Forgiveness

Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6780275 Opinion Forgiveness Julius Sunday Omotilewa The Church of the Living Stone Int'l., Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria Introduction Sin began when man disobeyed God and decided to go his own way, and to this original rebellion can be traced all the evil and wrong doing in the world today. It accounts for crime. It accounts for the hatred, enmity and suspicion which exist between people of different countries and colours, religious, classes and creeds. Sin therefore is a deepseated attitude of rebellion and hostility towards God. Sin degrades man and disrupts society; but by far its most serious effect is that it isolates us from God (Adesegun and Ogunewu, 2013). What then are we to say about an offense against God whose greatness and dignity are “measureless to man”? Note that sin is not just insulting God’s person, it is breaking His Law; for “Sin”, we are told, “is the transgression of the law” (1st John 3:4). For the law breaker there must be punishment; and the punishment is described in the Bible as “death” (Romans 6:23) that is, alienation or separation from God. Is there a way back? Is the re-entry problem completely unsolvable? Once again the answer lies in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, released Himself to God’s judgment in our place, and offered us “a shade from the heat” (Isaiah 25:4). He becomes our “shield” Trusting in Him, we can make a safe and confident re-entry into God’s presence. ( Watson, 1984) As sinners we have broken God’s laws, and deserve to be punished. There is nothing we can do to earn pardon and forgiveness. If we are to enjoy it at all, then it must be humbly and gratefully accepted as a gift. St. Paul realized this, and after telling us that we are This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 17 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 saved by God’s grace alone, he added: “not because of works (merit) lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-10), has the debt been paid? Have we a receipt for the entrance fee? There should be no doubt about the answer to these questions. The New Testament is full of confidence and certainty, and it all stems from almost the last words which Jesus uttered: “It is finished” (John 19:30) This was not the expiring cry of an exhausted man, but the triumphant shout of a conqueror in the moment of victory: “I have won” It is in Jesus’ work as sin bearer that Christ solves the deepest of all our problems-human guilt before a Holy God. There are four kinds of forgiveness in the Bible. First, eternal forgiveness; second, borrowed forgiveness; third, communion forgiveness; and fourth, governmental forgiveness. Eternal Forgiveness This is the forgiveness we receive at the time we are saved. This is the forgiveness of which the Lord Jesus spoke when He said, “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). This is also what Roman 4-7 refers to: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” We call this kind of forgiveness eternal forgiveness because once God forgives our sins, He forgives them forever. He casts our sins, into the depths of the sea, so that He no longer sees nor remembers them. Such is the forgiveness we receive at the time of salvation. For us who believe in the Lord Jesus, He forgives all our sins and takes away all our iniquities so that before God none is left unforgiving ( Hougton, 1980). Borrowed Forgiveness Many times God Himself says, “I forgive you!” Sometimes, though, He declares His forgiveness through the Church: “God has forgiven your sins!” This kind of forgiveness we term borrowed forgiveness. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Spirit. Whose so ever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them who so ever says ye retain they are retained” (John 20;22-23) Here the This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 18 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 Lord gives His Holy Spirit to the Church so that she represent Him on earth and be His vessel to forgive people’s sins. The forgiveness here is based on the Lord’s breathing upon the Church, saying, ‘receive ye the Holy Spirit’ The consequence of receiving the Holy Spirit is that the Church knows whose sins are forgiven and whose sins are retained. Remember this: the Church has such authority only because she herself is under the authority of the Holy Spirit. Borrowed forgiveness is God forgiving people’s sins, using the church to as the channel to proclaim the forgiveness. If the Church cannot forgive or retain sins, how can she decide who may be baptized and who may not? Why do you baptize some people and refuse to baptize others? Why do you receive some to the breaking of bread and refuse others? These are instances in which the Church exercises the authority which the Lord has given her to declare who is saved and who is not saved, whose sins are forgiven and whose sins are retained. Such words should not be idly spoken but only under the authority of the Holy Spirit. The Church, having received the Holy Spirit, is under His authority, and is thus like a borrowed hand of God. In eternal forgiveness, God directly forgives sins, but in borrowed forgiveness, God announces His forgiveness by the church, His own people. Communional Forgiveness “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus the Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7-9) “My little children, these things write I onto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2) The forgiveness mentioned here is neither that which we received at the time of salvation nor that which the church extends to us. After we have believed in the Lord and have become God’s children, we still may have need of God’s forgiveness. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 19 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 Life has special characteristics, it delights in fellowship. Man, like other living creatures, desires to preserve his own life as well as to have fellowship with others. For you who have trusted in the blood of the Lord Jesus, the life preservation problem is already solved. You have no more trouble because you are eternally saved and your sins are eternally forgiven. But there may be trouble in another respect. If you sin against God after you are saved, your fellowship with God as well as with God’s children may be disturbed. Because you have sinned, have you ceased to be God’s child? You are still His child, though your sin has caused your fellowship with Him to be immediately interrupted and impaired. No longer is your conscience without offense and, to enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with God, you must have a clear conscience. When one’s conscience is offended, fellowship with God becomes impossible. God’s children will not lose their position as His children because of sin, but they will certainly lose their fellowship with Him. Therefore, God has provided a kind of forgiveness which we call communional forgiveness. Why do we call it communional forgiveness? It is because by coming to God and confessing your sin, you may have your communion and fellowship with God restored. Otherwise you have no way of having your fellowship restored. You cannot pray, you cannot even say “Amen” to another’s prayer. What then can you do? You must come to God and confess that you have sinned against Him on a certain matter and ask His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Such forgiveness is not connected to eternal salvation but is related to fellowship with God. Therefore, we call it communional forgiveness. Nigerians need this kind of forgiveness now more than before. “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and come from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. “2nd Chronicles”(7:13-14) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 20 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 Governmental Forgiveness This kind of forgiveness is seen in the following Bible passages. Matt. 9:2,5-6, James 5:15 and Matt. 6:14-15. A good example to illustrate governmental forgiveness is the case of a girl who stole from her mother’s cupboard. Formerly the mother always left the doors in the house open, including the cupboard door and the kitchen door. She never locked the cupboard in which she kept food, but a time came when she came home, and discovered that some of the food in the cupboard had been eaten. Then that the mother knew what had happened, the girl was forced to confess her sin and asked for forgiveness. The mother forgave her and even kissed her. The incident is considered past and the fellowship is restored. However, whenever the mother leaves the house, she locks all the doors. Her ways of doing things has changed. Fellowship is one thing, but government is quite another (Hanks, 1989). What is government? Government is a way of God’s administration. The mother may forgive the girl’s sin and restore their fellowship, but next time she will lock both the cupboard and the kitchen doors when she goes out. In other words, she has changed her ways. To restore fellowship is easy, but to restore trust is not so easy. The mother is afraid that her daughter may do it again. She cannot give the daughter full liberty but has to put on some restraints. Her confident expectation has changed. Remember, God treats us in a similar manner. Communional forgiveness is relatively easy to get. He who sincerely confesses his sin will have his fellowship restored. At the moment he confesses his sin, God restores fellowship with Him. Nevertheless, God may change His way toward him. It may be that God’s discipline will immediately come upon him; God may not give him as much liberty as he enjoyed before. Again, another day may come when God removes His disciplinary measure and this we call governmental forgiveness. In the case of the mother, this would mean that the day comes when she feels her daughter is now dependable, so she leaves the doors unlocked. This is governmental forgiveness. You, too, may sin against God, and at each confession of your sin God forgives you. This does not, however, hinder God from giving you new chastening. Since God has forgiven you, your fellowship with God may be restored. But God will change His way with you. It is important for us to know that God’s disciplinary This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 21 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 hand upon us is not easily moved, nor, once extended, is it easily removed. Unless God has full assurance that His children are all right His government hand will not be removed. Therefore, brethren, what is governmental forgiveness? It is something quite different from eternal forgiveness, borrowed forgiveness, or communion forgiveness. It is something which speaks of God’s taking care of us, dealing with us, and disciplining us. Some people brought a man sick of palsy to the Lord. “Son,…. Thy sins are forgiven!” said the Lord Jesus to the palsied. The Lord shows us two things here on the one side, “Thy sins are forgiven”; on the other side, “Arise and walk” Let us remember that many sicknesses are due to God’s governmental hand. In order to heal the palsied man and get him walk, the Lord has to first grant him governmental forgiveness. The forgiveness seen here was related to God’s government. It had a special connection with sickness. When his sins were forgiven, his sickness was over. This we call governmental forgiveness. When governmental forgiveness comes, sickness is healed (Freeman, 1983). If you fall into God’s governmental hand, he will not let you go until you get forgiveness unless you commit sin against the Holy Spirit. See James 5:14-15 for the call upon the elders of the Church to pray for and anoint the sick, for healing and that if he has committed sins, it shall be forgiven-him. Let us learn from the story of King David. Whatever sin you may have committed, if you go to God and ask for forgiveness, you will be forgiven. The restoration of fellowship can be very fast. David quickly restored his fellowship with God. Nevertheless, the discipline of God upon David stayed until even after his death. To have your sin forgiven and your fellowship with God restored is quite easy. But you cannot remove the discipline God gives you in your environmentyour home, your business, or your physical body. The only thing you can do is learn to subject yourself to the mighty hand of God. Learn to be generous and forgiving, be charitable, be ready to forgive others. Try to overlook the faults of your brethren, speak fewer idle words, be restrained in judgment. When people are in trouble, help them, but do not judge them. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 22 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 FORGIVEN AND FORGIVING In Mathew 6:12, Jesus taught His disciples (the believers of today are concerned) to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Jesus immediately explained why we must forgive those who have wronged us (v 14-15) and he later illustrated it with a parable (Mathew 18:23-35). How much did the first servant owe the master? Ten thousand talents (v 24 NIV). One talent was the equivalent of 20 years wages for an average worker. It would have taken 200,000 years for the servant to earn 10,000 talents. Although the servant promised to pay back everything (v 26) /this was an impossible debt to repay. So his master was filled with pity for him, and released him and forgives his debt 9v27) How much did the fellow servant owe the first servant? One hundred denarii (v28) NIV) equivalent to 20 weeks of common labour. This debt could be repaid within five months. The fellow servant begged for some time to pay back his debt, but the first servant refused and had him put in prison instead (VV29-20). You are a free person. Jesus has set you free. But when you refuse to forgive, you become a prisoner again, a prisoner of your own unforgiving spirit, a prisoner of your own bitterness and a prisoner of sin again (VV32-34). The worst kind of prison is the prison of an unforgiving heart. Is there someone you find hard to forgive? What will you do today to forgive this person based on God’s forgiveness of your own sins? GOD’S DELIGHT IN FORGIVING. What is God ready to do for all who seek for forgiveness. “For thou, Lord art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all of them that call upon thee” (Ps 86:5) What reason is given for God’s readiness to forgive sin? Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy” Micah 7:18 (see psalm 78:38) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 23 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 Specific Example When the prodigal son, in the parable repented and turned toward home, what did his father do? “When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” Luke 15:20. “What is felt in heaven when a sinner repents? “likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” Lk 15:10 CONDITIONS FOR FORGIVENESS Upon what basis has Christ taught us to ask for forgiveness? “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Mathew 6:12 see also Ephesians 4:32 for Christ Exhortation). For the purpose of a true national sustainable development, the church must wake up from her slumber, from her comfort zone and do more evangelism. The church must learn from the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us see the sad story in Gen.13; 13, 18; 20, 19; 1-9. The men of Sodom were bad and gross sinners against God. The people became known for such immoral practices as homo sexuality and God declared their sin as very heavy. I am of the opinion that the sins of Nigerians as at now are heavier than those of the people Sodom. Thank God, we have a loving and forgiving God. Let us confess and forsake these sins and God will forgive us such that our country will develop in all areas (Dennis, 1993). The city of Sodom showed it deserved destruction as some of the people surrounded Lot’s house attempting to rape his angelic guests. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah refused to repent of their sins talk less of asking for forgiveness hence Jude mentions that Sodom and Gomorrah are placed before us as a warring example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire. Let believers of our time evangelise more in words and in deed and show the true love of God so that sinners will know God through us and ask for genuine repentance and forgiveness of their sins. Jesus says; ‘’Come unto me, all This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 24 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 ye that labour and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest…….for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt.11:28-30)This is a simple and loving invitation because; ‘’Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne, mercy and truth go before His face. ‘’ (Ps.89:14). Jesus’ invitation is to the kidnappers, the ritualist, the corrupt politicians and the corrupt civil servants, the idol worshippers of all sorts, corrupt bank officials, false prophets, those that are siphoning Nigeria money through oil bunkering – all religious fanatics including the Boko-haram group. You all need genuine repentance and forgiveness before this country cans actually witness sustainable development and experience real peace which can only be given by Jesus Christ. We have a God that never fails or forsakes His people. God, who though must punish sin, still does so in mercy and love for His own. A thorough knowledge of God can make all the difference in our lives in this nation. God bless Nigeria (Clark, 1985). THE PRACTICAL ASPECT OF FORGIVENESS Many people today are not willing to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness. If we allow the root of bitterness to spring up in our hearts against someone, our prayer will not be answered. Now, let us revisit the Lord’s Prayer or the disciples’ prayer which is a test of our sonship. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. If we are doing the will of God that is a very good sign that we are born of God. A very critical aspect of the Lord’s Prayer says “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us” This is the only part of the prayer that Christ explained. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespassers” Notice that when you go into the door of God’s kingdom, you go in through the door of forgiveness. For your soul to be blessed, you have to forgive others. If we are unwilling to forgive others, God cannot forgive us. Cast your mind back to the past, are there any against whom you cherish hard and ill feelings? Is there any root of bitterness springing up against someone who has perhaps injured you? If I am not willing to forgive those This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 25 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 who may have committed some single offence against me, would I have any justification asking God to forgive the ten thousand sins of which I have been guilty? But Christ goes still further. He says. “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come back and offer thy gift.” That is what Christ expects from you and me. You cannot be forgiven until you forgive others. It is human to err, but it is Christ-like to forgive. Conclusion Dear friends, is this the reason why your prayers are not answered? Is there a friend, a member of your family or, someone in the church you have not forgiven? How can we expect God to forgive when this is the case? You do not forgive your offending brother aright and acceptably, if you do not forgive him from the heart, remember that God sees the heart. No malice must be harboured there, neither must ill-will to any, no projects of any revenge be hatched there, nor desired of it, as there are in many who outwardly appear peaceful and reconciled. We must from the heart desire and seek the welfare of those who have offended us. Let us make up our mind that we will not rest until this question of sin is forever settled, so that we can look up and claim God as our forgiving Father. Let us be willing to forgive others, that we may be able to claim forgiveness from God, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, “If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”. References Adesegun, A.A. and Ogunewu, A. (2013). ‘’Biblical Teaching on Holiness and its Social Significance in Contemporary Society.’’ Journal of Arts and Contemporary Society, Volume 5, Number 1, 2013 Clark, D. (1985). The Theology of Holiness, London: Classic Prints. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 26 Continental J. Education Research Omotilewa (2021) 14 (1): 17 – 27 Dennis, M. (1993). Holiness: the Divine Imperative. Freeman, H. (1983). An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, Warsaw: Faith Ministries and Publications. Hanks, G. (1989). 70 Great Christians –The Story of the Christian Church, Kaduna; Evangel Publications. Hougton, S. M. (1980). Sketches from Church History, Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust. Roberts, B. (1983). Holiness Teachings, Salem: Schmul Publications Co., Inc. Watson, P.S. (1984). The Message of the Wesleys: Grand Rapids: Francis Asbury Press. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License ISSN: 2141 – 4181 Science and Education Development Inst., Nigeria 27