Forgiveness

This past Sunday at Grace Bible Church, our pastor preached a powerful sermon about the stoning of Stephen. It culminated in a great example of forgiveness. As Stephen was dying, his prayer was for the forgiveness of his executioners.

“Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ Having said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60, NASB).

Stephen followed the great example of our Savior as He was dying on the cross. “But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing…’” (Luke 23:34, NASB). He not only asked His Father to forgive those who crucified Him, but we as believers, whose sins put Him on that cross, know He has also forgiven us.

We, as humans, cannot forgive sin in the same way God can, but we can forgive in our hearts. How often do we hold grudges and harbor ill-will?

“See to it that … no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled?” (Hebrews 12:15).

We have great examples of forgiveness in Stephen and ultimately in our Lord Jesus Christ.

You can hear this sermon here. You will be blessed.

Eternal Salvation – The Irreducible Minimum

By Ed Cardwell

Every great teacher uses appropriate illustrations to point to the truth of the lesson. Jesus was the perfect teacher. He used the most singular example to explain His work of salvation which He was to accomplish for the entire world. He spoke to a religious ruler of the Jews and said in John 3:14-15:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever (everyone who) believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (KJV).

To teach His lesson Jesus pointed to an event in the Torah familiar to every Jew on earth and every good Bible student since:  Numbers 21.

From verses 4 through 9 in that chapter we find the Israelites struggling with impatience and discouragement after months and months of journeying from slavery in Egypt through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. Their grumbling and complaining followed miracle after miracle designed to accommodate their needs and to insure their safety and welfare; but alas depraved humanity has a short memory of God’s blessings. So we read:

“Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. And the people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live.’ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Numbers 21:4-9, NASB). 

The wise will connect the underlined to His message and arrive at the truth being taught:  Jesus will be lifted up (crucified), and those who believe in Him will have eternal life. That’s a fact!  Quite simple.

But no. Religious systems through the centuries have devised all manner of rites, rituals and ceremonies adding to the simplest of prerequisites to eternal life. Lists of do’s and don’ts, what to believe, what not to believe, where to go to school, what school not to attend, what degrees to have, what clothes to wear, the right form of baptism, and requirements ad infinitum and ad nauseam.

How many sermons have you heard delivered on the naked simplicity of Jesus’ words? Not many? Not any? Could this be because it is the nature of religious systems devised by fallen man to want to add something that man must do to accomplish what God alone has already done?

The thief on the cross who was crucified alongside of Jesus turned to Him in his distress and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!”  Jesus reply was, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-43, NASB).

How simple and beautiful is that? No time to make restitution of manifold wrongs to society; no time to join the ‘right’ church; no time for a baptismal ceremony; no time to give all your possessions to the poor. He is being executed. This was the very end. And he makes the right choice – finally! Jesus answers his need of forgiveness and he is welcomed without reproach.

But there is inherently another side to this coin of “looking to the bronzed serpent.” The wise student will not miss it. Let us return to an earlier section of the same passage in Numbers 21:

“Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. And the people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people” (Numbers 21:4-7, NASB).

What do we have here? We have a consciousness of sin on the part of the people. They are aware of their great need now because of their past sinful action and its severe consequences. We call this ‘repentance,’ a very common Biblical word. Repentance means a change of mind/heart which results in a change of action.

So, was there repentance on the part of the thief on the cross? Was there a consciousness of a great need because of sin in his life?  Let’s go back to that story in Luke 23. Let’s begin in verse 39  with the comment from the other thief who was also being crucified along with Jesus:

“And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.” And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:39-43, NASB).

It is obvious that this man had a real change of mind/heart experience. He was aware that he was in a position of incredible difficulty because of his evil past and that his sentence was just. That is real repentance. The solution?  Look to the merciful Savior. When you have nothing left, Jesus is enough.

One other example may help to reinforce the lesson:  the conversion of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16.

“The crowd rose up together against them (Paul and Silas), and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them, and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were unfastened. And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved…” (Acts 16:22-31, NASB).

Not “join the right church, and you will be saved.”  Not “get baptized the right way and you will be saved.”  Not even “study the 10 commandments and follow them and you will be saved.”  But simply “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.”

Now we return to look at the jailer’s situation. Paul and Silas had been no doubt bloodied by the beating they had endured. The jailer gave their wounds no attention, nor had he seen to their hunger and thirst. He threw them into the prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. No change of heart here. But they were praying and singing praises to God for hours and no one could avoid listening. Then suddenly a great earthquake, which brings great fear commensurate with its force, and the prison was shaken, all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. He realizes that his position is a fatal one. Death is the only escape. But the words of the prayers and the hymns have served their purpose. He recognizes that Paul and Silas know the answer to his need. Repentance has flooded his soul. Falling down before them and trembling with fear he pleads, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

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Just to be sure:  This message is not about sanctification; it is not about growth in the body of Christ; nor is about the maturing process of a Christian. This is about the beginning, the new birth, the starting point of eternal life. This is the door that opens into that new life. And Jesus Himself said, “I am the door.”

Yes, there is much knowledge to be gained; there is an ongoing process of maturation and sanctification, which the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer accomplishes day by day. The Apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament are written for our learning and our edification. Fellowship with the saints is an essential element in the spiritual growth of the believer.

But with simple faith looking to Jesus, the sinless Son of the living God, dying for our sins upon that tree is the irreducible minimum to entrance into the heavenly abode.

The jailer saw his plight for what it was. His life was pointless and hopeless. There was only loneliness and punishment awaiting him. He had heard that there was a better life, an eternal life through the finished work of God’s Messiah who died to free him from his sins.

When the Israelites looked at the bronzed serpent on the standard, they did not look as simply idle curiosity seekers. They knew that their sins against Moses and against their holy God had brought on this calamity and that God had provided the cure. They had repented. 

When we look at the cross we do not look as simply spectators of an execution. We see the Son of God cruelly punished for the sins of the world – for our sins. Recognition of a need for forgiveness leads to redemption through the precious blood of the lamb.

Many other such examples one can find in the Holy Scriptures and much more could be said regarding this wonderful Savior, but let this word be enough for now. The truth is that the same simple message is still available today to everyone who believes.

TEN PRINCIPLES OF FORGIVENESS

by Ed Cardwell

 

Death is a most certain event that every member of the human family must face.  But can anyone depart this life in full confidence of his ultimate destiny, knowing assuredly that he is at complete and total peace with his Creator?  The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’, and this treatise proposes to explain how this can be so.

 

Let us take a short journey beginning in a familiar passage from the Gospel of Mark:

 

“And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home.  And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.  And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.  And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.  And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’  But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,  ‘Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?’  And immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Arise, and take up your pallet and walk '?  But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ -- He said to the paralytic--  ‘I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.’  And he rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of all; so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’”  ^{Mark 2:1-12}

 

Four times in this passage we encounter a form of the word ‘forgive’.  In the English language Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines ‘forgive’ as:  to give up resentment of or claim to requital(compensation, retaliation) for something; to pardon, excuse, grant relief from payment. Before we go any further we need to understand the Biblical definition of this word. The original language (Greek) is far more concise and descriptive of the action involved in forgiveness.  The word in this passage is  avfi,hmi  (aphiemi), which is made up of two words, avpo, (apo) (away) and a root word hiemi (to send) and gives a mental picture of ‘a lifting up and carrying away.’  It is a New Testament word for an event in the Old Testament for which it was a type.  It visualizes in New Testament terms its prophetic fulfillment from the Old Testament – the annual sending away into the wilderness the Scapegoat that bore all the sins of Israel.

 

“Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.   And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”  ^{Leviticus 16:21-22}  [‘solitary’ land:  a land ‘cut off’, where there is no returning]

 

This is the picture that describes New Testament ‘forgiveness’ that comes from God Himself.

 

But who is this man that is referred to as ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’?  And how does he qualify to forgive any man’s sin?

 

The religious leaders who were charging Jesus with blasphemy in the above narrative were theologically correct:  Only God can forgive sins.

 

Can it be that this man from Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, nailed to a cross outside Jerusalem some 20 centuries ago, was merely a royal ‘Whipping Boy’ -  like those young men in England in the 15^th and 16^th centuries whose sole purpose it was to suffer for the evil deeds of  the princes of the court?  Was he only some innocent young man whom God nurtured and led along to take the humiliation, blows and stripes, and even taste death for the sins of others?  Simply stated: How can someone be punished for the misdeeds of others and that be called justice?

 

Even Isaiah the prophet extols this aspect of the divine nature:  “For the LORD is a God of justice.”  ^{Isaiah 30:18}

 

But note the clear testimony of these Jewish apostles of New Testament Scripture regarding this Jesus, who is called the Christ:

 

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust.”  ^{1 Peter 3:18}

 

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us”  ^{Galatians 3:13}

 

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  ^{Romans 5:6}

 

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  ^{2 Corinthians 5:21}

 

So, the New Testament writers, and indeed all of orthodox Christianity, teach that the death of Jesus on the cross was a divinely purposeful event.   The death of Christ on the cross is even hailed as the supreme sacrificial act worthy of the highest of exultation ^{Galatians 6:14}  The Apostle Paul said the word of the cross was ‘the power of God.’ ^{1Corinthians 1:18}  It would seem then that unless we understand the full scope of forgiveness and establish the real identity of this man Jesus, the Christian faith and the so-called Gospel(Good News), which is its fundamental tenet, seem all too incongruous, and utter nonsense at best.

 

Let us examine some universal moral principles that might help us discover the answer to the questions just raised and perhaps throw light on the person of Jesus, who is called The Christ (Messiah).

 

Principle #1:  AN OFFENSE IS A TRANSGRESSION AGAINST SOMEONE AND ALWAYS CARRIES A PENALTY.  Regardless of its severity, any infringement of the rules of law or social norms or any misdeed of any kind always brings an unwelcome consequence, which we call: debt, guilt, or obligation of some sort.  Examples are endless.  A dented fender requires restitution; a slandered reputation causing a wounded spirit results in a law suit; an accidental coffee spill on a new rug requires some payment for cleansing, etc…ad infinitum.  

 

Principle #2:  THE ONE WHO COMMITS AN OFFENSE BECOMES INDEBTED TO THE OFFENDED PARTY.  The offender becomes a debtor to the offended party, who may be considered a creditor, much like one who has borrowed money and is held responsible for its repayment. Again, examples are limitless.  The lawbreaker must answer to the courts for his misdeeds.  The shop owner is owed restitution for a customer’s careless handling and breakage of shelf merchandise.  An inventor is owed compensation for infringement of his copyright.  The full payment of any fine, forfeiture, or punishment may be exacted to satisfy any offense.

 

Principle #3:  THE OFFENDED PARTY, ie THE CREDITOR, HAS THE MORAL RIGHT AND MORAL AUTHORITY TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO OPTIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE OFFENSE:

 

A.    He may exact the full amount of the debt, or

 

B.     He may forgive the debt.

 

Notice carefully:  he is fully justified in exacting the full amount or any portion of the restitution; and he is equally fully justified if he chooses to forgive the debt.  This is because the moral authority rests with him as creditor, the offended party.

 

So, if the offended party, the creditor, chooses option B, to forgive the debt, then…

 

Principle #4:  IN THE ACT OF FORGIVING, THE OFFENDED PARTY (THE CREDITOR) CHOOSES TO RELEASE THE DEBTOR FROM HIS DEBT,    But note carefully that this act does not nullify the reality of the debt itself; forgiveness does not cause the consequence of the offense to disappear:  the dress is still torn, the glass remains broken, the money has not been repaid, the embarrassment and humiliation is still painful, etc, etc, etc…

 

Principle #5:  IN THE ACT OF FORGIVING, THE OFFENDED PARTY BEARS THE PENALTY OF THE OFFENSE HIMSELF!!!  And the result is the offended party suffers the damages incurred by the debt ON HIS OWN HEAD!!  The shop owner must pay for the damage/loss of his merchandise; the inventor suffers the loss of income from another’s violation of his copyright; the owner of the torn dress pays for the loss herself, etc…

 

Principle #6:  WHEN FORGIVEN, THE OFFENDING PARTY (THE DEBTOR) IS SET FREE OF THE OBLIGATION INCURRED BY HIS OWN OFFENSE.  He is released!!!  He is set at liberty!!! 

 

Note the exultant language of the psalmist:

 

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, And  forget none of His benefits;  Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases.”  ^{Psalm 103:2-3}

 

And remembering the duty of the Scapegoat:

 

“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  ^{Psalm 103:12}

 

And the celebration of this freedom by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament:

 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”  ^{Romans 8:1-2}

 

Principle #7:  ALL SIN IS ULTIMATELY AGAINST GOD.  All moral offenses against those made in His image are ultimately against Him.  God, therefore, is ultimately the offended party in all such occasions.

 

To anyone familiar with the life of David and the events surrounding his relationship with Bathsheba, his sins are well known:  adultery, the murder of Uriah, bringing shame upon the nation of Israel.  Yet he acknowledges that all these are ultimately against the Lord God Himself:

 

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.  Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge.”  ^{Psalm 51:2-4}

 

Principle #8:  THE PENALTY FOR SIN IS DEATH.  Death in the Biblical sense is total eternal separation from God.

 

“For the wages of sin is death.”  ^{Romans 6:23}

 

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”  ^{Romans 5:12}

 

Principle #9:  SIN IS UNIVERSAL.  Mankind is under the curse since the Fall in the Garden.  All the children of men have the same nature.  No exceptions.

 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  ^{Romans 3:23}

 

“As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one.’”  ^{Romans 3:10}

 

“For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.”  ^{Romans 11:32}

 

What does this tell us about this Jesus of Nazareth, who is called the Christ (Messiah)?  What, and who, is he claiming to be?  Jesus did not respond directly to their question as to whether it was only God who could forgive sins.   Was it not left for his audience to conclude the obvious?  Is it not now left for the reader of Mark’s recorded narrative to arrive at the same logical and necessary end?  Clearly Jesus is claiming to be the offended party, or the full representative of the offended party.  Compare the following passages:

 

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”  ^{John 14:9}

 

“I and the Father are one.”   ^{John 10:30}

 

Incidentally, Jesus spoke those last words to a very skeptical audience in the temple of Solomon, and because of those words he was immediately threatened with stoning.  When Jesus asked why they were going to do this, they answered him, “because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”  ^{John 10:33}

 

Many have insisted mistakenly over the years that Jesus never claimed to be God, or the Son of God.  Such a view could only be held by someone who is unfamiliar with the reading of the New Testament.  The passage in Mark’s Gospel is just one of many passages where Jesus claimed to be God, and as such, leaves no doubt as to who this Jesus claimed to be.

 

The prophet Isaiah spoke plainly of the purpose and the suffering of this coming Redeemer in that famous passage that portrays His great sacrifice for all mankind:

 

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”  ^{Isaiah 53:6}

 

The apostle Paul describes His servant’s heart in fulfilling that mission for which He came:

 

“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  ^{Philippians 2:8}

 

Principle #10:  FORGIVENESS OF SIN IS A FREE GIFT FROM GOD.  No amount of saying ‘I’m sorry’ can eliminate the penalty incurred by sin.  Only the offended party, God Himself, can erase such a consequence, and that by bearing the debt Himself.  God Himself, in the form of man, must die.

 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   ^{Romans 6:23}

 

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”   ^{Romans 5:17}

 

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What is left to say, except that this Jesus, prophesied from the beginning (Genesis 3:15) to appear at the appointed time (Luke 2:34), born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:24f), performing many powerful miracles throughout his stay on this earth (Acts 2:22), crucified at the hands of His own creation (Acts 2:36), buried in a sealed tomb (Matthew 27:59f), raised from the dead on the third day (Mark 9:31), and ascended to His heavenly home in glory (Luke 24:50f) is indeed the very Son of God, God become man.

 

GOD IS THE OFFENDED PARTY, THE CREDITOR, WHO IN HIS INFINITE MERCY HAS OFFERED TO ALL FULL PARDON FOR ALL SINS.

 

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What then?  How does one rightfully respond to such wonderful grace?  How does one respond to complete forgiveness?

 

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”   ^{Romans 10:9}

 

“And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.’”   ^{Acts 16:31}

 

“‘Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal.’  They said therefore to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’  Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”   ^{John 6:27-29}

 

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Is there any other road to heaven?  Is there any other who could qualify to forgive the sins of man but the God-man Jesus the Christ?  Many have argued that there are many ways to God.  But that is the greatest mistake that has eternally tragic consequences.  If one does not receive this marvelous gift of forgiveness freely offered to all, he, by his refusal, bears the full penalty of the debt on his own head – the 2^nd death, eternal separation from God.

 

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”   ^{Acts 4:12}

 

“I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.”   ^{John 8:24}

 

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You are invited, dear friend, to receive this free gift of forgiveness and eternal salvation in which you will live forever in unspeakable joy and fellowship with the Creator of the Universe who has redeemed your soul.

 

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”   ^{Psalm 16:11}

 

Do not delay.  Now is the day of salvation!

 

“For He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you’; behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’.”  ^{2 Corinthians 6:2}

 

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.”   ^{Matthew 11:28}

 

“And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”  ^{Revelation 22:17}

 

ecardwells6@gmail.com

 

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Ed Cardwell is my friend and long-time co-worker in the ministry of Christian school education. He spent several years as principal while I was head administrator. He was an excellent and very popular Bible and foreign language teacher. We were of one mind, and it was very natural to work together since we thought so much alike.