Have you ever considered the etymological meaning and origins of the word forgive?
I have had a running debate with an individual who maintains that as a christian, we are not required to forgive unless we are asked by the offending party for that forgiveness.
My position is that God forgave us before the foundation of the world (Eph 1) and structured the entire plan of salvation - from the purposes of Christ on the cross, to the manner and meaning of our repentance - around his intention to restore us to himself.
He GAVE us that position beFORe we asked for it.......... what a wonder!
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I think it may be helpful to think of forgiveness as a process. I can and should begin the process independent of the other's involvement, lest I allow a root of bitterness to spring up; but the process cannot be complete (restoration/reconciliation) until that individual has sought my forgiveness. In my understanding forgiveness can simply be defined as a 3-fold promise:
1. I won't bring it up to you.
2. I won't bring it up to others.
3. I won't bring it up to myself.
And like all promises, it's not dependent upon my feelings, but on my will. I can make a promise, whether I feel like it or not; and I can keep a promise whether I feel like it or not.
I don't think that we can fully comprehend the forgiveness of the LORD, when it comes to us and our sin. All we have to compare to is 'human' forgiveness- which is far from God's forgiveness. I was just reading in Hosea where the whole book is recording the transgressions of Israel and the judgement that God as in store for them because of thier lack of repentance. Terrible, in your face rebellion and yet in the final chapter God says if you repent then (paraphrased) 'I will heal you, love you freely, my anger will be turned, I will be refreshing to you" Here are these people doing wrechted things and yet God is willing to forgive with a blank sheet. However, in the human forgivness process there are times where we can't/shouldn't give a blank sheet. The consequences of failures between humans, though perhaps forgiven can not be forgotten.
Ex. a man entering into a dating relationship with young teen girl, later it came to light that he was a married man. Being a good Christian girl when asked if she would forgive him she did and since he was sorry he wanted to continue a friendship- which she was taught that forgiveness was forgetting like the offense never happened (blank sheet)- so the friendship was reasonable in her understanding of forgiveness.
However, is that what human forgiveness looks like or should look like?
God forgets and removes the offenses as far as the east is from the west, allowing our relationship to be renewed and even better then what it was prior to. Humanly can we do that? Should we do that?
Or our there circumstances that, though we forgive the offense, we still must have lasting consequences of a broken fellowship?
God's forgiveness is awesome and not comprehendable to our finite minds.
Thank you Anonymous for a great point! I you'll permit me to restate part of it....
Think of the difficulties - even under some of the best of conditions - that we face in forgiving and restoring. Regardless of the how far the biblical mandate extends for us - it's tough!
And yet how much tougher ought it to be for God who has been infinitely more violated than we have.
We'll discuss "as far as the east is from the west" more when we get to that verse in the sequence.
DO you pray the Lord's prayer? specifically "forgive us our sins as we forgive those sin against us" might this be similar to:
"love thy neighbor as thyself" re-wrtten as "forgive thy neighbor as thou hast been forgiven"
Consider the parable of the unjust steward; he was forgiven yet unforgiving, the result was frightening.
side note on consequences: a trust broken can be forgiven it does not follow that it has to be forgotten.
examples:
I can forgive Brian Madoff for squandering my retirement but I'd be a fool to trust him with my money again.
I can forgive a person for lying to me. It doesn't follow that I should thereafter believe evrything they tells me.
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