When we are growing up, most of us are taught to memorize many things. Whether it was in school or at home or at church or in clubs such as the Boy Scouts, we were taught to memorize certain passages. Such documents as our nation’s Constitution or famous speeches or lines of Shakespeare’s plays or Bible scriptures are familiar to many of us. A few words from any of those may instantly bring back to mind old thoughts and memories.

If I were to say the words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident," most people would be able to complete the sentence from the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence, "that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." If I were to say the words "forgive us our debts," most Christians would be able to complete the sentence from the Lord’s Prayer, "as we also forgive our debtors."

Most people can instantly recite many words and passages from memory. Do we, however, stop to consider the real meanings of the words that so easily flow out of our mouths? Let’s look once again at the familiar words of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9. There are only five, short verses.

(Mat 6:9-13 NASB) "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. {10} 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. {11} 'Give us this day our daily bread. {12} 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. {13} 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.'

So many Christians know it by heart that we can very easily slide right over those few verses and not realize the importance of the specific words. For example, look again at verse 12.

(Mat 6:12 NASB) 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

What does that mean? There are four important words there. Do you know what forgiveness is and do you know what it is that is to be forgiven?

Before we look at the Greek words translated into our English word "forgive," let’s make sure we’re all on the same page in our understanding of what it means to forgive and what the subject of forgiveness entails.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, forgive means: 1) to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; to stop being angry with; to pardon; 2) to give up all claim to punish or exact penalty for (an offense); to overlook; 3) to cancel or remit (a debt).

Webster’s definition of debt is: 1) something owed by one person to another or others; 2) an obligation or liability to pay or return something; 3) the condition of owing; 4) Theologically, a sin.

Let’s look to see if the Greek words equate with our understanding of the English words.

The Greek word translated debt is Strong’s number 3783. It is opheilayma and it means that which is owed, a debt. So, we can see that’s in line with our English understanding.

The Greek word translated forgive is Strong’s number 863. It is aphiaymi, and it means to send away, leave alone, or permit. Well, that’s a bit different than our understanding of the English word "forgive."

The one Greek word aphiaymi occurs more than 100 times in the New Testament and is translated allow, leave, left, let, let alone, permission, and forgive. Most of the time, though, it is translated as forgive or left.

So, we can see that the concept of the word for forgiveness also incorporates permission and leaving alone. That’s important to recognize because we’ll discover that forgiveness also has to do with sending away and letting go of offenses.

We’ve now defined the words but we still don’t know much about them until we explore how they are used in scripture. The usage and context of a word can show us much about the real meaning. Verse 12 stated "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" but verse 14 goes on to elaborate. It puts forgiveness into action and shows what God requires of us. God sets the standards of acceptable conduct. He expects his servants to abide by his standards. If we don’t perform in a manner pleasing to our Master, there are consequences to our actions.

(Mat 6:14-15 NASB) "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. {15} "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Since we’re required by God to forgive, to leave alone or to send away men’s transgressions, just what is a transgression?

The Greek word for "transgression" is Strong’s #3900 paraptoma. It means a side-slip (lapse or deviation), i.e. (unintentional) error or (wilful) transgression.

As we’ve seen in previous sermons on sin, "paraptoma" is one of several Greek words used in scripture to define sin. As such, we know that it shows a characteristic of sin in that it can be a slip or lapse, a missing of the mark done either unintentionally or willfully.

Since we are to forgive or to send away the debts or transgressions of another, what are the conditions of that forgiveness? Are those conditions bounded by a certain amount of time or a given number of offenses? We can gain more insight into that question by examining another parable of Jesus found in Matthew 18:21.

(Mat 18:21-35 NASB) Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" {22} Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. {23} "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. {24} "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. {25} "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. {26} "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' {27} "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. {28} "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' {29} "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' {30} "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. {31} "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. {32} "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. {33} 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' {34} "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. {35} "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

So, here we see that there is virtually no "statute of limitations" regarding a finite amount of time or number of occurrences under which we are not obligated by God to forgive our brothers. We are, however, shown another aspect that makes forgiveness even more binding on us in verse 35.

(Mat 18:35 NASB) "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

Not only are we commanded to forgive our brother, we are told that if we don’t forgive our brother "from the heart," we will not be forgiven by God.

Think about that.

It’s really an extension of the same concept we read in the Lord’s Prayer, where we were instructed by Christ to ask for God’s forgiveness to the degree, and in the same manner in which, we forgive others.

In Mark 11:25, we see the interdependency of human forgiveness and God’s forgiveness stated by Jesus in another context.

(Mark 11:25-26 NASB) "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 transgressions. {26} "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."

Are we just to blindly forgive and be repeatedly walked on like a doormat? There is a prescribed manner in which to address sins or offenses by our brothers. It is found in Matthew 18:15. Over the years, there has been a lot of unnecessary carnality exhibited by professing Christians because they did not follow God’s commanded procedures.

(Mat 18:15-17 NASB) "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. {16} "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. {17} "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.

When people don’t follow these steps in this particular order, trouble usually ensues. Look at it again. First, go to your brother in private. That’s a one on one issue in private. In many cases, that will be enough. If it doesn’t remedy the situation, though, you are to go back to your brother with two or three other people along as witnesses. Only now, in the second step, is anyone else beside you made privy to your brother’s sin. If the second confrontation doesn’t work, only then are you to take the issue to the more public arena of the church. If he doesn’t listen to the church as a whole and repent of his sin, only then is there an end to patient procedures. You are to then disassociate yourself from your brother and treat him as an unrepentant sinner. It’s obvious though, that forgiveness is to always be kept right at the door. We should be ready and willing to show forgiveness to any brother at any time who turns and repents from his sin.

In many cases, people in God’s church have willingly denied themselves the sure and peaceful way to resolve their conflicts by not following God’s prescribed steps. When an issue arises, they may automatically jump to step number three by trying to take it to the church, in the form of the ministry. Not only is such a move out of step, it’s not complete because taking a brother’s sin to the minister is not what Christ said to do. Remember, the sequence of events goes from a very private confrontation to a more and more public arena. If you skip the first, most private step, you undermine the foundation of the whole process and doom yourself to failure.

There’s more to it, though, than most Christians think because they take verses 15 through 17 in isolation and don’t consider the whole context of Christ’s passage. Let’s look at the whole context in which Jesus was speaking by going back to the beginning of the chapter and starting from verse one.

(Mat 18:1-14 NASB) At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" {2} And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, {3} and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. {4} "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. {5} "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; {6} but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. {7} "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! {8} "And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. {9} "And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery hell. {10} "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven. {11} "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. {12} "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? {13} "And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. {14} "Thus it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

From Christ’s own words we can see that one of his purposes in coming to earth was "to save that which was lost." Jesus goes on to liken the lost one to a sheep that has gone astray. The shepherd of the flock shows such concern over even the least of his sheep that becomes lost that he is willing to leave the 99 others who have not gone astray in order to go find the one who has gone astray. It is in this context and with this background that Jesus then delivered the prescribed procedure for dealing with a brother’s sin.

In Luke 17:1, we can see that the subject of forgiveness is not totally in one direction.

(Luke 17:1-4 NASB) And He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come! {2} "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. {3} "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. {4} "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

So, there must be recognition of the sin or offense on the part of the brother. It is our duty to confront our brother over his sin, and if he repents, to forgive him. Verse four goes on to say that our duty, in the eyes of God, is to forgive virtually without limit when our brother comes to us in repentance.

Contrary to the attitude displayed by Cain when he asked God, "am I my brother’s keeper," it’s clear to see that, to a certain extent we are our brother’s keeper. When we witness our brother sinning, it is our responsibility to bring it to his or her attention.

There should be balance, however. We are neither to remain aloof when witnessing sin nor are we to pry into our brother’s daily personal life. In 2 Thessalonians 3:11, Paul addresses the subject of idle men. Notice, however, he finishes with a reinforcement of our personal responsibility toward our brother.

(2 Th 3:11-15 NASB) For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. {12} Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. {13} But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. {14} And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that man and do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. {15} And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

So, God expects us to keep a proper balance. We are responsible for exhorting our brothers to help them put away their sin yet we are not to be busybodies.

The other Greek word used by Christ for forgiveness is aphesis.

Aphesis is Strong’s #859 and it is defined by Thayer’s Greek Lexicon as 1) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission (forgiveness) of the penalty and 2) release from bondage or imprisonment.

In fact, in Mark 1:4, aphesis is even used to describe what John the Baptist was preaching in his ministry.

(Mark 1:4 NASB) John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness [that’s the pardon, remission, or release from the bondage] of sins.

In describing what the apostles in the New Testament church would be doing after his death, Jesus used the word aphesis in Luke 24:46 to show that they would be preaching a gospel about a pardon or a release from the bondage of sin.

(Luke 24:46-47 NASB) and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; {47} and that repentance for forgiveness [that’s aphesis] of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

When the time came in Acts 2:37, we see that the gospel message actually preached by the apostles was, indeed, one about the release from the bondage of sin.

(Acts 2:37-38 NASB) Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" {38} And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness [that’s aphesis] of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

In Ephesians 1:3, even the apostle Paul chose to use the same word when addressing the subject of our newness of life in Christ.

(Eph 1:3-8 NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, {4} just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love {5} He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, {6} to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. {7} In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness [that’s aphesis – the pardon, remission or release from the bondage] of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, {8} which He lavished upon us.

In Acts 13:36, when Paul was speaking to the Jews in the synagogue at Antioch, he used the word aphesis again.

(Acts 13:36-38 NASB) "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay; {37} but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. {38} "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness [that’s aphesis] of sins is proclaimed to you,

David often asked God for forgiveness or pardon. The word he used is Strong’s #5545 salach, and it means to forgive or pardon. We can find it in Psalms 25:11.

(Psa 25:11 NASB) For Thy name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

We can also find it used in Pslams 103:2.

(Psa 103:2-3 NASB) Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; {3} Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases;

In Daniel 9:9, Daniel used a form of the same word to describe God’s nature.

(Dan 9:9 NASB) "To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;

It’s clear to see that our God is one of compassion and forgiveness. We owe allegiance to him, as his servants, by following the steps he has prescribed in extending forgiveness to our brothers.

A very clear instance of compassion and forgiveness dispensed by the physical government of God in ancient Israel is recorded for us in the book of Joshua. When the tribes of Israel first prepared to cross the Jordan River and enter the land promised to them by God, their first challenge confronted them in the fortified bastion known as the city of Jericho.

In Joshua 2:1, because of the unknown, Joshua sent spies to gather information for him to be better prepared to meet the challenge.

(Josh 2:1-15 NASB) Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there. {2} And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." {3} And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." {4} But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. {5} "And it came about when it was time to shut the gate, at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." {6} But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. {7} So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate. {8} Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, {9} and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. {10} "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. {11} "And when we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. {12} "Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, {13} and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." {14} So the men said to her, "Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." {15} Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.

Joshua kept his word and preserved the lives of Rahab and her household in Joshua 6:15 when he gave the Israelites precise instructions on the day when they were to attack the city of Jericho.

(Josh 6:15-17 NASB) Then it came about on the seventh day that they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times. {16} And it came about at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. {17} "And the city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

So, they did in verse 21.

(Josh 6:21-25 NASB) And they utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword. {22} And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her." {23} So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives, and placed them outside the camp of Israel. {24} And they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. {25} However, Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

A casual reading of the previous scriptures would lead some to believe there really wasn’t anything special about Rahab’s actions. After all, it looks like she was just out to save her own skin. God reveals to us, however, that there was more to it than what just meets the eye. There were both physical and the spiritual components. The author of Hebrews makes that clear when Rahab is listed among the great examples of faith in Hebrews 11.

(Heb 11:30-31 NASB) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days. {31} By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

There wasn’t much more said about Rahab in the Old Testament, particularly of what happened to her after the fall of Jericho but we can piece things together to help complete the picture when we take into account Matthew 1:5.

(Mat 1:5-6 NASB) and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; {6} and to Jesse was born David the king.

So, you see, Rahab was not only saved from death, she was allowed to marry into the congregation of Israel and to actually become the mother of Boaz, the great grandfather of David and the head of the line that led to Joseph, the father of Christ, in the promised land.

What an honor and what an example of forgiveness! Just think of it for a minute. Most people just gloss over that: "Oh, "Rahab was the great, great grandmother of David. Big deal." Well, it was a big deal when you analyze it. As a Canaanite, Rahab was an enemy of Israel and she was worthy of death, along with the rest of the Canaanites throughout the whole land because of their abominable way of life lived in rebellion against God. Through faith, however, God turned her heart and used her mightily to preserve his people and he even enshrined her among the mighty examples of faith written in the Bible for our instruction.

Obviously, Rahab repented of her sins. She had been a harlot and had repeatedly broken the seventh commandment as her very way of life. Through the fear of God, however, she repented. She was not only regretful for her past sins, she changed her behavior. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been admitted into the congregation of Israel unless she agreed to live by the laws of God. When she displayed her faith to God by her changed deeds, God was compassionate, merciful, and forgiving to the degree that he elevated her to a position of honor on account of her very repentance and faith.

So far, we have addressed forgiveness on a human, physical level. How, though, does God look at forgiveness on the spiritual level and what can we learn from the spiritual level that we can also apply to our physical lives?

In Hebrews 8:8, the new covenant to be implemented in the world tomorrow is outlined for us and shows us how the Father will treat our sins at that time.

(Heb 8:8-12 NASB) For finding fault with them, He says, "BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; {9} NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. {10} "FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM UPON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. {11} "AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. {12} "FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE."

In the world today, we hear the phrase "forgive and forget." While people in the world may temporarily "forgive" others, they seldom "forget" about an issue of offense. There’s an old American phrase about settling differences between neighbors termed as "burying the hatchet"; but there’s also an old proverb that states, "no one ever forgets where he buried the hatchet." That’s not, however, how our Father looks at our sins. Notice verse twelve again.

(Heb 8:12 NASB) "FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE."

God will not just be merciful and forgive our sins; he will not remember them. He will forget them.

What we just read in Hebrews 8 is a quotation of Jeremiah 31 and the future new covenant God will establish with his people. So, we can see it declared, both in the Old Testament and again in the New Testament, that God promises his servants true forgiveness and a wonderful future world of peace.

In Isaiah 43:25, God again says he will not remember our sins but this time the reason for forgiveness is a bit different.

(Is 43:25 NASB) "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

It is for God’s own sake and for his own purpose that he is willing to forgive and to forget our sins. If God is willing to forget our sins upon our repentance, isn’t it incumbent upon us to likewise forget our brother’s sins upon his repentance?

King David was a man of great experience in applying God’s laws in varying aspects of life. He didn’t always do things the right way because he didn’t always obey God, just as we often don’t. In Psalms 32:1, however, we can see his outlook on life and his trust in the surety of God’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

(Psa 32:1-2 NASB) How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! {2} How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

After understanding all this, we might ask how it is that God can actually forgive our sins merely upon our repentance. That’s because we have an intercessor, a kinsman redeemer, as we’ve studied before.

We know God establishes the standards: his holy, righteous standards of acceptable conduct. We know we continually fall short of meeting those standards; but God also provided for us one of our own family who stepped in and paid the debt we incurred when we became slaves to unrighteousness. The author of Hebrews knew all about it. He made the connection with the Aaronic priests, who repeatedly offered sacrifices for the sins of the people under the terms of the Old Covenant, and compared them with our redeemer whose sacrifice of much greater value was offered only once and accepted on our behalf by the Father under the terms of the New Covenant. We can find that explained in detail in Hebrews 9:11.

(Heb 9:11-28 KJV) But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; {12} Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. {13} For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: {14} How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? {15} And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. {16} For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. {17} For a testament [speaking of a last will and testament] is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. {18} Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. {19} For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, {20} Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. {21} Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. {22} And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. {23} It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. {24} For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: {25} Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; {26} For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. {27} And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: {28} So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

So we revel in the sacrifice of Christ made on our behalf. It is only through that selfless sacrifice that our sins against God and his righteous law have been taken away and erased from our account. As Boaz, the son of Rahab, fulfilled the role of the kinsman redeemer for Ruth and Naomi, and as he pictured the type of our great kinsman redeemer to come in the person of Christ, so we have been forgiven and now have the opportunity for a new life in Christ as true sons of God as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

(2 Cor 5:17-19 NASB) Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. {18} Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, {19} namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

We’ve learned many things about forgiveness today. While there are other scriptures showing different aspects of God’s forgiveness, the scriptures we’ve seen today shed more light upon what God expects of us and how we are to use and to dispense forgiveness. Forgiveness includes mercy and compassion; but the real meanings of the words show that forgiveness includes the "sending away" of the sins or offenses as well as the "pardoning" or the "release from bondage" of the penalty of sinning.

We saw that there is a God-ordained, step-by-step process for conflict resolution when dealing with a brother’s sin. That process goes from a very private, personal issue to a more and more public confrontation to ostracism by the body of believers or the ecclesia. In any event, though, it is our commanded duty to be willing and ready to forgive a brother at any time if he is willing to repent and ask for forgiveness. To disobey or circumvent God’s prescribed process is to ask for failure at resolutions.

As also described by Christ in Matthew 18, we saw that God cares for each of us as a shepherd cares for his sheep. He is jealous to guard every one and doesn’t automatically dismiss the few wanderers in order to safeguard the bulk of the flock. In fact, he cares for them and he expects his shepherds to care so much for the lost sheep that they should be willing to temporarily abandon the flock to search for the lost sheep and to rejoice at the finding and return of the lost sheep.

Is that the duty of the shepherds only? No, it is also our duty and our responsibility, individually.

There is a way for each of us to be involved in the process of forgiveness extended to a brother. In fact, our personal involvement is so important to God that he has built a reward into that process. We all want rewards, don’t we?

Well, we should always keep in mind the reward that God promises each of us in James 5:19. If we follow the process prescribed by God, we are assured of gaining more of God’s favor. After all, we can never have too much of God’s favor.

(James 5:19-20 NASB) My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, {20} let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.

We need to live our lives by the standards and the procedures established by God in his scriptures. Remember the old saying, "when all else fails, read the directions." God has given us specific and detailed directions for conflict resolution. We need to apply those procedures in all aspects of our lives. Always be ready to freely dispense forgiveness when asked by a brother, even when asked repeatedly. Know that God has forgiven you much more frequently, and for much more heinous crimes than you could ever be asked by one of your brothers. So, as God has extended to each of us the gift of forgiveness well beyond what we deserve, we have no right to begrudge forgiveness to any of our brothers.

Most of all, when we forgive others, remember the required depth of forgiveness. We are not to forgive just superficially or half-heartedly. We are to forgive from the heart with full forgiveness.

Now, go and do likewise.

Studies in the Word of God
 

Church of God Most High
P.O. Box 89741 
Tucson, AZ 85752-9741
USA

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