The relationship between the Lord's act of forgiving is directly tied to your obligation to forgive. When considering the biblical doctrine and practice of forgiveness, there is a temporal and causal relationship which bears directly upon what you are, and what you are not, to do and expect when forgiving or seeking forgiveness. In the first two sermons, we learned that when one offends you and seeks forgiveness, you are to forgive, and that if you know that you have offended, you are to seek to be reconciled. In both cases, I pointed out that the basic principle of forgiveness is found in the divine practice of forgiveness. In Ephesians 4:32, that principle is explicit. But before we can consider Ephesians 4:32, we must understand Psalm 130.
In the first half of the Psalm, the Psalmist expresses the realization that his offences have put him in a very bad place. It is like drowning. The knowledge of the break in fellowship is overwhelming to him. You should notice that his pleas excluded all of the other circumstances. That is, what the Psalmist wants above all things is for the Lord to hear his cry so it is to the Lord that the cry is made. This is the ordinary place of all of Adam's fallen children. We are all drowning. But some cry for mercy and others do not. Nevertheless, we ALL offend and we all need for the Lord to hear our cry. But what if the Lord hears your cry and responds with condemnation and lets you drown in your sins? So, the Psalmist asks a terrifying hypothetical and rhetorical question: what if God marks iniquities? "Mark" meaning keeping track of and preserving for the Day of Judgment. If God were to summon any one of us before His throne of justice to answer according to one's own iniquity, none could endure it. Yet, the hypothetical would indicate that the Lord does not "mark" our sins. In commenting on this, one of my favorite OT commentators said it much better than I can: "…were it not for pardon, and the hope of it, men would be desperate; and, having no hope, would resolve upon taking their swing of sin, and be entirely negligent of the worship and service of God: was there no forgiveness of sin, there would be no more fear of God among men than there is among devils, for whom there is no forgiveness; there might be dread and trembling, as among them, but no godly fear: yea, if God was strictly to mark iniquity, and not pardon it, there would be none to fear him, all must be condemned and cut off by him; but, in order to secure and preserve his fear among men, he has taken the step he has to pardon sin through the propitiatory sacrifice of his Son; and a discovery, and an application of his grace, teaches men to fear to offend him; influences them to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear, and engages them to fear him and his goodness, and him for his goodness's sake…" (John Gill)
In the second half of the Psalm, the Psalmist confesses his hope in the promised forgiveness. He says that, "I wait". He is patient in anticipating the blessing. When one is sure of the good purposes of the one appealed to, it is enough to lay the appeal before them and wait. He places his trust in the sure word of God. And what does His word say? Psalm 86:1-5 says, "Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me; For I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You! Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." He also compares himself to those who wait for the morning. What a beautiful illustration! Those who wait for the morning know that morning will come: they are confident. And those who wait for the morning are refreshed by the sight of it. Without the hope of God's mercy, we would despair. The one's who had sold themselves in slavery – the slavery of sin – experience the abundant redemption as they wait upon, and place their hope in, the God who forgives. The psalm began with the cry from the depths; it ends with the quiet confidence that the Lord's purpose will be fulfilled. Notice how the confident expectation dispels doubt and restores the peace which had been disturbed by the offence. There is no greater act of mercy; there is no greater act of reconciliation; there is no greater act of grace. But this does not mean that mercy, reconciliation, and grace are not found elsewhere. Indeed, they are to be found elsewhere. And we find it in the description of the practice of forgiveness in Ephesians 4:32.
The explicit and plain principle expressed here is, whatever offences are committed, or whatever injuries are inflicted by the Lord's people to one another, they should forgive according to a specific standard. Notice the standard! How much grace have you received? How much kindness?, How much tenderheartedness? In whatever measure you have been forgiven: forgive. In the NT, there are two primary words translated "forgive." One means to send away. It often refers to a debt which is cancelled. The other means to show grace or favor unconditionally. This is the word used here. You are to graciously forgive because you have been graciously forgiven. You are to forget the offence and you are not to throw it in the face of the one who offended because that is what the Lord has done for you. (Lord willing, I will preach on this aspect this coming Lord's Day.) As the Lord declares through the prophet Micah, "Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. (7:18, 19) Do you delight in mercy, or do you retain your anger when one sins against you?
All For Him,
Pastor Schlegel |
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