Forgiveness—the Heart of Redemption
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV84) [see full text in button/link below]
Forgiveness—More than a Word
Forgiveness is multidimensional and relational. Does this sound like an abstract concept? It’s not. Forgiveness is at the heart of God’s redemption of humanity. It originates with God towards us, but it doesn’t stop there. Not that we are to forgive God, but we are to extend the forgiveness God gives us to others.
Forgiveness is a rather simple concept, yet often misunderstood. Our need for forgiveness goes back to the first garden on earth—the Garden of Eden.
Too often, forgiveness is seen as a means of righting a wrong. But it’s more than that. It’s a restoration of trust. Therefore, forgiveness is at the heart of redemption.
When sin is reduced to an act of disobedience, it minimizes the effect and power of forgiveness. The first sin in the Garden was more than disobedience. It violated God’s trust extended to Adam and Eve. 1
God entrusted oversight of His creation, the Garden of Eden, to Adam, and it included Eve (see Genesis 2:7-9, 15-18). Included with this trust was one specific restriction—
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
God trusted Adam and Eve. They violated His trust by believing the serpent's lie that God was holding back some power and special knowledge from them. So they believed the serpent’s lie instead of trusting their Creator. 2
This episode of broken trust resulted in a broken relationship between God and this man and woman. It’s referred to as the fall of man, but that’s an oversimplification of this event where trust was broken.
The ripple effect of this act of disobedience and violation of God’s trust resulted in a multigenerational plague of fear and mistrust. The rest of the book of Genesis testifies to this (see Romans 5:12-14).
Insights
Forgiveness is always relational. Some people may believe it’s merely a legal transaction between a righteous God and an unrighteous person, but it’s far more than that.
God is the originator of forgiveness, not humanity. The purpose of sacrifices and offerings under the Mosaic Law was to bring restoration to the relationship of God’s people with Him. The Lord was the offended one in the Garden, and all sin is ultimately against God.
Even those outside of the Law of God sought a form of forgiveness and restoration through their sacrifices and offerings as an attempt to appease God or whatever gods they worshipped. Our need for forgiveness is rooted in our innate desire for restoration with God.
Forgiveness is also multidimensional as well as relational. Forgiveness is not only between us and God. Forgiveness needs to be extended to others, as well as received by each of us.
I realize some people may think their relationship with God is good as long as they confess their sins and ask for His forgiveness. But forgiveness is not a one-way street, nor is it confined to God and an individual person.
The first murder on earth resulted from resentment and unforgiveness when Cain killed his brother Abel (see Genesis 4:1-8). When Adam didn’t resist eating fruit from the forbidden tree after Eve did, it set in motion a ripple effect from that first sin. When questioned by God, Adam blamed Eve and God, and Eve blamed the serpent (see Genesis 3:1-13).
This ripple effect of sin and broken trust has flowed throughout the history of humanity. Only God’s forgiveness could break this flood of sin and death and broken trust.
The Mosaic Law put in place sacrifices and offerings to bring restoration to broken relationships between people, as well as between people and God. God established the Day of Atonement, a solemn national day of fasting, sacrifices, and repentance, to bring restoration with God and one another (see Leviticus Chapter 16).
Forgiveness is at the heart of the Gospel and the Great Commission, also affirmed by the apostle John. 3
True Religion
True religion and forgiveness. Jesus declares that our forgiveness from God hinges on our willingness to forgive one another. Forgiveness is vital for restoring our relationship with God and is essential for repairing our relationships with each other.
There are no exceptions.
This means there is no such thing as “Lone Ranger Christians” who say and think, “It’s just you and me, Lord!” People who believe and say such things are self-deceived.
Why is our forgiveness with God conditional? Because of the nature of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an extension of mercy. And as the apostle James said, “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (see James 2:12-13).
Years ago, a woman in the church I pastored suffered from a lingering illness. She went to several doctors, but they couldn’t find a cause for her illness. Her husband asked for prayer, so a few men and I went to pray for her and to lay hands on her at their home.
As we gathered around her bed, the Lord revealed she harbored unforgiveness in her heart. We prayed for this and her healing, then went to our homes. In the morning, her husband called me. With excitement and joy in his voice, he told me his wife was completely well!
Her miraculous recovery came after she extended forgiveness to someone else. I’ve heard similar stories from others. Unforgiveness becomes like a cancer, eating away at our hearts and even infecting our physical health. But when we extend forgiveness, God removes that cancer.
Forgiveness is not about justice or righting a wrong. It is an extension of mercy rather than judgment. It is forgiving the debts we have towards others who’ve wronged us. How often? When Peter asked this of Jesus, he was told, “Seven times seventy.”
Then Jesus shared a parable to illustrate the responsibility we all have to forgive one another (see Matthew 18:21-35). As Jesus declared in the Beatitudes—
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
Because God has shown us great mercy, we are to be merciful in the same way as He is to us.
Are there people you need to forgive?
Then do so!
Reflections for Prayer
Forgiveness is multidimensional and relational. Forgiveness is not about justice or righting a wrong. It is an extension of mercy rather than judgment. Forgiveness is at the heart of God’s redemption of humanity.
When you find yourself holding resentment and unforgiveness in your heart, simply ask God to remind you of His mercy and grace in your life. Ask the Lord for forgiveness, then ask Him to give you faith to extend forgiveness and mercy to those you feel have hurt and wronged you.
Footnotes–
Kimball, T. (2021a, October 19). The FOMO tree —. Word-Strong With Trip Kimball. https://tripkimball.com/thinking-out-loud/the-fomo-tree-5txgs
See– Genesis 3:1-7
Kimball, T. (2021a, October 19). Shame, blame, and consequences —. Word-Strong With Trip Kimball. https://tripkimball.com/thinking-out-loud/shame-blame-and-consequences-a7b8h
See– Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21-23; and 1 John 4:19-21.
This is an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published book called The Heart and Soul of God’s Kingdom. Look for it on Amazon with my other books— Trip Kimball on Amazon
