HEAD(hed), (n.) 1. the top part of the human body or the front part of an animal where the eyes, nose, east and mouth are. "Your brain is in your head." DIBS(dibz), (n.) 2. a thick, sweet syrup made in countries of the East, especially the Middle East, from grape juice or dates. [Arabic "debs"]--World Book Dictionary, 1976.
The Forgiveness Factor (part 3): The Freedom of Forgiveness
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“ . . . so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” [2Co 2:7-11 ESV]
When the church is permissive with sin, people will not be clean from sin. Forgiveness is not a reality where sin is permitted. The Corinthian church once permitted an incestuous man to remain in the fellowship. It was during this time the man continued without repentance, remaining unclean before God. When the church repented and confronted the man about his sin, then he repented. What happened next is astounding--the church did not forgive the man nor restore him to the fellowship.
One component of forgiveness is restoration. Paul says to forgive the one who repents (2 Cor 2:7). Hold nothing against him. He repented, received forgiveness by God; now, do the same. The key here is that forgiveness does not come without repentance. What is forgiveness?
First, forgiveness is NOT a feeling. Remember this scene?
Yes, the clip also provides a discussion about faith, but focus on the 1:10 mark and following. Forgiveness is not a feeling that wells up inside us. Forgiveness is a willful decision, but only as it is the fruit of a God-changed heart toward the repentant; Christ-given grace; love that stoops, humility toward another. Forgiveness comes from a Spirit-transformed mind about how we will or will not think or talk about the one who caused hurt. Forgiveness is a God-infused decision that changes feeling. If I forgave based on how I felt, I would not be doing much forgiving.
Second, forgiveness is not forgetting. Time never erases crime, so waiting for forgetfulness is a waste of time. Forgiveness is a deliberate action, rooted in God’s deliberate action. “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” (Isa 43:25) God is not saying he cannot remember but that He will not remember. When He chooses to forgive, He chooses not to bring up our sins again because of the sacrifice of Christ. When we forgive, we draw on God’s grace to intentionally decide not to think of talk about what others have done to hurt us. The effort is tremendous as long as the offense is still in our mind. We don’t stop dwelling on sin passively, but actively, deliberately.
Third, forgiveness is not a “front”; that is, we do not excuse sin. Excusing says, “That’s okay,” which translates to “what you did wasn’t really wrong,” or “You couldn’t help it.” Forgiveness is really an authentic exhibition, the polar opposite of excusing. The fact that forgiveness is needed and granted shows that what someone did was wrong and inexcusable. This is how we should approach God first concerning our own sin. ii. Forgiveness says, “We both know that what you did was wrong and without excuse. But since God has forgiven me, I forgive you.” FORGIVENESS IS NOT NATURAL BUT SUPERNATURAL. Forgiveness deals honestly with sin, bringing freedom that no amount of excusing could ever hope to provide.
Finally, forgiveness is costly. Forgiveness does not simply happen because it is expected or demanded. Once cannot stand before a judge and be let go for crimes committed, so expec that God is the greater judge! The Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) said, “Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who ‘forgives’ you--out of love--takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.”
We should Praise God for his gracious gift of forgiveness to us! (Eph. 4:32) says “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” You will probably have an opportunity to extend forgiveness this week. When you do, try to remember what forgiveness is not, and fix your eyes on the full and gracious forgiveness that God has given you in Jesus Christ.
“VANITY, saith the preacher, vanity! Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back? Nephews—sons mine … ah God, I know not! Well— She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf envied me, so fair she was! What’s done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since, And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world’s a dream. Life, how and what is it? As here I lie In this state-chamber, dying by degrees, Hours and long hours in the dead night, I ask “Do I live, am I dead?” Peace, peace seems all. Saint Praxed’s ever was the church for peace; And so, about this tomb of mine. I fought With tooth and nail to save my niche, ye know: —Old Gandolf cozened me, despite my care; Shrewd was that snatch from out the corner South He graced his carrion with, God curse the same! Yet still my niche is not so cramped...
“O ye passengers, whom may God preserve! come up quickly in to the ship, hasten to embark, and leave your merchandise, and flee with your lives, and save yourselves from destruction; for this apparent island, upon which ye are, is not really an island, but it is a great fish that hath become stationary in the midst of the sea, and the sand hath accumulated upon it, so that it hath become like an island, and trees have grown upon it since times of old; and when ye lighted the fire upon it, the fish felt the heat, and put itself in motion, and now it will descend with you into the sea, and ye will all be drowned: then seek for yourselves escape before destruction, and leave the merchandise.—The passengers, therefore, hearing the words of the master of the ship, hastened to go up into the vessel, leaving the merchandise, and their other goods, and their copper cooking-pots, and their fire-pots; and some reached the ship, and others reached it not. The island had moved, and descended...
