Forgiveness

BLESSED   ARE   THE   FORGIVEN

Forgiveness is by far the most complicated term among conscientious and sensitive people in our world.  Every culture, race and creed have their philosophy of what it takes and means to be forgiven.  All realize that ultimately, forgiveness lies in the hands of a higher power.  Christians are perhaps the most blessed, because the grace of God covers all of their shortcomings.  This they derive from the Apostle Paul, stated in his Epistle to the Romans chapter four and verses seven and eight:

      "Blessed are those whose lawlessness has been forgiven

      and whose sins have been covered.

      Blessed is the man whose sins the Lord does not add up."

THE  HEART  OF  FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is at the heart of every human being.  For those who have put their faith in Paul, however; they need to be reminded that he may have over simplified the act of forgiveness.  And if he has not simplified forgiveness, then we have grossly misunderstood and misinterpreted him.  It is necessary that we examine the Greek text, the background and the original source of the idea of God forgiving all sins.  Underlying our search is the question, "Doesn't God hold man responsible for anything?"  In Paul's words, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound?"  That is precisely where it all began.

It began with David, most famous and popular king in the history of Israel.  He had broken many rules, committed serious crimes including murder and adultery and violated his own trust with his people.  The end justified the means he used to get where he was aiming at.  Fortunately, the human conscience that God installed in all human beings, can only take so much and then break down under the load of sin.  David threw himself on the mercy of God and cried out in desperation:

      "Blessed is he whose violations are forgiven,

      whose sins are covered.

      Blessed is the man whose sins the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose

      spirit there is no deceit" (Ps.32:1-3).

When we read the preceding verses and those that follow David's declaration, we find no statement in which he felt righteous or justified by any act of mercy.  Rather, it was the cry of a repentant sinner who had come to the end of his wits and hoped that God would deal with him more gently than his fellow men would.  To this writer, that is how Paul must have felt; for, he too had heavy sins on his conscience.  He never forgot that he had once persecuted the followers of Jesus and consented in their death.  Like David, Paul trusted in the mercy of the Lord and hoped that he would not add up his sins.

It was also one of Paul's characteristics to quote Scripture to support his thinking, even if it did not quite fit the context.  In this case, quoting David appears out of line; yet, the end result of justification by faith is forgiveness. We must stress that he was not assisted by four Gospels, as we are, to draw his conclusions.  Hence, we are indebted to Paul for making the remarkable connection between justification by faith and forgiveness.  Let us look at the text itself and uncover what it possibly means.

First of all, the "makarioi" are those whose "anomiai" have been forgiven?  Literally, the word means being against what is the Law.  Specifically the Ten Commandments were intended.  Both, David and Paul had broken some of them.  These were transgressions committed against God and those they were intended to protect.  By linking "anoniai" with "hamartiai", Paul established the fact that any violation of the Law is sin or an act of iniquity.  Those hurt by sin are God himself and the victims.  Forgiveness must come from those who have been hurt.

Secondly, the "makarioi" have their sins "epekaluphthesan".  It is the aorist passive of "epikalupto" and has been translated as "covered up" or "veiled" for the purpose of being pardoned.  This was not intended.  We know this from Jesus who insisted that all sins would be disclosed.  What Paul had in mind was that the blood of Christ covered or veiled, not hid sins and that God looked past the law-breakers for his Son's sake.  Those who repented and believed in God's atoning sacrifice were pardoned.

Thirdly, the "makarioi" have their sins "ou me logisetai".  Translators have rendered it as "not imputed".  The root here is "logizomai" and it means to count, reckon, calculate and compute.  What the text is saying is that God no longer adds up or makes a list of sins committed against Him and humanity.  In Davidic terms, God does no longer care to remember our iniquities.  And in Christ, He has removed them from us as far as the east is from the west.

Finally, the heart of forgiveness is Christ.  His sacrifice accounts for our sins.  His righteousness became the shelter or the doorpost with the blood on it that does not allow the angel of death to touch those inside.  This is what Paul must have had in mind.  There was no removal or forgetting of sin.  Sin had a price tag and that was death.  Christ did give his life for sinners and Paul was chief among them.  There is no absolution without sacrifice.  Above all else, the sacrifice has to be clean, guiltless and holy.  That rules out all of us and leaves us only with the Son of God who qualified on all counts.

THE  ROLE  OF  MAN  IN FORGIVENESS

Christ has done it all.  What is there left for us to do?  We are saved by grace through faith and not of works lest anyone should boast (Eph.2:8-9).  If works are a hindrance, then why does it affect our forgiveness?  To begin with, we are not saved from works but from doing the wrong works.  There are works and there are works.  It all depends on what works we are doing.  What we eagerly overlook when we quote Paul is the conclusion of the same portion of Paul's writing that ends with: "created... unto good works" (Eph.2:10).  The same Paul held: "...forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you" Eph.4:32).  And again: "Forgive just as the Lord has forgiven you" (Col.3:13).

The final word on forgiveness came from Christ himself.  He put man at the center of the process of forgiveness.  In fact, man forgiving one another determined God's forgiveness.  To describe Jesus' position, the Gospel writers used two words.  Mark, Matthew and John preferred "aphiemi" and Luke used "apoluo".  Essentially, both verbs mean to forgive with the intention to free the other person from his debts, mistakes, or obligations he cannot fulfill.  In other words, the offender is totally freed.  Luke adds another important fact to the process of forgiveness.  The forgiver himself is released by forgiving the offender.  It has a redemptive quality and it is in the forgiver's action.  He does not wait for God to free him in the future but enjoys a form of catharsis now.

Jesus emphasis was that forgiveness was the only door to a happy life and a sure ticket into the kingdom of God.  In fact, God should not be approached until one has forgiven others and was himself forgiven.  In one way or another, we are debtors to each other.  We put ourselves in debt to others by what we do and say.  We are held responsible for the sins or transgressions we commit against others and so are those against whom they were committed.  God will not accept us or our gift until we are reconciled with our brother (Mt.5:23-24).  That is, no forgiveness has taken place until reconciliation has occurred.  In fact, before we pray, we are told to forgive even the things that we have against others;  that is, if we want God to forgive us (Mk.11:25).  And we are to make it a daily routine to forgive before we expect to be forgiven (Mt.6:11-12).

Jesus used awesome words to single out those who do not forgive.  Here are some paraphrased from the Greek for us today:

      "I tell you, if you are upset with your brother, you will face a jury.  Also, if you seek revenge against your brother, you will answer to the highest authorities on earth.  But, if you call your brother incompetent,  your will life will be like hell." (Mt.5:22-24).

      It is not just brothers or close relatives that require reconciliation, but also adversaries.  Our idea of freedom of speech is not excused if we insult or defame others.  Those whom we degrade have the right to drag us into court and have us pay for being damaged.  News reporters could benefit from reading what Jesus had to say on the subject (Mt.5:25-26).  This comes from a higher authority than from any Supreme Court of any land.

There is an equally powerful text that deals with even picking on our brother.  Let us put it into our own behavior and see where we are headed.

      "Why do you pick on your brother for small mistakes and overlook your own that are huge?  How dare you say to him with tinny errors, 'let me correct them', when you cannot get rid of your large errors?  Hypocrite!  First, deal with your own big problem and then help others with their small ones.  Your brother is holy, like a pearl, in the eyes of God and your fault finding is like throwing him to dogs and pigs.  What you do not realize is that your own reputation is not only ruined but destroyed." (Mt.7:3-6).

Does this mean that I cannot help my brother with his mistakes?  The answer is, yes!  But before we do, we must make certain that we have not been the cause of his transgression.  This was how Luke understood Jesus (17:1-4):

      "It is impossible to avoid scandals, but woe to the one who causes them.  It would be better for him to hang a weight around his neck and drown himself than bring about the fall of ordinary little people.  Therefore, watch yourselves!  Now, if your brother has caused you harm, remind (epitimeson) him of what he has done.  If he is sorry, forgive him.  Even if he hurts you seven times per day and apologizes seven times, you forgive him."

How does this strike us concerning freedom of Speech?  No human being is exempt from being responsible for what he says or does.  There is enough harm being done without deliberate attacks on others in the name of "freedom of speech."  Let us not forget that when we point one finger at the faults of others there are three pointing back at us and a thumb holding them down.  We judge others by our faults.  Sooner than later, they will reciprocate.  And they will judge us by the same rule that we have applied to them (Mt.7:1-2).  By the same token, if we are forgiving rather than judging,  we  shall receive an added measure of blessings (Lk.6:37-38).

Forgiveness sets others free.  In fact, the followers of Jesus are in the business of freeing people.  Christ has placed an awesome responsibility into our hands.  According to Matthew, he has given us the keys to the kingdom for the purpose of binding and loosening the guilty or transgressors (16:19;18:18).  It so happens that the verb here is "luo".  It shares the same root with "apoluo".  "Apo" is merely a prefix that means being freed from someone or something.  "Luo" is freeing or untying those who have transgressed.  Hence, the key is not some mysterious power or  authority of some clergy but the act of forgiveness  itself.  John, who had known Jesus better than anyone,  quoted him as having said: "If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; but if you retain (keep) them they shall be retained" (20:23).  In fact, that was the reason why Jesus had been sent into the world; that was also the purpose, why the disciples were sent on the same forgiving mission (Jn.20:21).

THE  SINS  THAT  ARE  TO  BE  FORGIVEN

There are sins and there are sins.  Some are against others and some against ourselves.  They may be sins of omission or of commission.  Some are deliberate and some are accidental.  They may be heinous and the may be mild.  The question is, are all sins forgiven?  We have simplified the answer by relegating it to grace.  But is it really that simple?  To whom can we turn for the ultimate solution?  We cam answer quickly and argue that we find our explanation and interpretation in the Bible.  Among the stoutest supporters of grace in the Bible was Paul the Apostle.  Then, what would Paul's explanation have been, if he had the four Gospels at his fingertips?  That thought is bothersome because it happens to be fact.  Paul had no New Testament.  He wrote one third of it before the Gospels were written.  His starting point was the Old Testament and so were his views.

Le us look at Paul for a moment.  Mark left him immediately after he blinded an offender (Ac.13:13).  The young writer must have recalled that Jesus restored sight and not blind people.  He recalled how Jesus had reprimanded the disciples for wanting fire fall from heaven on those who had refused him hospitality.  He, most of all, remembered Jesus hanging on the cross and forgiving those who were torturing and killing Him.  Jesus' prayer, "Father forgive them, for, they do not know what they are doing," was engraved on Mark's mind.  And it was Mark who must have shared it with Luke, Paul's physician and writer of the third Gospel and Acts.  Paul was severe in his dealings with those who were bothersome including Mark. Toward the end of his ministry, we find a gentler and more forgiving Paul. 

The same attitude was found in Peter the Apostle.  One wonders what Mark must have thought of Peter's judgment on Ananias and Saphira (Ac.13:13).  These actions were not in harmony with what Jesus had done.  What must have bothered Mark even more was that Peter was that harsh and severe when he himself had denied the Lord and was forgiven.   Jesus had told Peter to forgive his brother seventy times seven per day.   He too became more tolerant. But that was after the Holy Spirit had insisted that he accept the Gentile Cornelius and his household into the Church.  This too was a gentle Spirit and did what Jesus would have done.  The difference in severity ascribed to the Holy Spirit is puzzling and it will remain so.  But what was fortunate was that the early Church Fathers leaned toward the Gospels rather than Paul.  In other words, Jesus emerged as the final authority on forgiveness.

Jesus lived, preached and taught forgiveness of all sins except against the Holy Spirit.  It had become such a key issue that all the Gospel writers mentioned a sin that cannot be forgiven (Mt12:31-32; Mk.3:29; Lk.12:10).  John made no mention of this sin in his Gospel but did so in his "Letters."  It was a mortal sin for which, he was not certain one should pray (I.Jn.5:16). 

What then was this only sin that would not be forgiven?  It was not against Jesus as a person (Mt.12:32).  It was not against those who were crucifying Jesus because they did not know what they were doing (Lk.23:34).   Pilate, for instance, had the lesser sin than those who had handed Jeus over (Jn.19:11).  The traitor and the leaders, who knew what they were doing, did it in spite of what they knew.  They knew that one man had to die for the people (Jn.11:50).  They openly declared that Jesus' blood be upon them and their children (Mt.27:25).  One of their own admitted that their sentencing of an innocent man was unlawful (Jn.7:51).  And Jesus assured them in public that in spite of searching for Him, they would die in their sins (Jn.8:21-24).

According to Jesus, the unforgivable sin is not against man but God.  God was Spirit (Jn.4:24)  and He worked through the Spirit (Mt.12:28).  Jesus was filled with His Father's Spirit (Lk.4:18).  Yet, the leaders and their followers with full knowledge blasphemed against God's redemptive work and the man whom He had chosen and sent to carry out that work (Lk.12:8-10; Jn.8:12-59).  Their problem was that Jesus did not fit into their scheme of things (Jn.7:52).  In simple terms, they were telling God what He should be doing and what kind of a Messiah He should be sending.  As far as God's actual Son was concerned, they regarded Him as being of the devil (Mk. 3:28-30).  That sin will not be forgiven because Christ will not confess them on judgment day.

All sin that is not against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven.  However, do not jump to the conclusion that it is a kind of predestined act of God that lets us walk away free and clear.  God did predestine forgiveness but on the condition that we believe in His Son or the Good News.  It called for confessing our sins and avoid repeating them (Mk.1:14).  There is a price tag that man must pay for those sins that man still can rectify while he is alive.  When he dies, God's mercy will take over, provided that the person had committed those sins in ignorance.  Let us mention some cases where Jesus applied this rule.

Foremost, Jesus held that it required strict and drastic self-discipline.  No hand, foot or eye must be allowed to remain part of our body as an instrument of sin (Mt.5:27-30; 18:8-9).  Love expressed in an act of mercy is a sure sign of having been forgiven.   A sinful woman loved much and her many sins were forgiven.  A self-righteous religious leader loved little and little was forgiven (Lk.7:36-50).  The unmerciful servant had his forgiveness revoked because he did not show mercy to his fellow servant (Mt.18:23-35).  Zacchaeus promised to make amends and Jesus promised him salvation (Lk.19:1-9).  A common cheater went home from a prayer meeting justified while a self-righteous teacher was not (Lk.18:9-14).  Forgiveness was and still is a reward for loving those who cannot love us back (Mt.5:46).  And as long as there remains a cry for justice, God will hear the afflicted and answer their prayers (Lk.18:1-8).  That was Jesus' promise and warning to those who think they can get away without making reparations for their sins.

Blessed are those who are forgiven because they too have forgiven.  They feel forgiven, not because someone handed them a gift, but because they were willing to set others free from their guilt.  By lifting the burden of others, they lifted their own.  With the measure they measured others, that was the measure they were measured with (Mt.7:2).  God does not have two standards: one for the redeemed and one for the unredeemed.  That rule was man-made.  Unfortunately, God will use that man-made rule to judge us.  Our deeds follow us into eternity (Rev.14:13).  They better be made right before we pass on to the other side of our spiritual Jordan.

There was a young man in love.  He had great difficulties in approaching the young lady and asking her to marry him.  He lived in constant fear of being refused.  One day he braved himself with shaky knees and broken voice stuttering for her affection.  To his great surprise, he found the young lady just as eager and anxious to be loved as he was.  That night under a starry sky he cried out, "Dear God, I ain't got no'tin a'gin no body now."  Forgiveness is very much the same.  We too will find most people whom we have hurt eager to forgive and be forgiven.  And there just is no greater feeling or more blessed than to know that all is well with my soul.