![]() That means that if my brother offends me and I forgive him, then I “send away” the offense from myself and from him so that it is never brought up again. In Matthew 6:14 Jesus shows us what forgiveness really is: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” The Greek word for forgive is “ aphiēmi” which means “to send away,” to “depart,” or “to yield up” which means you send away from ever being in the presence of either party. What the Bible defines as forgiveness is much broader and more comprehensive than what the world believes. We can say we can forgive and forget but can we really forget? It is possible to forgive, but is it humanly possible to forget? Not likely. For the person who was offended it could be giving up the right to hurt those who have hurt you. It is not condoning the offense or act but the person who forgives may gain the ability to even wish the offender well. It might even be a willingness to let go of negative emotions toward someone such as vengeance. If you were to ask someone off the street what forgiveness meant they might say it’s the act of forgiving someone of something, having a willingness to forgive someone from something that they’ve done or said to you or the voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in attitude or feelings in which an offense was inflicted upon them. 5-6) cannot possibly be limited by frequency or quantity for, as the ensuing parable shows ( vv.23-35), all of them have been forgiven far more than they will ever forgive.The world’s definition of forgiveness is remarkably different from that which the Bible describes. Rather, he teaches that forgiveness of fellow members in his community of "little ones" (see comment on vv. Jesus is not saying that seventy-seven times is the upper limit, nor that the forgiveness is so unqualified that it vitiates the discipline and procedural step just taught ( vv.15-20). Jesus' response alludes to Ge 4:24: Lamech's revenge is transformed into a principle of forgiveness. Peter, thinking himself big-hearted, volunteers "seven times" in answer to his own question. ![]() In rabbinic discussion, the consensus was that a person might be forgiven a repeated sin three times on the fourth, there was no forgiveness. Sinners are perceived as cleansed from moral imperfections and from the injustices that separate them from God.Ģ1-22 The issue here is not the adjudication of the church, still less the absolute granting of forgiveness by the church (only God and Jesus can ultimately forgive sins), but personal forgiveness (cf. The verb used for "forgive" has at its roots the idea of the "cancellation of debts" or the "dismissal of charges." The verb used for "purifies" pictures an act of cleansing from the pollution of sin so that a new life of holiness may begin. It is a corollary of the fact that God is light and love. The phrase "he is faithful and just" includes all those things. And certainly God's mercy must not be set against his justice. The force of God's being "just" points to the Cross, to the covenant, to God's rule over us, and to the attributes of God from which forgiveness flows. And in keeping this promise, God reveals his faithfulness and justice. Everywhere he promises forgiveness to his children (e.g., Jer 31:34 Mic 7:19-20). 2Ti 2:13), and faithful to his promises (cf. God is faithful in himself, i.e., to his own nature (cf. The forgiveness that comes is related to God's faithfulness and justice. The plural "sins" makes clear that we affirm our sinfulness by confessing our sins. And we can confess our "sins" to God and before other people fearlessly and in confidence because God is both faithful and just. Those who confess their sins and condemn them are linked to God. Walking in the light is demonstrated not by the denial of sin but by confessing it and abandoning it. Read more from Expositors Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testamentĩ John now confronts us with our second definite test of obedience. "As" further implies that our forgiveness of others is to be like God's forgiveness of us. for the sins of the whole world" ( 1Jn 2:2). Paul sets forth the strongest possible motive: Christians must forgive one another because all of them have already been forgiven by God in Christ, when he became "the atoning sacrifice. Mutual forgiveness is a further mark of true Christian fellowship ( Col 3:13) it requires a give and take. The ancients located the seat of the emotions in the internal organs-liver, kidneys, and larger viscera. "Compassionate" is a rare word, related to the intestines. To be "kind" is to show a sweet and generous disposition. "Be" is really "become," for Paul realizes that his readers have not yet attained "the full measure of perfection found in Christ" ( v.13). 32 Having put aside these malicious traits, Christians will instead display kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
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