Forgiveness, part 2: How Does God Forgive?

Sermon podcast from January 27, 2019

We've all experienced times when we've apologized to someone and they expressed forgiveness, only to realize that the person is holding on to a long-term grudge. That's not real forgiveness.

It's hard to let go once we've been hurt; the memory sticks. God knows everything. How can he forgive? God defines forgiveness, so to understand how we must forgive, we must understand how God forgives.

So what are we talking about when we talk about the forgiveness of God?

There are two important biblical images to examine: the altar and the cross.

God's forgiveness is by grace.

The altar demonstrates the gravity of sin

Sin requires death. Death is the outworking of sin. When we rebel against God, we depart from life to a path of destruction and death.

“If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4)

We've all rebelled on a fundamental level, and that core rebellion (sin) has produced innumerable transgressions of God's standard (sins). We rebelled, and then we piled up sins on top of that... who could stand?

But God's way of sacrifice can never be confused with the pagan way, which blindly tried to bribe angry gods with sacrifices. God's way of sacrifice demonstrates grace, because he himself provided the means of sacrifice in two ways:

1. By teaching them through his law.
2. By providing the animals (see Psalm 50:12)

God's provision here points to his provision at the cross.

The cross provides Jesus to bring once-for-all forgiveness

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood… (Romans 3:21-25)

We have to receive righteousness from God, given through the blood of Jesus, applied by our faith. God's forgives freely by his own will and pleasure:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4)

Because of this forgiveness by grace, there is now "no condemnation"!

God's forgiveness is thorough

The Bible gives several pictures to demonstrate to us that no accusation against us will now stand, now that he has declared us righteous through Christ and the cross.

Picture #1: We are thoroughly cleansed

Completely stainless: 1 John 1:9 and Isaiah 1:18

Picture #2: We are thoroughly separated from sin

"As far as the east is from the west": Psalm 103:8-12

"Into the depths of the sea": Micah 7:19

Picture #3: Our debt is completely cancelled

"Blotted out": Isaiah 43:25... Since we owe God nothing for our sin, there is also no credit to be gained. We are free to stop trying to "make it up to him" through religious rules (see Colossians 2:13-14).

The only thing you owe him is yourself.

God's forgiveness is relational 

Our sin forces God to relate to us as Judge, but forgiveness allows him to relate to us as Father. Forgiveness is a personal process. God says, "Let us reason together... I will wash..." (Isaiah 1:18).

And forgiveness comes through our personal response of repentance (see Acts 2:38).

Then our relationship is fully restored with God. In the Old Testament, God repeats his desire: "You will be my people, and I will be your God." In the New Testament, we are fully adopted as his children.

This is how God forgives: by grace, thoroughly, and relationally.

How does this compare to your forgiveness?

How can you forgive others more like how God forgives you?