Forgiveness (Bulletin article for January 1)
What a beautiful word “forgiveness” is. We feel great relief when we have wronged someone and they grant us forgiveness. We understand that a person does not have to forgive, but, rather, they want to forgive. Also, we obviously feel the greatest relief when we know that our sins are forgiven by our heavenly Father. Let’s notice just 3 facts from the Bible about our forgiveness.
First, we can learn from God’s Word that forgiveness is reciprocal; in other words, we can only gain forgiveness if we grant forgiveness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Can we really expect God to forgive us if we continually hold things against our fellow man? In the model prayer, Jesus told His disciples to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Notice that, after the “model prayer” Jesus only commented on one aspect of it: forgiveness! Finally, Jesus told His listeners, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).
Secondly, we can learn that forgiveness is “received” at the point of baptism. People want their sins to be forgiven. Anyone, whether a member of the Lord’s Church or not, who believes in God, has a sense of his or her own sinful nature. He or she wants to learn how to have those sins removed. Is it by the “sinner’s prayer”? Is it through a priest? Is it by doing good works? The Bible gives the answer, and it does so in the first recorded Gospel sermon. In Acts 2:38, Peter, answering how to remove the sin of crucifying Jesus, said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” What happens when one is baptized? His sins are remitted. The English Standard Version translates that phrase “for the forgiveness of your sins” (emphasis added). Obviously, no other way is given in the New Testament for one’s sins to be forgiven. Any other way taught in the religious world is simply man’s idea. Wouldn’t you rather follow God’s way?
Thirdly, we are responsible for doing those things which are required in order to obtain salvation. No one can make me become a Christian. No one can make me truly forgive other people. A parent might tell his or her little child, “Tell Sally that you’re sorry,” and that little child might say the words. Sally then has a choice, doesn’t she? She can either say, “It’s okay, I forgive you,” or she can choose not to. The same is true, even in adult relationships. We have the choice to forgive or not, and no one can make that choice for us. However, in order to gain heaven, we must do what God says, and that includes forgiving others.
While difficult, forgiveness is required if I want to go to Heaven.
