"Forgiveness-God’s and Ours"
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
A driver placed a note under the windshield wiper of his illegally parked car which read: "I’ve circled the block for 20 minutes. I’m late for an appointment, and if I don’t park here I’ll lose my job. ’Forgive us our trespasses’."
When he came back he found a parking ticket and a note from a policeman: "I’ve circled the block for 20 years, and if I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. ’Lead us not into temptation’."
Forgiveness is much in the news these days: Former President Clinton has offered some questionable pardons, and Japan is enraged that the Captain of the Naval submarine USS Greenville has not personally apologized for the accident in which the Japanese training ship Ehime Maru was sunk.
This morning we’re going to consider God’s forgiveness…and ours.
God’s Forgiveness
"Forgive us our trespasses." Just as we have a need for daily food, we have a need for daily forgiveness.
A visiting minister looked at the church bulletin and noticed that they prayed the Lord’s Prayer. Not wanting to make a mistake, he asked a Deacon, "Are you debtors or trespassers?" In Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer the word "debts" is used, while Luke uses the word "trespasses". They are very similar words. When we hear the word ’trespass’ we think of going where we’re not supposed to be-as in "Trespassers will be prosecuted". When we’re tempted to sin, we should say, "Let’s not go there!" Followers of Christ will want to live lawfully. The Greek word for "trespasses" means "to slip or fall". There are times we fall into sin by violating God’s Law.
A Sunday School teacher asked her class, "What must you first do before you can be forgiven?" A child answered, "Sin."
The word ’debt’ sometimes refers to a monetary debt, but more often it means a moral debt. We owe God obedience, and we can’t deliver; we’re spiritually bankrupt. On the cross Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe because we have a debt we can’t pay. We’re all sinners in need of forgiveness. The Bible says "there is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). The cross of Christ represents the cost of our forgiveness. The most essential and difficult thing God ever did was to provide forgiveness for our sins. Forgiveness is our greatest human need. On the cross our debt is stamped ’PAID IN FULL’. The charges against us have been dismissed.
We’ve heard it said, "To err is human, to forgive, divine". We might like to believe that God is obligated to forgive everyone. He forgives those who confess their sin and ask to be forgiven. The problem is, many people do not think of themselves as sinners, and simply aren’t sorry for the things they’ve done. Some people are overwhelmed by unresolved guilt, while others with callused consciences could stand to experience guilt. How come some people struggle with guilt? It may be because they’re guilty! Fallen human nature often minimizes the need for forgiveness. The book of Psalms describes the typical unbeliever: "There is no fear of God before his eyes" (36:1). They don’t worry about their sins; they don’t accept the fact that sin offends the holiness of God. The gravity of sin is diminished by denying moral absolutes-if there is no right and wrong, then anything is permissible and there is no need to be forgiven. Our culture is one that calls evil good and good evil. David Wells (GCTS) observes, "Worldliness is what makes sin look normal in any age and righteousness seem odd."
There is a popular way of apologizing today without admitting guilt: "If you feel I did something wrong, please excuse me." Instead of confessing sin, people claim they made "a mistake". In court, people plead "no contest". When we come to God, we offer no excuses; we simply plead for mercy.
Sin has eternal consequences. The prophet Habakkuk exclaims, "God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil; He cannot tolerate wrong" (1:13). All sin must be punished, and was-upon the cross. Forgiveness is the removal of our guilt. In Isaiah God declares, "I am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more."
Our forgiveness
"As we forgive those who trespass against us."
We have an obligation to extend forgiveness to others. People who are unforgiving cannot understand or accept the forgiveness God offers. Anyone who is not willing to forgive another has not experienced God’s forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others, we are asking God not to forgive us.
There are many people who refuse to forgive-they harbor resentments and hold grudges. Victims can become bitter, wishing only to get even. A crime victim said, "If you could lick my heart it would poison you." People often claim, "I forgive-but I’ll never forget!" When I hear this, I do something unexpected-I urge that person not to forget. I say, "I want you to remember! Every time you remember the offense and feel the hurt, I want you to remember your forgiveness." Amnesia isn’t the goal! Jesus says in the Beatitudes, "Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them" (Mt 5:7).
We’re able to forgive, not because we’re such nice people, not because we feel like forgiving, but because we’ve been set free. Forgiveness breaks the power of the past. When people say "I can’t forgive" what they really mean is "I won’t forgive." A European author tells about a man who borrowed some money, and took two years to pay it back. The angry lender said to the man, "No, keep the money-it’s not worth changing my opinion of you." Forgiveness is not a feeling-it is a clear choice, an intentional, conscious decision.
The first person who gains from forgiveness is the person who does the forgiving. There is a benefit to offering forgiveness. When we hold a grudge, we’re often enslaved by our animosity towards others; forgiveness frees us and leads to emotional healing, even if there is no reconciliation. When we refuse to forgive, we become prisoners of those who have hurt us. By forgiving, we let go of our resentment. The Hebrew word to forgive (salach) means "to have hatred in one’s fist, and to release it." The first thing we do in forgiving is to surrender our right to get even with the person who has wronged us. Forgiveness stops the ongoing cycle of repaying vengeance with vengeance.
As part of the Implementation Force (IFOR) I traveled through Bosnia, where every house I passed had sustained damage from the on-going strife and "ethnic cleansing". Unresolved pain is the result of an unwillingness to forgive. If the people of the Balkans could find peace with God they could live in peace with one another. Until and unless they can learn forgiveness, the NATO presence is simply delaying another onslaught of violence. Perhaps what is needed is an army of Chaplains. People who refuse to forgive have been wounded, and they keep re-opening the wound. When we forgive, there’s a scar, but there’s no more pain.
If Jesus had insisted on His rights, and if He gave us what we all deserved, there would have been no cross. What if Jesus dealt with us the way we deal with others? It’s a risky business to pray "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Do we really want God to be as forgiving as us? How could we have the nerve to ask forgiveness if we’re unwilling to offer it to others? Being unwilling to forgive is like destroying a bridge we will need to cross ourselves.
A mark of true Christianity-of genuine faith-is the ability to forgive. Haddon Robinson writes, "Those who live in the relief of God’s pardon find it easier to forgive those who offend them." Why? Because they have received mercy; they are part of "the forgiven fellowship."
God generously holds out forgiveness to us. The Apostle John writes, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:8-9). This is our assurance of pardon.
Prayer: Father-God, at first this prayer seems like a warning, but we now see in it a promise. Your words of forgiveness spill out into the world through our acts of forgiveness. Show us who You want us to forgive this day. Thank You for the forgiveness we have in the finished work of Christ; in His Name we pray, Amen.
Bulletin Insert...
The Process of Forgiveness:
> Don’t deny feelings of hurt or anger--acknowledge these feelings and commit yourself to doing something about them.
> Make a conscious decision not to seek revenge or nurse a grudge and decide instead to forgive (conversion of the heart).
> Think differently about the offender.
> Accept the pain you’ve experienced without passing it onto others, including the offender.
> Think about how it feels to be released from a burden or grudge.
> Seek meaning in the suffering you’ve experienced.
> See the offender as a tool God is using to build character in you.
> Realize the paradox of forgiveness: as you let go and forgive the offender, you are experiencing release and healing.
