Being Forgiven by God means you can Forget your sin. On a blog called 'Forgiven Forget', it's about time I define what I mean by forgiveness!
Over the next 4 days I'm going to try and explain how I think the Bible defines forgiveness. I want to explore what forgiveness commonly looks like in human relationships, but ultimately what forgiveness uncommonly looks like in its perfect exhibition as shown to humans by God.
So here's the first part of a working definition:
Forgiveness is:
undeserved love.
Forgiveness is what happens when a wronged party chooses to act towards a wrongdoing party as if no wrong had been committed. It is a one-way choice of a person who has been the victim of offence, to treat the offender as if he had done nothing.
As an example, imagine I've agreed to meet my wife Sophie in town after work, but I turn up an hour late. She's understandably hurt, and I've been wrong to not value her enough to turn up on time, or at least let her know I'll be late.
Even if I repeatedly apologise - "How many times do I have to say it? I'm sorry!" - she does not have to forgive me. Even if I try to make up for my wrongdoing - "Look, I've made you dinner. Now will you forgive me?" - I still can't demand her forgiveness. Forgiveness can't be earned, or bought. It's undeserved.
And it's loving to forgive, because the person who has been wronged must put aside all thoughts of personal hurt or revenge, and treat the wrongdoer as before.
In human situations, the waters of forgiveness are often muddy. Sophie might grant forgiveness, not solely out of undeserved love, but because she knows it's unlike me to stand her up. She might forgive for the sake of keeping our marriage steady. Or she might forgive because she's too tired to be angry and just wants to go home and get some sleep.
But God's forgiveness to us is truly undeserved, and the more we appreciate that, the greater we will value what he's done as a result.
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us
Romans 5:8 (NIV)It was not after we'd pleased God by attending church twice every Sunday for 2 years that Jesus died to provide forgiveness. It was not once our charity giving passed a certain point. It was not even once God saw that we were nice people and treated others as we wanted to be treated. It was while we were still sinners.
Sinners are not just criminals, or people having affairs, or even just people who steal and lie and cheat. Sinners are people who make all the choices for their lives - who have no real time for God or his plans. To sin is to put 'I', 'me', 'myself' first, and not God.
And while we ignored him, and rejected him, and showed no respect, regard or delight in him, he still sent Jesus to die to accomplish our forgiveness. Wow! That's forgiveness: undeserved love.
Forgiveness = undeserved love / acts as if no wrong had been comitted. What about if the forgiven person has not repented and there's an ongoing likelihood of being hurt again? Surely there can be forgiveness even with changed behaviour toward the offending person to avoid future hurt?