Knowing God … as Forgiver
… as Forgiver
Forgiveness means to ‘send away’.
A Christian G.P. (before the Health Service was introduced) worked in a very poor area and most patients couldn’t afford to pay him for his services. However, he still wanted them to receive their health care. So, he would write the record of their treatment in his journal, making a full and accurate record of diagnosis, treatment and cost. He would then write in red pen across the page the word ‘Forgiven’. When he died, his family expected he would leave a large estate. However, they found he had hardly a penny to his name. It didn’t take long for them to find his journal and they decided to go about trying to get the money he had been owed by the ‘forgiven’ patients in his journal. They took their evidene to a solicitor, who informed them there wasn’t a court in the land who would hear such a case. If the doctor said they were forgiven, then they were forgiven and it could never be held against them.
This is the kind of forgiveness we find God offers. The Bible tells us:
‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3.23). So, we’re all in the same boat. We’re all separated from God by sin. We need his forgiveness.
Forgiveness depends on two things:
- Our repentance – not just being sorry; it involves a change of heart / change of lifestyle. It’s easy to say you’re sorry, but repentance is more than that. It means a change of heart – a change of lifestyle – a change of direction. The direction is towards God.
- God’s right to forgive – sin is rebellion against God. We can only ask forgiveness from someone we’ve wronged. God is faithful in forgiving sin when we confess (1 John 1.9). If sin is rebellion against God (or falling short of his standard), then it is his forgiveness we require. It is his right to forgive.
The Bible is full of such stories and so is Christian history. Jesus tells a fantastic parable about this subject in Luke 15 …
Context:
- Jesus eating with tax collectors and ‘sinners’ – despised and non-religious
- Pharisees – ‘Holy’ men – upholders of Jewish law – religious
- Pharisees criticised Jesus for being with the ‘sinners’
Jesus tells 3 short stories as a parable:
- Lost Sheep … (compassionate shepherd)
- Lost Coin … (diligent searcher)
- Prodigal son … (forgiving father)
These stories all reflect the nature of God as ‘Forgiver’
Forgiving Father:
- a father who allows children to make their own choices
- a father who never stops loving
- a father who forgives
- a father who rejoices and celebrates
Notice in the story the two key elements:
- The father’s right to forgive
- The son’s repentance
Story: The story is told of a man who finds himself reflecting on his life in prison. He is justly in prison for crimes he has committed and whilst there, he contemplated his failings as a husband. He had been dreadful to his wife and now felt remorse. Close to his release he wrote to his wife asking her forgiveness. He told her that if she no longer wanted him, then he would fully understand. However, if she would accept him back she should leave a yellow ribbon tied to the tree outside there house. The day came and he got on the bus. If there was a ribbon there, he would be forgiven and would seek to make the best he could of his marriage. If there was no ribbon, he would stay on the bus, leave his wife to get on with her life and he would do his best to start again. As he got closer, he couldn’t look so he asked the bus driver to look for him. When he was about to arrive, the bus driver insisted that he looked for himself. Eventually he opened his eyes and looked – the tree was festooned with yellow ribbons! God’s forgiveness is just like that – complete and celebratory!
Questions:
- If forgiveness depends on God’s right to forgive and my repentance, am I forgiven?
- If repentance means a change of heart or lifestyle, am I living a repentant life?
- If I keep making the same mistake, am I allowing God’s constant forgiveness to change me from the inside out?
Suggested Bible readings: Micah 7; 14-20, Psalm 103: 1-12, 2 Chronicles 7: 11-16
First of all, we all sin (Isaiah 53:6 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” and Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”).
The fact that you recognize your sin and feel badly about it should give you encouragement for several reasons. For one thing, a lot of people sin and don’t think there’s anything wrong with it – yet God has opened your eyes to seeing how destructive it can be. But God does not want you to live with guilt. He wants you to know and fully experience His forgiveness.
God does not simply overlook our sin and say, “You’re forgiven.” God sees our sin but is ready to forgive us because Jesus fully took OUR sin on Himself and paid for our sin by His death on the cross. Our sin is serious and it cost Jesus incredible suffering. But from the moment we received Christ into our lives, His forgiveness is ours. We can’t ever make up for our own sin or suffer enough for it – nor does God want us to. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.
But what about when we struggle with an area and keep on sinning? Does God get so weary forgiving us that we, at some point, reach our limit?
Jesus was asked by the disciples how many times they needed to forgive someone. “Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:21,22). It’s unlikely that Peter could keep track of whether he forgave a particular individual 490 times yet, so you see Jesus’ point. You always forgive, because God always forgives us. God does not have a limit. He died for every one of your sins—those you’ve committed and those you will commit—past, present, and future sins.You need to begin looking at your sin the way God looks at it. And here is what He says in the Bible:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1John 2:1,2
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
“You have put all my sins behind your back.” Out of sight. God no longer “sees” me in light of my sins. He sees Jesus righteousness for me.” Isaiah 38:17
“You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Never to be found at sea. Not “dropped” into the sea, “hurled.” Micah 7:19
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Sins are no longer “kept on file”, record is blotted out, destroyed. God cannot “forget” like in human error, but He chooses to “not remember.” Isaiah 43:25
“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Romans 5:20
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself…in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them…For our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18,19,21
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
“…since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
We are told that Satan is the “accuser of the brethren”, meaning that Satan will try to convince us that God could never love us. We need to recognize those thoughts as lies and instead choose to believe what God says. What God says about us in His Word (the Bible) is truer than anything we could think or feel. Jesus said that those who build their lives on His word are those whose lives stand strong and secure, able to weather anything in life (see Matthew 7:24-27).
If you’ve asked God to forgive you and to come into your life — you are forgiven!!! His word says so. Thank Him for His forgiveness and begin to rejoice in your secure relationship with Him. He is able to change areas of your life that don’t line up with His desire for you. 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.”