I hope you enjoyed a Sabbath Day filled with “Hosannas” to our Savior King! It is hard to imagine that Jesus rode into Jerusalem to shouts of praise and one week later would walk out to shouts of hatred on His way to atone for their sins along with yours and mine. How fickle is mankind? How unstable and how stark the contrast in comparison to the eternal, unchanging Son of Man? We get so focused on the praise of man and the praise of man is utterly fleeting. We will work ourselves to death to try and earn it and then waste ourselves away to try and keep it.
Although I have been working on this study for quite some time it is no coincidence that the last part would fall on the week leading up to the Resurrection. This is Easter. This is why we celebrate – because we are forgiven and set free. Our Savior has been resurrected and He is seated at the right hand of the Father always making intercession for us! How can we not freely bestow forgiveness in light of the weight of glory in which we now stand?
As we begin looking at the gospel as our basis for forgiveness there are five points that are important for us to stand on:
1) Forgiveness is a God concept not a man concept. If it were not for the illumination of the Holy Spirit through the Word we would not even know that we need forgiveness. Everything in scripture reminds us over and over that salvation is a God work from the moment when we are aware of our sin, to the end; our glorification.
The sum total of the gospel is this: God created the world, including mankind in perfection, mankind rebels and the entire creation is plunged into sin. BUT GOD as the offendED makes a way for the us, the offendERs to have FULL pardon.
Not only that, but He equips the offender with conviction to see her sin and then engenders faith to believe in the forgiveness He has set forth in Christ.
Scripture says all of this took place while we were dead in our trespasses! The dead do not DO anything – they are dead. We had no part in God’s plan of redemption and we do not earn it – it is a free gift! (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8)
Ladies, this is great news! It is the best news! We don’t have to be cleaned up and have it all together. We don’t have to work for it or come in first to get the prize. Our part is so passive in all of this that scripture says we are dead! If you are like me and keenly aware of your short-comings and failures then this is music, literally, to your ears: “Jesus paid it ALL, ALL to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, HE washed it white as snow! Praise God!
2) Forgiveness is first and foremost a CHOICE. We are commanded to forgive. Forgiveness is a command, not a choice. Our forgiveness is not dependent upon the attitude, asking or receptiveness of the offender. In fact, the other party’s request or “appropriate” contrite-ness is never taken into consideration in scripture. There is never a time when Jesus tells us we are to forgive only if the other person asks for it or is truly sorry for what they have done. In fact, the other person is not even a factor!
There will be times when we are prompted by our feelings to forgive but most often we will not. Feelings are motivated by the heart and the heart is deceitful. The heart looks out for its own interests and protects itself. We cannot always act how we feel and in the same way we cannot rely on our feelings to prompt us to forgiveness, grace, love, mercy or forbearance. Sometimes we have to make decisions with our head and allow our hearts to catch up!
3) Forgiveness is not a meritorious work. (Meaning it is not earned!) Our choice of forgiveness is not based on the attitude, actions or even the asking of the other person. Jesus did not die because we were worthy but because He is just. He alone is worthy.
On the contrary, scripture says we were ungodly, unlovable, evil, malicious, gossips, slanderers, of our father the devil…what about that seems worthy or lovable? God’s forgiveness of us is not motivated by something within us that deserved forgiveness. Salvation is motivated by God’s holiness not our worthiness because there is nothing in us that is worthy.
We are never worthy of forgiveness – it is God’s free choice out of grace to extend forgiveness. We have not earned it therefore it is not a meritorious work. God expects nothing less of us in forgiving others – they do not and cannot earn our forgiveness, we must give it freely.
4)Forgiveness is hard, often painful. You know the beautiful thing about this? Jesus knows! He knows the pain and cost associated with forgiveness! Jesus suffered severely on the cross in order to offer forgiveness – should we expect any less? (Heb. 12:3-4)
5)Unforgiveness is wrapped up in unbelief. God will never ask us to do something He won’t equip us to do; He will never ask us to do something that isn’t beneficial; He will never ask us to do something that is impossible or that Jesus hasn’t already done!
This sums up the basis for our forgiveness! I want to leave you with a beautiful picture of a woman who had encountered the gospel, her basis for forgiveness…
I had the privilege of being seated at dinner recently next to a woman that I had only known from a distance. I have a unique talent for being able to write people’s stories in my head based on a name or appearance. I guess it is the imaginative side of me that loves to romanticize someone else’s life. Don’t get me wrong – it’s just fun, no harm done. I usually don’t share my thoughts but I will tell you I would starve as a fortune teller – if I believed in that sort of thing!
In the course of normal dinner conversation this sweet woman begins to tell me about her past. She was abused by her birth mother until the age of four at which time she entered foster care. She was in and out of homes until the age of seven when she was taken into a Christian home. From seven until eleven she stayed with this family and became a believer. However, she was very violent toward the biological children in the home and was forced to leave. She says she absolutely doesn’t blame the parents, she would have done the same thing. At the age of eleven she was adopted into an abusive home where she was assaulted emotionally, physically and sexually until the age of 19. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had totally lost my appetite and I wanted nothing more than to hear the rest of the story.
She told me that at 19 she had the opportunity to enroll in college by the grace of God. From there she severed all ties with her adoptive family and began a journey in which the Lord completely transformed her life! She sat across from me with a countenance of such peace and joy on her face that I would never have imagined where she had been had she not been telling me from her own mouth. At 40, she is now a married mother of three, a foster mom to two exchange students and a beautiful picture of God’s grace and forgiveness. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “God has healed me! I am whole because of Him!” Do you think she had met Jesus? Do you think she understood the gospel as her basis for forgiveness? There is no doubt in my mind!
Ladies, nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with our God! So much of this study is dependent upon you believing that. Hebrews 11:6 says this, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” I will continue to drive this home because ultimately unforgiveness is wrapped up in unbelief. We have got to ask the Lord to “help us overcome our unbelief” and grab the freedom of forgiveness with both hands today, today, today…
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