If you notice in the Bible, forgiveness is one of those commandments that God repeatedly uses Himself as the example by which we should follow. We read for instance in Colossians 3:13, "forgiving one another, as the Lord has forgiven you" and in Ephesians 4:32 "forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you". We find repeatedly instances where our receipt of forgiveness seems to be contingent upon our delivery of it: "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25). That passage (and ones similar to it) was always strange to me because it seems contradictory that God would only forgive us if we forgave others, when He has already stated that "I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember them no more" (Hebrews 8:12). In the one instance it would appear that our sins are already forgiven from eternity standpoint, but in the other it would appear that God forgives us only when we forgive others; so that if we do not forgive, we will remain unforgiven. But this is clearly a misunderstanding of Scripture, because we know that ALL our sins were forgiven when Christ died on the cross. So whatever sins we commit, have committed or will commit in the future…we know that the debt has already been paid, and we have a clean slate! The question then is, what does it mean when God states that we must forgive in order that He might forgive us?
Based on our understanding of Scripture, we know that the word 'forgive' must have different connotations in the different passages. I took the liberty of looking at the original Greek translation for the two passages (Ephesians 4:32 versus Mark 11:25) and noted that the word is actually translated from two distinct Greek words - aphiēmi and charizomai. The latter word - charizomai - originates from the root word 'charis' (grace) of which we derive the word charismata (divinely conferred talent or gift). This form of forgiveness is found numerous times in the NT (Luke 7:42, 1 Corinthians 2:12, Romans 8:32, 2 Corinthians 2:10, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13) and usually references the grace of God as manifested through His forgiveness of our sins. The concept is best evoked in Luke 7:42, whereby we read: "And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave (charizomai) them both." In this parable, Jesus alludes to our standing before God - we indeed had nothing with which to pay the sin debt incurred upon us, and God in His great mercy forgave us this debt through a tremendous sacrifice of Self. Charizomai thereby always references the finished work of Christ in granting us unmerited favor. Put simply, charizomai always underlines God's grace. In 2 Corinthians 2:10, Paul links his capacity to forgive to his understanding of God's grace: "for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ". He makes a similar exhortation in Ephesians 4:32, "and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Both passages use the Greek word charizomai to reflect forgiveness, and it makes sense because both are drawing upon as models the grace of God bestowed upon us who believe. Now let's take a look at aphiēmi. Aphiēmi comes from the root word apo meaning separation or the state at which union or fellowship of two parties is destroyed. Whereas charizomai invariably underscores grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), aphiēmi emphasizes fellowship through virtue. In light of this definition, our understanding of Mark 11:25 becomes more clear. "And whenever you stand praying, forgive (aphiēmi), if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive (aphiēmi) you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25). To 'forgive' in this sense bears a meaning of reconciliation. To harbor ill-will against your neighbor for a wrong committed against you would be to discredit the very foundation of your faith, a matter God does not take lightly. The passage in Mark 11:25 seems to shadow Psalm 66:18, which reads: "if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." How can you accept the mercy of God to then turn around and neglect to show mercy to your neighbors? In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus gives a fictional account of such a man whose master forgave his debt, but who later was unwilling to forgive the (smaller) debt of his neighbor. The story culminates in the master's disapproval of his servants actions: "And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." The principles to glean from these distinct words for forgiveness are these: (1) forgiveness is necessary insofar as it maintains your fellowship (aphiēmi) with God, and (2) our ability to forgive draws from our understanding of the grace (charizomai) of God through Jesus Christ. In order to forgive, you must draw from the strength of your inner man. Pride will attempt to steer you away from acknowledging His voice, but you must fight it bringing into remembrance the fact that "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble". Your prayers are nullified when you retain bitterness and disdain in your heart toward another. You are acting out of selfish pride, taking matters into your own hands. "Vengeance is mine, [God says] I will repay." Our response to a wronged deed committed against us must echo the message of the cross: unmerited favor. "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). It appears that reconciliation is an important feature of forgiveness, not only from a horizontal perspective (e.g. man to man) but more importantly from a vertical perspective (e.g. man to God). May God bless you as you continue faithfully reading His Word! --Junève, Editor |
Today's Verse
“Behold you are beautiful my love, behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves” Song of Solomon 1:15 ESV Quotations"A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear and your heart full of God's Spirit is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin." Archives
January 2023
|