On September 8, 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted a full pardon to former President Richard Nixon. From that point on Nixon was legally forgiven. All investigations and indictments were ended. Eight days later Ford granted amnesty to all those who had avoided the draft illegally, as well as those who deserted to other countries during the Viet Nam war period. Ford’s acts of forgiveness were the most controversial of all his presidential acts. We all want forgiveness for ourselves, we are just not sure if others should have it.
Sometimes we are confused about forgiveness. Should we forgive everyone regardless of what they have done? The media is quick to show the other side of criminals and tries to convince us that the reason people commit brutal, violent crimes is that they came from dysfunctional or abusive home situations. Recently, a young woman who smothered her child to death got off because of her lawyer’s pleas concerning her “chaotic life.” Sometimes you get the feeling that no one is to blame for anything they have done. And most of us have well formed defense mechanisms that provide us with excuses and shield us with from the truth and guilt of what we have done. Who should be forgiven, and who should not? Do we have to do something to deserve it? Is it automatic, or conditional? It bothers us, as it should, when we see our courts continually allow known criminals escape justice and walk away, perhaps due to some obscure technicality, as if they were perfectly innocent. That kind of forgiveness angers us because it perpetuates the problem rather than curing it. We render the concept of forgiveness meaningless when no one has to accept any of the consequences of their behavior. And that is true whether we are talking about the criminals in our jails, the church members in our pews, or the children in our homes
There are many who feel that this is the kind of dismissive forgiveness we are talking about when we talk about God’s forgiveness. It is a concept called Universalism. It is the theory that says everyone will be forgiven in the end, no matter what they have done and no matter whether they have done about it. The thinking is that God is a God of love, and it is impossible for him to really punish someone. He may make them wait to get into heaven, but eventually everyone will definitely get there. The drug pushers, the rapists, murderers, abusers and gossips will all finally get in because God can do nothing else but forgive.
A French philosopher laying on his death bed was asked whether he was ready to meet God. His reply was: “God will forgive, that is his job.” We think God is like a parent who does not have the heart to discipline his child. He will never do the things he has threatened. We are like the man who said, “God likes to forgive sin, and I like to commit sin, so it all works out very well.”
In the book of Jeremiah we read the story of King Jehoiakim. Jeremiah the prophet had written words of judgment from the Lord warning what God would do if Jehoiakim, and the people of Israel, did not turn away from the great evil that they practiced and loved in their hearts. Included in the writing was God’s call to return to him and discover his love once more. The scroll, with the words of the Lord as they came from Jeremiah, was brought to the king. But as it was read the king was offended. It was treason to say that the country was no longer favored by God and that judgment was coming. They believed that God would never do those things and so, as you remember, Jehoiakim cut off pieces of the scroll as it was being read and dropped them into the fire until the entire scroll was burned. He believed God would simply overlook any wrongdoing and keep the nation from any consequences of its behavior. But we know from history that was a serious mistake on the part of King Jehoiakim. The scriptural warnings are not to be taken lightly. If we want to know how seriously God takes sin all we have to do is look at the cross.
There are conditions of the heart that must be met before forgiveness is granted. If this were not true, it would mean that God did not take his own laws and commandments seriously. It would mean that the rules he has made are not truly important. It would be saying that God is, after all, indifferent to moral evil. But we know that God is not indifferent at all. The Bible says that he hates sin and loves righteousness (Isaiah 61:8). He is not indifferent to sin and evil anymore than he is indifferent to righteousness. I believe in the forgiveness of sins — not the excusing of sins.
At the other extreme from universalism is legalism. Here we find the feeling that it is very difficult to be forgiven, and it is very easy to make God angry at you. In fact, there is the feeling that he is just waiting for you to do something wrong and is happy when he can find something displeasing about you. God is hard to satisfy, and you have to work hard and long before you can please him, if it is at all possible. These people tend to define being a Christian in terms of the things a person does not do. There are some groups who like to lay down all kinds of rules regarding conduct. Some believe you have to believe in a certain way or be baptized by a certain method. It used to be that some groups claimed that you could not be a Christian and wear jewelry of any kind, even if it is a wedding band. Going to a dance or movies, drinking alcohol — all were a sure sign that you do not have any religion. Any one of a hundred other things, is a sin. They reduce the Christian life to a set of rules, and the one with the most rules wins. They define the Christian life very narrowly and believe there is no hope for people who do not obey their rules. But that is exactly the attitude that Jesus condemned in the Pharisees. They condemned people for unbelievable trifling things and loaded on the guilt. Jesus said that the Pharisees had created an unbearable burden for people which they were unwilling to relieve.
Interestingly enough, this legalism led to the worst sin of all — spiritual pride. They felt they had achieved acceptance with God because of their exceptional obedience in all the minute details. They fasted, tithed and prayed according to all the established rules they had made for themselves. Because they did not do so many of the things that everyone else did, they believed God accepted them on the basis of their righteous life, and had earned their forgiveness through personal achievement.
Legalism in our day is usually more subtle. A person once said to me: “I don’t understand this forgiveness thing.” He was referring to the people who had once lived an immoral lifestyle, but now talked about being forgiven and living for God. He was confused by people who witnessed to a change in their lives. He could not understand how a person could be immoral one day, and be a “good Christian” the next. He had always been a basically moral person, and there was a note of resentment that these people were now considered Christians, some would say better Christians than he, when he had been a morally clean person all his life. He had never grasped the concept of grace. He would pray with the legalistic Pharisee saying, “Thank you God that I am not like other men, I pray, I fast, and I tithe and I obey all the laws that I am supposed to, I am not like other people.” And he would look down his nose at those who pray: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus said: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14). I believe in the forgiveness of sins — not the absence of them.
Finally, there is the moralist. The moralist feels as good, if not better than the rest. He is not a mass murderer so he must be a decent person. If God were to weigh out all the good and bad in his life, the scales would tip in his favor. Did you read that a recent poll came out and found that 80% of all people surveyed believed they were going to heaven. But the interesting part is that only 30% believed their neighbor would make it! The moralist believes that God will accept him because he is a better person than his neighbor, or for that matter, he is better than most people he knows.
Universalism is not true, because God does not just excuse sin. He does not overlook it or dismiss it, as though it were nothing. Forgiveness is not something that God owes us no matter what. Legalism is not true, because it is impossible to keep all the rules. None of us deserve forgiveness, neither can we earn it. It is God’s gift. The moralist is wrong because God does not grade on a curve. He is not impressed because we have a little religious corner of our lives. It does not make any difference that you are better than most folks you know.
Real forgiveness comes when you realize that you do not deserve it. The Bible says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way....” (Isaiah 53:6). The apostle Paul wrote: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). You will notice there are no exceptions in those verses. We deserve nothing from God. We are fit only for judgment. But the Good News is this: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). My sins are not excused, but they are forgiven when I turn to God with confession that springs from a humble heart and genuine sorrow for my sin against him. The Bible says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). My sins are not excused or passed over, they are forgiven and taken away as though they never existed when I come to God with a proper attitude of the heart. I confess my sin, I no longer try to hide it.
There is an interesting passage in First Corinthians where Paul says, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” No surprises so far, but then he continues by saying, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). That is what they were, but now they were members of the Kingdom of God — the family of the forgiven. The Bible says, “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18).
Isaiah wrote thousands of years ago: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6,7). The universalist sees no need to come. The legalist is too proud to come. Those trusting their morality think they have already arrived. But the person who wants to be a child of God realizes that even though they do not deserve to come, the mercy of God is such that his arms are open wide, waiting to receive them. They discover that when you give all of yourself to God he gives all of himself to you.
You may not understand it all, but just give God a chance in your life and see what a difference he can make. God does not just forgive you whether you want to be forgiven or not. There are conditions to be met — conditions of the heart. You have to understand that you have real sin and that you stand in need of real forgiveness. There must be a sorrow for sin, a willingness to turn from it, a humble heart, and a realization that God stands ready to receive you. And when that happens you will not have to beg for forgiveness it will come running to you and throw its arms around you. Forgiveness is hard for some to receive because they have to give up resisting God and being stubborn. You have to lay down your pride and admit that you are in need of forgiveness just like everybody else. But when you do, the love of God will overcome you and overwhelm you.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins.
Amy Carmichael, the notable missionary and author, said: “There is no need to plead that the love of God shall fill our heart as though he were unwilling to fill us. He is willing as light is willing to flood a room that is opened to its brightness; willing as water is willing to flow into an emptied channel. Love is pressing round us on all sides like air. Cease to resist, and instantly love takes possession.” So we do not have to plead for his forgiveness either. As soon as we open the door of repentance, it floods in.
Joni Erickson quotes Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and then writes, “My friend, Dan Earl, is a bee-keeper. Recently he presented me with a gift basket of his bee byproducts - creams, candles, and best of all, his top-selling honey. That Sunday I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea and toasted crumpets with butter and honey. I was almost in heaven. It was so delicious.
The Puritan, Jonathan Edwards, drew a parallel between honey and Psalm 34:8. One can conclude that honey is honey because it is golden, has a certain viscosity, and has bits of comb in it. Therefore, it must be honey. But Edwards said there is a superior way to know. Put a drop on your tongue, and you'll see that knowing honey involves much more than understanding facts about it. To truly know honey is to taste and see that it is sweet, delicious, and delightful. There's nothing quite like it!” There are all kinds of facts that can be known about forgiveness, but it was meant to be tasted. Its sweetness meant to be experienced.
Rodney J. Buchanan
July 1, 2012
Amity United Methodist Church
rodbuchanan2000@yahoo.com
