Forgive As Jesus Forgives
by Trisha Winter
Monday - 3.28.21
Let us define forgiveness, for the purpose of discussion. Dictionary.com forgive:
to grant pardon or remission; absolve.
to give up all claims on account; remit.
to grant pardon.
to cease to feel resentment against:
to cancel an indebtedness or liability:
Greek word for forgive, aphiemi:
means to pardon or release; it can also mean freedom
In secular Greek literature, aphiemi was a fundamental word used to indicate the sending away of an object or a person. Aphiemi was used to describe the voluntary release of a person or thing over which one has legal or actual control. The related noun aphesis meant to describe a setting free. In its final form it came to embrace the principle of release from punishment for some wrongdoing.
Freedom from sin, is this not the gospel? The bible tells us:
wages of sin is death = Romans 6:23
all sin and fall short of the glory of God = Romans 3:23
Romans goes as far as to say: no one is righteous, not one person. = Romans 3:10
Therefore, Christ came, lived a sinless life and then allowed himself to be crucified, even though he was innocent. Jesus paid the debt for our sin. Jesus suffered the consequences for our debt to the Father. Jesus came to Earth and willingly went to the cross, knowing not everyone would choose the forgiveness he was offering. Wow.
How do we receive this forgiveness? Romans 10 tells us: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Your sin has been pardoned and you have been forgiven. God the Father sees you through the righteousness of Jesus. He doesn't see the things you've done against him and against others. Jesus paid your debt. This is forgiveness. This is the grace in action.
How then should we live in light of this forgiveness? Forgive others as you have been forgiven. You may be familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. When you repent and accept the forgiveness of Jesus, He doesn’t remind you of your sins, your mistakes or your consequences. Likewise, when you forgive others it should be as though they never sinned against you. We are to give the same forgiveness to others that God gives to us! Do you hold a grudge? For how long? Against who? To forgive by God's standards is to act as if the other person is innocent. Going back to the Greek definition of forgiveness, we should pardon others, release them, free them from whatever debt they may owe. Ephesians 4:32 states: Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
You may feel like this type of forgiveness is unfair. Jesus was hanging on the cross, being crucified, dying and he states (Luke 23:34) Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing. Jesus asked for our forgiveness in a time when he was physically suffering. In death, He stayed focused on pardoning our sins. By Jesus sacrificing himself for our forgiveness, we are now able to be reconciled back to God the Father. Then, as a Christ Follower, we are ambassadors of reconciliation to bring others the forgiveness of Jesus: 2 Corinthians 5:20: So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Forgiveness brings us freedom!!
Call To Action
Read and reflect on these scriptures this week:
Acts 5:31, 13:38
1 John 1:6-9
Matthew 6:14, 18:21-22
Luke 23:34
Romans 4:7
1 John 2:12
Psalms 51
Reflection
How do you define forgiveness? Does it match any of the above definitions? What’s the same? What’s different? Do you want God to forgive you in the same way you forgive others?
When was the last time you extended forgiveness to someone in your life? Was it difficult? What did it do for your relationship with that person?
Was there a time when someone had to forgive you? Did you apologize and seek forgiveness from them first?
How has forgiveness changed your relationships?
