The world struggles with many Christian/Biblical concepts,
but understanding what it means to “forgive” is especially elusive to secular
society. The unwillingness or inability of our culture to forgive is a
staggering problem. In fact, the problem of “un-forgiveness” is so
profound that in an interview, a psychiatrist was asked about the subject and
reported that most of his work/counseling/therapy was directly related
to issues surrounding forgiveness.
It is
not only the world that struggles with forgiveness, Christians do as
well. When a sinful human being becomes a Christian, he/she does not
cease to be a sinner any more than he/she ceases to be a human being.
Even Christians have sinful, fallen natures that will never be eradicated in
this life. The old sinful human nature gets us in trouble again and
again. Sin separates, even us Christians, in our fellowship with
God. But, when we repent and ask for forgiveness, there is a restoration
and a deepening fellowship with God. When we see and experience our own
failings, weaknesses, and short-comings it should affect our attitude towards
others. It has been said that we need to “Deal with the sins/faults of
others as gently as we deal with our own.”
We
will never experience the fullness of God’s forgiveness towards us, according
to Jesus, unless we extend the same forgiveness to those who have wronged
us. In fact, in verses 14-15 of Mat. 5, Jesus says “For 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.” (Mat. 6:14-15) Who do you find it hardest to forgive?
I think Charles Allen, in his commentary on The Sermon on the Mount, gets to
the heart of the issue when he writes “One of the most helpful experiences in
prayer is to substitute the name of a particular person in this petition:
‘Forgive me as I forgive ______.’” Think of someone you really struggle
to forgive and put their name in that blank. We all want God to be
sympathetic to us, give us the benefit of every doubt, be compassionate to us,
completely understanding, give us chance after chance, etc. How
understanding though are we of other people’s failings?
The
next line in the Lord’s Prayer is “Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our
debtors.” Some translations use the word “debt” and some use
“trespass.” Even though most of us memorized the prayer long ago using
the word trespass, “debt” is a much more accurate word A trespass is
relatively minor compared to a debt, and the original audience would have seen it
this way for sure. The concept of a “trespass” is not a serious way of
addressing our sins. It is relatively minor as compared to a “debt” which
Christians, going all the way back, have been strongly allergic to. Our
“sin” is far beyond a “trespass.” We have probably trespassed accidently
many times on someone else’s land or with their property somehow.
Further, we may have even done so deliberately, thinking it was not that big of
deal. The truth is we are rebels and lawbreakers, guilty of grievous sins
against God. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The
sinfulness of people is compared to a “debt” because owing a debt puts someone
in a vulnerable position. Debt is a “prison” of sorts and at one
time people literally went to “debtor’s” prisons. Jesus’ words here would
have been quite shocking. They all knew how bad “debt” was, but when he
compared their sinfulness to a debt they owed God, it really helped them see it
in a whole new way. Thankfully we do not have to actually try and pay off
that debt ourselves, because, to quote the words of the old hymn “Jesus paid it
all; all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as
snow!”
To be
a Christian then, we need to understand that the forgiver and the forgiven are
the same person. It is us! We are “forgiven” by God and we are also
to be the “forgivers” of our fellow man. We are to forever pattern our
forgiveness after God’s example. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify/cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.” God is faithful to His promises, and He has
promised to forgive. He does not break His Word! I like what A. W.
Pink writes at this point “Forgiveness is not to be demanded as something due
us, but requested as a mercy.” (A. W. Pink; The Lord’s Prayer;
59) The blood that Jesus Christ shed at Calvary paid the debt of our sin
in full (not just in part). Consequently, based on God’s justice, He
forgives! The third stanza of Horatio Spafford’s hymn “It is Well with My
Soul” says “My sin – O, the bliss of this glorious thought; My sin – not in
part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the
Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” What glorious forgiveness we have
experienced!
Failure to forgive others is a clear indication we are not Christians and we
are still living in the darkness of sin. The Apostle John wrote very
pointedly about this saying “He who says he is in the light and hates his
brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the
light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother
is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9-11) We were
previously in the darkness and debt of sin, but now we are in God’s “debt” for
the magnificent work of salvation in our life. Because we love Him it is
an honor, not an obligation, to serve Him. The more we reflect on our own
sinfulness (debt) and just how compassionate God has been to us, the easier it
becomes to be forgiving toward others. Reflecting upon the mercy of God
in our own life changes our heart. The Puritan preacher and writer Thomas
Manton wrote “There is none so tender to others as they which have received
mercy themselves. For they know how gently God hath dealt with
them.”
Another way of saying verse 12 would be “Continue to forgive us our debts to
you Lord as we continue to try and reflect the spirit of forgiveness in our
dealings with others.” In the book of Philemon, Paul appealed to the
slave owner Philemon to be kind and compassionate to the runaway slave
Onesimus. The basis for his appeal was that Philemon was a Christian and
Onesimus had become a Christian so they were now both brothers in Christ.
Christian brothers model “Christlikeness” to one another and before the eyes of
a watching world. The biggest concern/duty for Philemon then was to
forgive as he too had been forgiven. It has been said “A forgiven
person is a forgiving person.”
God
did not “reluctantly” forgive us but welcomed us back like a prodigal son
returning home! If you have experienced the Lord’s forgiveness in your
own life then you are ready to forgive others. If you are not in the
practice of forgiving others there may be a reason. It could be, you have
not been forgiven. Have you really been forgiven? If so, are you
practicing true forgiveness towards others?
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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