Not because I disdain forgiveness, or consider it anything less than essential to the Christian life. Stephen prays, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Did Christ answer Stephen prayer? He did in at least one case – Saul/Paul.First, a confession: I feel ambivalent about writing an essay on forgiveness. I believe the only conclusion we can make is that – at some point in their lives – these men repent of their sin, and God forgives them. I believe His request pertains to something that’s going to happen in the future. Third, Christ asks His Father to forgive these men. Interestingly, Christ doesn’t offer forgiveness to the other thief who ridicules Him. Christ utters this declaration of forgiveness in response to the thief’s confession of sin. Although the term isn’t used, forgiveness is clearly implied. Second, Christ does forgive one of the thieves on the cross: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Why doesn’t He offer them forgiveness at that very moment? Why doesn’t He turn to them, and say, “I offer you unconditional forgiveness for what you’re doing.” How do we reconcile this understanding of biblical forgiveness with Christ’s words in Luke 23:34? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Note three details:įirst, Christ has authority to forgive sins (Luke 5:20–24 7:49), but He doesn’t forgive these men. And so, what comforts Paul in the face of Alexander’s obstinate sin? Here it is: Paul rests in the undeniable fact that God “will repay him according to his deeds.” But without repentance, true biblical forgiveness is impossible. Undoubtedly, he would have forgiven Alexander if he had repented of his sin. Undoubtedly, he would have been kind to Alexander if given the opportunity. Undoubtedly, Paul mortified his desire for personal revenge. How did Alexander harm Paul? We don’t know the details, but we do know it involved “great harm.” Take note: Paul doesn’t offer Alexander unconditional forgiveness. On one occasion, he writes, “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm the Lord will repay him according to his deeds” (2 Tim. In the case of those who refuse to repent, there’s no forgiveness – only the certain expectation of judgment. Although it might seem that those who abuse and misuse others are escaping the consequences of their actions, Paul assures us that God is a glorious Avenger. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom. The cross strengthens us to wait for the Avenger. And what if they refuse to repent? That brings us to the next point. We offer this same conditional forgiveness to those who’ve wronged us. Where there’s forgiveness, there’s restoration. How does God forgive us? Where there’s repentance, there’s forgiveness. “Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. When we contemplate the cross, we’re overwhelmed by God’s love for us, and we’re compelled to extend compassion to others – even those who’ve hated and abused us. The cross compels us to offer conditional forgiveness. The cross engenders meekness, enabling us to seek the good of others. It enables us to mortify the desire for personal revenge. The cross moves us to squash hatred and bitterness. We define ourselves by what God says about us in Christ. We no longer define ourselves by how others have mistreated us. The cross enables us to escape the prison of the past. How do we react to those who wrong us and victimize us? How do we counsel those who are victims of crime, abandonment, slander, betrayal, or abuse? We remain focused on the cross. In other words, the same essential ingredients must be present when we forgive. God calls us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. All that to say: God’s forgiveness is conditional, not unconditional. But there’s no restoration without forgiveness, and there’s no forgiveness without repentance. As a result, they’re reconciled and restored to Him. God forgives those who repent on the basis of His satisfied justice in Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice. How does God forgive? There are two essential ingredients: justice and repentance. Biblical forgiveness isn’t an emotion, but a transaction. But this concept of forgiveness is actually foreign to Scripture. This definition is now accepted orthodoxy within the church. In so doing, it turns forgiveness into an emotion.
Simply put, it defines forgiveness as ceasing to feel anger or resentment toward a person who has wronged you. I am indebted to Chris Brauns for his insights in Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008).Ī concept known as “therapeutic forgiveness” came into vogue in the 1980s.
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