Forgiveness

1
Forgiveness

• Is Forgiving Others Unconditional?

2
The Forgiven are to be Forgiving

• Eph 432, And be kind to one another,
  tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God
  in Christ forgave you (NKJV)
  
• Col 313, Bearing with one another, and
  forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint
  against another even as Christ forgave you, so
  you also must do (NKJV)

3
The Forgiven are to be Forgiving

• Matthew 612, 14, 15And forgive us our debts,
  As we forgive our debtors . . . For if you
  forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
  Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
  forgive men their trespasses, neither will your
  Father forgive your trespasses (NKJV)

4
Some Among Us Have Cried For Unconditional
Forgiveness

• Antoine Holloway, September 14, 2003 (Caroline
  Street Church of Christ, South Bend, IN)
  
• Now what's the difference between conditional
  forgiveness and unconditional forgiveness? 
  There, there, really is no difference because
  there is no such thing as conditional
  forgiveness.  (exposed on WordsofTruth.net)

5
Some Argue Unconditional Forgiveness From

• And whenever you stand praying, if you have
  anything against anyone, forgive him, that your
  Father in heaven may also forgive you your
  trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither
  will your Father in heaven forgive your
  trespasses (Mk. 1125, 26)

6
Some Argue Unconditional Forgiveness From

• Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they
  do not know what they do. And they divided His
  garments and cast lots (Lk. 2334)

7
God forgives unconditionally. God forgives,
unconditionally. And because God forgives
unconditionally we as Christians must also
forgive unconditionally. Listen to your Bibles in
Luke chapter twenty-three, in Luke chapter
twenty-three verse thirty-four the Bible reads
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they
know not what they do. And they parted his
raiment, and cast lots.Unconditional
Forgiveness, Part 1 (A.M. Sermon preached at the
Caroline Street church of Christ September 2003,
submitted by Jim Haywood, member via email)
8
DANGEROUS APPROACHES!

• isolating a passage from others regarding a given
  subject
  
• not consider others passages with equal authority
  and as complimentary
  
• e.g., contending that God forgave Israel on the
  spot as the prayer departed from our Saviors lips

9
Does God Forgive Men as they sneer, mock, and
test Him?

• 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the
  rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved
  others let Him save Himself if He is the Christ,
  the chosen of God."
• 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and
  offering Him sour wine,
  
• 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews,
  save Yourself." (Lk. 2335-37)

If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.
. .You shall not tempt the LORD your God (Matt.
46, 7)
10
When Did God Forgive Them?
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written,
and thus it was necessary for the Christ to
suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 "and that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in His name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. 48 "And you are witnesse
s of these things. 49 "Behold, I send the Promis
e of My Father upon you but tarry in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on
high. (Lk. 2446-49)
11
Acts 2

• Him, being delivered by the determined purpose
  and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by
  lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death
  whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of
  death, because it was not possible that He should
  be held by it (Acts 223, 24)
• Therefore let all the house of Israel know
  assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you
  crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 236)

NKJV
12
Acts 2

• Now when they heard this, they were cut to the
  heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the
  apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
  Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every
  one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
  Christ for the remission of sins and you shall
  receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts
  237, 38)

NKJV
13
Does Conditional Forgiveness Create Too Much
Conflict?

• Are we to confront every offense?
• What about someone forgetting our birthday?
• What about the husband who doesnt get his wife
  an anniversary card?
  
• What about the one who forgets to do an errand he
  said he would do for another?
  
• What about the parent who is late to his childs
  ballgame?

THESE ARE NOT SINS!
14
The Law Identifies Sin

• What shall we say then? Is the law sin?
  Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have
  known sin except through the law. For I would not
  have known covetousness unless the law had said,
  You shall not covet (Rom. 77)
• Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness,
  and sin is lawlessness (1 Jn. 34)

15
Doesnt Love Cover A Multitude of Sins?

• And above all things have fervent love for one
  another, for love will cover a multitude of
  sins (1 Pet. 48, NKJV)
  
• Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the
  truth, and someone turns him back, let him know
  that he who turns a sinner from the error of his
  way will save a soul from death and cover a
  multitude of sins (Jas. 519, 20, NKJV)

16
Love Pursues the Sinner

• 15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you,
  go and tell him his fault between you and him
  alone. If he hears you, you have gained your
  brother.
• 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one
  or two more, that by the mouth of two or three
  witnesses every word may be established.
  
• 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to
  the church. But if he refuses even to hear the
  church, let him be to you like a heathen and a
  tax collector.
• (Matthew 1815-17, NKJV)

17
Love Pursues the Sinner

• 15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you,
  go and tell him his fault between you and him
  alone. If he hears you, you have gained your
  brother.
• 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one
  or two more, that by the mouth of two or three
  witnesses every word may be established.
  
• 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to
  the church. But if he refuses even to hear the
  church, let him be to you like a heathen and a
  tax collector.
• (Matthew 1815-17, NKJV)

18
Other Passages That Show Forgiveness is
Conditional

• Luke 173, 4, Take heed to yourselves. If your
  brother sins against you, rebuke him and if he
  repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you
  seven times in a day, and seven times in a day
  returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall
  forgive him.

NKJV
19
Other Passages That Show Forgiveness is
Conditional

• Acts 822, Repent therefore of this your
  wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought
  of your heart may be forgiven you.
  
• 1 John 19, If we confess our sins, He is
  faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
  cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  
• Ephesians 432 And be kind to one another,
  tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God
  in Christ forgave you.

NKJV
20
Unconditional Forgiveness

• proponents of show a very shallow/limited
  understanding of the scriptures
  
• is a doctrine that is not of love because it
  will be content to leave a person in sin rather
  than pursue him and turn him from the error of
  his way (Jas. 519, 20)
• it is not easy to point out the error to another

21
Unconditional Forgiveness

• would condemn the churchs work of calling lost
  sheep back and of discipline (Matt. 1815ff
  Titus 310 2 Thess. 36 1 Cor. 51ff)
  
• spawns other false doctrines
• universalism
• Doctrine that sins were forgiven 2000 years ago,
  need to be baptized to only have them in
  remission (i.e., like cancer)

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24
1 John 35

• And you know that He was manifested to take away
  our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
  
• Did Jesus take away our sins or cover up our
  sins?
  
• In taking them away, he gave us the remission
  or pardon of sin.