Forgiveness

Luke 17:3-4: "So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Imagine if everyone put this into practice with every wrongdoing. Broken relationship would be restored. Divorce rates would be a thing of the past. Life would be marked by strong friendships and rewarding family relationships.

The Bible gives us the teaching we need to make this possible. The key is repentance and forgiveness. Clearly these words mean more than simply voicing "I am sorry," or, "I forgive you." They represent deep promises that are difficult to make.

So, what are these promises? A person who repents admits they were wrong. They wish that they hadn't done what they did. They are pledging to make changes so that they do not repeat the behavior, and they will even take steps to make up for the hurt they have caused if it is possible.

If someone carelessly speeds down the road in your little neighborhood and hits your cat, killing him, they should repent. Simply saying, "I'm sorry," in a casual way and then continuing as if nothing has happened (including continuing to speed) would not be true repentance. Neither would saying, "I'm sorry I killed your cat, but you shouldn't have let him wander around in the road like that." Using words like "but," and "if," in an apology turn your confession into an opportunity to excuse your behavior. True repentance says, "I'm sorry I was careless when I was driving and I killed your cat. I was wrong, and will make sure it doesn't happen again. Please forgive me. Is there anything I can do to help you in any way, such as pay for vet and adaption bills for a new cat?

Repentance is hard because we feel shame when we do wrong. Shame makes us want to avoid the person we have offended or excuse our behavior because of pride. We don't want to acknowledge that we aren't the good people we want to believe we are. Repentance requires humility.

Similarly, forgiveness is hard. It costs the one forgiving. It is a promise to let go of angry thoughts and actions against the one who has sinned. It is a promise to no longer hold the hurtful thing they have done against them. You now want to have a good relationship that is not damaged by the thing they have done. You will not bring it up again with others, or them, or even yourself in your thoughts. Forgiveness does not merely say, "I forgive you for running over my cat," and then complain to the other neighbors about the person's hazardous driving. Nor does it say, "I forgive you, but I don't really want to see you or talk with you anymore, I'm going to start avoiding you." Forgiveness is a gift to the other person that stops the offense from hurting your relationship.

How can we give forgiveness again and again, when it is so costly to the one forgiving? The Bible says this is where we must focus on the cross. God offers us forgiveness for every sin, if we repent. Since we have been given so much, we must happily give some of that forgiveness to others. In other words, we don't give out of our own resources or generosity, but out of what we have been freely given by God. Jesus taught us to pray, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Although it is hard, imagine how much better your life would be if you had already been doing this- repenting when you do wrong and forgiving when someone wrongs you. God asks you first to repent of your own sins and ask for his forgiveness. He gladly gives it and the cost is paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Once you have experienced God's forgiveness, go and forgive those who have sinned against you.

For more information on these topics visit, http://peacemaker.net/.

 Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

 

This issue matters. It matters because the number of people in our country who believe Jesus is God is declining to near 50%, (https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/714-what-do-americans-believe-about-jesus-5-popular-beliefs). Clearly, more than half of Americans believe they are Christians.

 

Why is that an issue? Because Jesus claimed to be God. That means he either is God, or he was lying and his whole ministry was aimed at taking advantage of people for his own gain, or he was insane. No one should follow Jesus if he was either the second or third. On the other hand, if he really is God, everyone should follow him.

 

It also matters when it comes to trusting the Bible. The single best reason to trust that the Bible is God's Word is that Jesus told us so. If Jesus is God, then we know he was right. If he was lying or insane, then we know he was wrong about the Bible, because the Bible would be wrong about what it claims about Jesus.

 

So, did Jesus really claim he was God? Jesus did not run around routinely proclaiming "I am God!"However, in the first century Jewish world, it was shocking to think of the one true God taking on human form. In fact, during much of his ministry Jesus did not even want people proclaiming him to be the Messiah, the divinely appointed Savior and future ruler of Israel, because he knew that would bring about his crucifixion before the appointed time. So we should expect him to avoid public and direct declarations of being God.

 

What Jesus did do in many instances was to indirectly or subtly make claims to deity. In a strict monotheistic religion (belief in only one God), this was to claim full equality with God, and the point was not lost by his followers or opponents.

 

Consider Mark 2, when Jesus heals the paralytic, he says, "My son, your sins are forgiven." The religious leaders who were there reacted by thinking, "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

 

Indeed, people can forgive sins committed against themselves, but who can forgive someone else's sins against someone else- except God?

 

In John 20:28, Jesus' disciple Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" Rather than correcting Thomas, Jesus expresses a blessing on those who will reach the same conclusion in the future.

 

In John 8:58, Jesus proclaimed, "Before Abraham was born, I am." "I am" was a reference to the very name of God in the Old Testament. His statement was so offensive that the people tried to stone him to death on the spot.

 

This happened again in John 10:33. After Jesus said, "I and the Father are one," the religious leaders tried to stone him saying, "because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

 

In John 10:11 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd." The good shepherd is a description given to God in Psalm 23, the Jewish hymn book of the day. John also records Jesus saying things like "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25).

 

Jesus tells his disciples they will "be his witnesses...to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). In the Old Testament God said that his followers were his witnesses (Isaiah 43:10).

 

Jesus also accepted the worship of other individuals, at a time when worship was strictly reserved for God alone. Examples include the leper in Matthew 8:2 and the disciples in Matthew 14:33.

 

These are a few examples of many of Jesus' statements and actions that, when understood in the context of his day, must be taken not only a claim to some sort of divine status, but to be equal with the one true God.

 

The disciples also clearly understood that the mission Jesus gave them was to preach a message that included the divinity of Jesus. Examples in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the writings of Paul are too numerous to list here. However, the point is that Jesus' claim to deity was unmistakable to the people who knew him and lived in his day.

 

Jesus did claim to be God, and he was not lying or insane. He proved this through the resurrection. Jesus, who is God, has told us that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, all of it, we can trust it.

 

 Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html