Conflict? Ask Ken: Is Bibilical Forgiveness Conditional? Yes!
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Thu, March 31, 2005
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The critical question that needs to be answered here is, “how does God forgive us?� Let's answer this question in two ways. First, how does God forgive us as Christians, His children, those born-again? The answer is found in 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.� Is God willing to enter into full fellowship with us in our daily lives when we refuse to acknowledge our sins against Him? According to this verse, the answer is no. God's forgiveness toward us in our walk with Him, those who are destined to spend eternity with Him, occurs only when we acknowledge our sins. Until then, His sweet fellowship in our daily lives is withheld.
Second, how does God forgive those who have never entered into a relationship with Him? Consider three passages: “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins� (Luke 3:3). “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem� (Luke 24:45-47). “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit� (Acts 2:38).
These and other verses make it clear that God's forgiveness is conditional on a person's repentant heart. To argue otherwise, of course, would be to undercut the gospel and preach a universalism (everyone's saved no matter what) which the Scriptures know nothing of. Accordingly, since we are to forgive others as God in Christ forgives us, repentance must precede forgiveness.
A different line of Biblical evidence that indicates that forgiveness is conditional on repentance comes from Luke 17:3-4. Jesus is speaking and says, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him.� When does forgiveness come, according to Jesus, before repentance of after? The answer is after. In other words, there is no limit on the number of times a person is to be forgiven. But in Jesus' teaching, no such grace is extended to the unrepentant.�
DISCUSSION: More can be said and will be said in a future posting. There are numerous related issues that need to be addressed, and will be. My immediate goal in this article is to present a position, held by other Christians (including John Schlaack, March 21, 2005 12:09 pm, Are Some Offenses Unforgivable?) but probably not heard as often. What are your thoughts on this critically important and emotional issue, and why?
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© 2005 Kenneth C. Newberger
Ken Newberger, an experienced church conflict resolution specialist, earned his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, has ten years senior pastoral experience, and is in the dissertation phase for his Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University, one of only two accredited doctoral programs of its kind in the United States. If your church needs help resolving conflict, if you need individual coaching, or if you would like to introduce a proactive conflict management system into your church, please visit Ken's website at http://www.ResolveChurchConflict.com or call 301-253-8877.
This week, Church Conflict Resolution Specialist Ken Newberger continues his series on the tough topic of forgiveness. One of the most practical questions relating to forgiveness is this: according to the Bible, is forgiveness dependent upon the repentance of the offender? My exposure to popular books and articles, on balance, suggest that the answer is “no.� My study of Scripture, however, yields an answer of “yes.�
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Patrick Gaffney on Thu, March 31, 2005
The problem with this logic is idea is this: Did Christ wait to die for us until we understand what he did. No. Christ died for us while we still hate him. We are forgiven. It’s a question of whether we except the forgiveness or not.
Art on Thu, March 31, 2005
Uh, that’s not quite correct Patrick. When Christ died on the cross, potential for individual forgiveness of sin was made possible. Not everyone is forgiven. What was “forgiven” was the debt owed to God for sin. Christ paid the penalty for everyone’s sin, but not everyone is forgiven. That comes with repentance on the part of the individual.
John Earp on Thu, March 31, 2005
I agree with the writer’s conclusions.
However, I always hasten to add that we must vigilantly guard ourselves from developing a bitter, vengeful, grudge-holding attitude, and we must, as our Father God does, maintain a sincere attitude of LOVE for our enemies, with a disposition, desire and willingness to forgive, if at all possible.
With regard to Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, nowhere in Scripture is this most holy of all events ever said to effect a sort of automatic forgiveness, in which repentance and faith in the atonement is not required. Also, nowhere in Scripture is Christ’s atoning death ever referred to as payment of a debt. “Ransom,” yes, “debt,” no.
If Christ’s death was in fact a “payment of debt,” and if, as Scripture plainly says, his death was for “every man” and “for the sins of the whole world,” then sheer universalism necessarily follows. This is a plain fact of logic.
If on the other hand, we stay with the scriptural metaphor of Christ’s death being a “ransom/redemption price,” with the benefits of that ransom payment being entered into by faith on the part of each individual believer, then the difficulty is removed.
Are you washed in the blood?
Sincerely,
John
C had on Thu, March 31, 2005
Just for discussion, because I have not yet put much thought into this, how are we to understand Jesus’ forgiveness statement on the cross? They offenders did not know what they were doing, much less that it was sin, and thus did not seek forgiveness. Also, if true love keeps no record of wrongs, how am I to practice this while reserving forgiveness until the time I hear those magic words: I’m sorry. I am not remotely suggesting a universalist approach to this matter. I am merely putting out a thought for discussion. Thanks for making me think.
John Earp on Thu, March 31, 2005
I think Jesus expressed a sincere DESIRE of His (and of God’s) from the Cross, when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” At the very most, this statement could mean they were forgiven for this particular act on account of their ignorance, but that would not mean that all their other (and our other) sins are forgiven in this way.
About keeping no record of wrongs, the way I practice this is (at the risk of sounding like a smart-aleck) is to simply keep no record of wrongs. That doesn’t mean I forgive those wrongs, it just means I consciously make a point NOT to keep track of them, and if someone were to come to me and ask forgiveness, I would certainly give it.
John
Art on Thu, March 31, 2005
“If on the other hand, we stay with the scriptural metaphor of Christ’s death being a “ransom/redemption price,” with the benefits of that ransom payment being entered into by faith on the part of each individual believer, then the difficulty is removed.”
Thanks John. You said better what I was trying to get across.
Lorrie on Thu, March 31, 2005
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We may be wronged by someone who has no understanding of Christian principles and sincerely believe they acted rightly in a worldly manner such as manipulating their place into the bosses favor by undercutting those around him. He will never apologize and yet we must pray for and love him as Christ commands us to and forgive him. Early in a Christian’s walk, sometimes truth in it’s fullness {which we are all still getting]is not known and sin against God unknowingly and yet he is still made clean by Christ’s blood. So, God forgives us and He wants us to forgive like Him so I believe scripture wants us to forgive even if the offending party does not want to apologize out of ignorance on their part.
Gene on Thu, March 31, 2005
I have to disagree with the post by Lorrie. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. However, we still have to repent. Unless we repent His blood does not make us clean. Part of repentance is accepting his payment for our sins. The attitude you showed is one of the problems in the church if I correctly understood your post. No one wants to deal with the harsh reality that not everyone is forgiven and therefore many, even those that attend church, are destine for Hell because of a lack of repentance.
Patrick Gaffney on Fri, April 01, 2005
Yes, we have to repent. But repentence is NOT what saves us. The work is done by Christ. And that work is done, weather or not we accept it.
God loved us while we were still sinners. He didn’t wait to go to the cross untill we understood about him. He went there and said “Here is my forgivness, waiting for you to accpet it.” And that is the model we are to follow as Christians.
As Christians, we are not allowed to hold the gruge and be angry when we are wronger. We are the ones that are the peacemakers. The ones who are the be light and salt. We are not to be like the rest of the world standing in the corner saying “He has to say sorry first.”
Even if I forgive someone who has wronged me, the relationship is not restored if withhold their accpetence of the forgivness. It’s the same with God and us. He has forgiven us. We need now to come to Him, in humbleness and repentance, excpet that forgivness, and show we are sorry for what we have done with our lifes.
bernie dehler on Fri, April 01, 2005
Christ said “forgive them for they know not what they do.” Obviously, “they” didn’t seek forgiveness, yet Christ forgave them. I suggest we do the same.
I will NEVER harbor unforgiveness. It’s very counter-productive, unhealthy, and damaging. I’d rather live free from unforgiveness.
...Bernie
http://www.FreeGoodNews.com
Lorrie on Fri, April 01, 2005
If biblical forgiveness is dependent on the repentance of the offender, does this mean that you can never forgive someone who has sinned against you and has passed away before the issue was resovlved? This would be very damaging to the survivors as it would set the stage for bitterness, anger and a sense of bondage to the sinner. Also, does this mean we would lose our salvation if we passed away before being able to repent of a current sin such as pride, arrogance, impatience, unjustified anger at the driver in front of us as you make it sound like forgiveness would be dependent on the repentance of the sinner?
Renee on Sun, April 03, 2005
I think that sometimes we debate areas that Jesus did not specifically address to us because we forget to look at the passage as a whole. In Luke 17, Jesus tells us “Woe to that person through whom they (offenses) come”, and then to rebuke our “brothers” when they sin, and forgive them when they repent. This tells me a few things. First, this passage is saying that the purpose for rebuking a brother is to help him avoid the consequences of his open sin. Second, that the people we are rebuking are brothers, or those who are already saved. And third, we are to forgive them after they repent, thus at least sparing them broken relationships with their brothers in Christ. I think we should be careful about turning the debate into a question of should we forgive everyone for everything. Jesus was addressing the issue of loving our brothers enough to watch out for them, rebuke them, then forgive them when they repent. If we then consider I Corinthians 5, we find a similar passage in that Paul tells us when fellow believers are committing open sins, we need to address it and expect repentance. Note that Paul doesn’t say to just forgive the man and move on. Why? Because that sin will contaminate other believers in the church and cause damage to their lives as well. It must be repented of, and Paul goes as far as to say to expel that person from the church. Notice that he says in verses 12 and 13 that it is not our business to judge those outside the church, that is God’s job. But it is expected that we take care of sin inside the church, and repentance must take place. That says to me, it’s not my call to forgive or not forgive those who hurt me outside of the church. It’s God’s business to do that. Then we must remember that in 2 Corinthians 2:1-11, Paul refers back to this situation and says that this sinner’s punishment and sorrow is enough, and that the believers need to forgive and restore him. So my point is, remember the intention of the passage before you begin debating forgiveness in general. And when it comes to fellow believers, it’s not a matter of being the better man and forgiving them to show your goodness. It’s a matter of addressing sin and expecting repentance for the good of other believers watching, and for the good of the sinner. His relationship with God is hindered and he needs to address his sin in order to make things right.
Patrick Gaffney on Sun, April 03, 2005
Renee-
I agree with everything you said, and I thank you for sharring it. My problems what what was said in this article comes from the author Stating that God is withhould his forgivness until some repents. And that we are to do that same.
“These and other verses make it clear that God’s forgiveness is conditional on a person’s repentant heart. To argue otherwise, of course, would be to undercut the gospel and preach a universalism (everyone’s saved no matter what) which the Scriptures know nothing of. Accordingly, since we are to forgive others as God in Christ forgives us, repentance must precede forgiveness.”
This is very flawed. God’s forgivness is universal in the sense that it is for everyone. Does it mean that everyone will be saved. No. Why not? Because not everyone chooses to accept that forgivness and make themselves right with God.
Also, if repentance is needed for forgivness- it is no longer a “free gift” (Romans 6:23.) There is now a cost.
bernie dehler on Mon, April 04, 2005
Patrick, well said:
“This is very flawed. God’s forgivness is universal in the sense that it is for everyone. Does it mean that everyone will be saved. No. Why not? Because not everyone chooses to accept that forgivness and make themselves right with God.”
I agree 100% Can someone actually advocate that we should, under ANY cicumstance, harbor unforgiveness??? That would be spiritual sickness, I think, and damaging to the soul… as well as to the physical body… It’s just too stressful to be unforgiving! You need to forgive everyone in order to fly…
...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
John E on Mon, April 04, 2005
In discussions about this, it has been my experience that people generally confuse the emotional definition of “unforgiveness” with the LEGAL definition of it (like forgiving something that is owed you). No one, as far as I can tell, has said that we ever are justified in “harboring unforgiveness,” if by that you mean bitterness, spite, anger, vengefulness, etc. These things are what are covered in simply walking in love, as Christ loved us. If we truly are of the right mindset (minding the Spirit), we will not harbor “unforgiveness” emotionally speaking.
However, keeping our hearts pure does not mean we have to “just forgive” unconditionally, *legally* speaking. We are not to ever hold grudges, bitterness, and the like (the emotional state generally, but erroneously, referred to as “unforgiveness.”)
Also, I would sincerely like to see even one clear reference in Scripture that says everyone is ALREADY forgiven by God, they just need to accept it. I’ve never been able to find such a statement in all of the Bible.
Blessings,
John E
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