embers of a dying fire.
Suddenly we are inflamed in the emotions of anxiety and despair. But those
emotions are not telling us the truth about the forgiveness of God.
Forgiveness is something God does. It is not rooted in our own emotions. It
doesn't depend on whether we forgive ourselves. Forgiveness is what God does
in the books of heaven when He marks "canceled" over our debt of sin. We are
forgiven when He declares us legally acquitted, regardless of how we might
be feeling at the moment.
Because it is so important to realize that the forgiveness of God is
something He does, let's look at eight pictures of God's forgiveness as seen
in the Old Testament. Author David B. Kennedy notes:
1. God bags up our sins to throw them away. "My offenses will be sealed
up in a bag" (Job 14:17 NIV).
2. God blows away the sin barrier. "I have swept away your offenses
like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist" (Isa. 44:22 NIV).
3. God takes away our sins. "As far as the east is from the west, so
far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12 NIV).
4. God treats our sin like a vanquished foe. "You will tread our sins
underfoot" (Mic. 7:19 NIV).
5. God puts our sins out of His sight. "You have put all my sins behind
Your back" (Isa. 38:17 NIV).
6. God puts our sins out of His mind. "I will . . . remember their sins
no more" (Jer. 31:34 NIV).
7. God cancels the debt of our sin. "I, even I, am He who blots out
your transgressions" (Isa. 43:25 NIV).
8. God removes sin's stain and restores purity. "Though your sins are
like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isa. 1:18 NIV).
QUESTION 2: "Isn't forgiveness something between us and God alone?"
Yes. Biblically, forgiveness is very personal. No one else can decide for us
whether we are going to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
But personal doesn't mean private. Those who have lost the weight of sin
have every reason to go public. While someone who finds gold on his land
might have reason to be quiet about his discovery, someone who finds a cure
for AIDS, cancer, or the common cold would be a moral criminal for holding
the information to himself.
According to the New Testament, those of us who have found something more
valuable than gold owe our discovery to those still struggling (Rom.
1:14-16). The eternal burden and guilt of sin is far more dangerous than
AIDS.
QUESTION 3: "Why does the Bible say God will not forgive us if we don't
forgive one another?"
Jesus said:
If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses (Mt. 6:14-15).
The answer is in the context. By this statement, Jesus was not teaching lost
people how to be saved. He was teaching His own disciples how to stay in
good family relationship with the Father.
QUESTION 4: "Does this mean we should always forgive others
unconditionally?"
No. Like so many other principles of Scripture, there is a time to forgive
and a time not to forgive. While we are always to love others
unconditionally (by seeking their good rather than their harm), Jesus
Himself teaches us to forgive people when they acknowledge their wrongs (Lk.
17:1-10; Mt. 18:15-17).
We do not love well when we allow our brothers or sisters to knowingly harm
us without holding them accountable.
QUESTION 5: "But what about Jesus' teaching that if we don't forgive others,
He will not forgive us?"
By comparing this Scripture with other passages, we must conclude that Jesus
was referring to an unwillingness to love those who have harmed us, and an
unwillingness to forgive those who have repented of the wrong they have done
(Lk. 17:3-4). What He will hold against us (in a family sense) is our
determination to withhold from others the kindness and forgiveness that He
has shown to us. This is a "family issue," not a factor that could determine
our eternal destiny.
QUESTION 6: "But doesn't God forgive us unconditionally? Aren't we to
forgive others as He has forgiven us?"
When the apostle told us to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:32), he
made it clear that we are to pattern our forgiveness after God's forgiveness
of us.
God does not forgive unconditionally. First He grants legal pardon to those
who meet the condition of acknowledging their sin and believing in His Son.
Then He extends family forgiveness to those sons and daughters who confess
their sin and seek to be restored to the Father (1 Jn. 1:9).
QUESTION 7: "If we have been forgiven by God, why won't people let us forget
the past?"
Being forgiven by God does not release us from the natural consequences of
our sins. Crimes against the state must be subjected to legal due process.
Acts against individuals deserve restitution. The forgiveness of God does
not qualify former embezzlers to be entrusted with other people's money,
just as it does not give us reason to entrust our children to someone with a
history of molesting. This is wisdom.