Matthew 18:21-35, Forgiveness vs. rejection (1)

1)    Definition: Healing others by using their offenses as a means of expressing to them Christ’s love. (This may not sound like a definition for “forgiveness.”  Let me remind you what we said at the beginning of our study of these traits and how Bill Gothard approached them.)  Having said that, here are some additional thoughts on the meaning of forgiveness.

a)    The Hebrew term nasa has the idea of bearing someone or something.  Cain told the Lord his punishment was more than he could “bear.”  The person who forgives (as in Gen. 50:17) bears the burden of another person’s guilt.  In Lev. 16:22 the “scapegoat” on the Day of Atonement shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land.  This is a picture of the Savior, of course (He bore our griefs and bore the sins of many, Isa. 53:4,12); and then we are called to forgive as the Savior has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32).

b)    The Greek term aphiemi means literally “to send from or away.”  Jesus used this term in the Lord’s Prayer (Mt. 6:12,14).  Remember that what was to be forgiven were the “debts” we owed to God and that others owed to us.  Sin creates a debt situation; forgiveness cancels the debt.  John used it in I John 1:9.  It emphasized the idea of releasing another person’s sin.  It means we will not continue to hold them guilty because the offense has been released.

c)    The Greek term charizomai means to do something agreeable, to do a favor.  It is a form of the word charis, grace.  Jesus used it in reproving the Pharisee named Simon (Luke 7:42).  It tells us that forgiveness is a free gift to someone who deserves something different.  Thus it speaks of “pardon.”  It is used in Eph. 4:32 and Col. 2:13; 3:13.

d)    For Gothard the opposite of forgiveness is “rejection.”  Certainly that fits.  If God did not forgive us in Christ then we would remain separated from Him.  That is the ultimate in rejection.  If we don’t forgive others, then the wall of separation between us remains.

e)    In Scripture, forgiveness is contrasted with bitterness, wrath, anger, slander and malice (Eph. 4:31-32). 

2)    Scripture: Lev. 4:20,26; Prov. 19:11; 20:22; 25:21f; 28:13; Matt. 5:23f; 6:12,14f; 18:15-17,21-35; Acts 2:38; Eph. 4:32; Col. 2:13; 3:13; 1 John 1:9.

3)    Underlying Principle: For one thing, God wills every event in our lives, even the offenses of others, to be used for our good (Rom. 8:28).  Another underlying principle is that those who have been forgiven by God must forgive others.  This connection is all over the New Testament, which we have already seen (Mt. 6:12,14f; Eph. 4:32 and the teaching of Christ in Mt. 18:21-35 and Lk. 7:42).

4)    Illustration: 2 Samuel 1:17-24; Matt. 18:21-35; John 8:1-11.