Forgiven

Background Scripture: Luke 7:36-50
Lesson Scripture: John 8:1-11

Introduction

Is there any topic more meaningful to our existence than forgiveness? If we fail to enter and remain in this condition of being forgiven, what good did our life on earth do for us? None. If we rise to great heights in life, attain unsurpassed knowledge or move mountains and perform many good works, yet depart this world in an unforgiven state, our lives will have been pointless and wasted. To obtain forgiveness by God’s grace is our very purpose in life. Every human being inhabiting heaven for eternity will be marked “Forgiven.”

Key Verse

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

This account takes place in the last year of our Lord’s life and ministry. His work in Galilee is over, and He has passed through Samaria for the last time. In Jerusalem He is meeting increasing opposition from the proud leaders of the day. What motivates them? Perhaps they envy the love and esteem the common people have for Jesus, or more likely, they resent his exposure of their hypocrisy. Rather than admit that they too are sinners, it is more convenient to find fault in an effort to stain Jesus’s character.

The scribes and the Pharisees think they have Jesus in a corner now! The law given by God through Moses is clear. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:20). And the sin is without question, for the woman was taken in the very act. “The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Lev. 20:10). If Jesus will be true to the Word of God, then He must condemn the woman to an immediate, harsh death. If Jesus does not call for her stoning, they can rightly declare that He is not true to the law of God and thus cannot be the Messiah.

Strangely and silently He stoops down and begins tracing his finger in the dust, like a child or a senseless person. Perhaps his foes think they have stumped Him, and they continue pressing their point. Jesus straightens up and faces them. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Then Jesus returns to his tracing in the dust.

What was He writing? Through the ages Christians have speculated about what it might have been. We would love to know, but the Bible does not tell us.

We do know what happened next. An inner voice began to speak to every scribe and Pharisee at this scene. That inner voice was each individual’s conscience. The root of the word conscience literally means “with knowledge.” Each scribe and Pharisee knew he was guilty of wrongdoing, and each one also knew of sin in his own life that deserved the type of harsh justice they were desiring to see administered. The stone that each one meant to throw in self-righteous indignation and fury could have rightfully been thrown at them. One by one they quietly left.

“Hath no man condemned thee? . . . Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:10-11). These are some of the most beautiful words that have ever been uttered—words of life and not death, words that every saved person has heard.

Jesus was faithful to the Word of God and the law as revealed through Moses. Justice would be fulfilled. But the woman herself would not have to die because of her sin. Someone was going to take her place.

Practical Truths for Today

Forgiveness is something that we all need but not everyone wants. Some people want God’s forgiveness but have a difficult time accepting it. This could be because of unbelief or pride that is in the way. We are disappointed that we have sinned. We thought we were better than that and wanted others to think so too. Sometimes we hear that we have to forgive ourselves. Forgiving ourselves really means humbling ourselves, acknowledging our sinfulness, and accepting God’s forgiveness.

God’s forgiveness to us flows from his unconditional love. God equally loves every human being, regardless of who they are, where they are, or what they have done. In his eyes, we are all in the same condition—hopelessly lost. We are all sinful, and God cannot coexist with sin. We are unable to change our sinful condition, and the payment for our past sins is death. It is a hopeless condition.

But the God who created this universe and the human race still loves us, and He extends hope. He paid the death penalty Himself through the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. Hope returns as we realize we do not have to die, and peace comes with being forgiven.

Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit of God, we can access power over willful sin. There is power to change through being forgiven. The bondage and slavery to sin and evil desire can be broken. We will still be tempted and may occasionally stumble, but there is a remedy, and we have the promise of an everlasting, glorious change in the resurrection. To never have sin tug at us again will be the endless blessing of being forgiven.

God’s unconditional love means that every human being can come to this forgiveness; the door is barred to no one. We do not attain to the love of God; it is just there for all. However, there are conditions to gaining forgiveness. Forgiveness is for those who truly want it. God has given to us the power of choice, which He will not violate.

The first condition is to choose to believe. By choosing to believe God’s Word, we grasp that forgiveness is being offered to us personally.

The second condition is repentance. We are sincerely sorry for our sin and do not want it anymore. Repentance will include confession, admitting our sins to God and at times to our fellow humans. We may have to make amends for wrongs that we have done.

When the Lord taught his disciples how to pray, his simple, short prayer included, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Jesus then summarizes, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:14-15). We often quote this prayer, but let us notice what we are actually saying. We are asking God to forgive us in the same way that we forgive other people. As we seek God’s forgiveness, it is very important that we forgive others. Our own need to be forgiven will always exceed the forgiveness we will need to extend to others. This condition of extending forgiveness is a requisite if we really want to be saved.

Jesus told the parable about a king who forgave a tremendous debt that one of his servants owed to him. But that servant refused to forgive a small debt from one of his fellow servants. This angered the king, and he punished the wicked servant. Then Jesus concluded the parable with this thought, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matt. 18:35).

Jesus referred to forgiveness as proceeding from the heart. That means that it has to be more than just nice words. True forgiveness will include not only saying the right thing but also thinking the right thing. Then we will do the right thing.

True forgiveness does not come to us naturally; it comes from God. We can only forgive when we have his Holy Spirit. As we come to Him and ask for the grace to forgive from our heart, He will set us free.

Illustration

Let us imagine that a brother cheated me out of one thousand dollars. I could really use the money, too. I know he did it, he knows he did it, and he knows that I know. But God now moves in my heart to forgive him.

What does it mean to really forgive him? To begin with, I will never say anything about it to my brother again. I will never act like he owes me anything. If I do, that is being unforgiving. He does not owe me a penny or even a confession. He does not owe me anything. Why? Because I have forgiven him. If someone asks, “Remember that one thousand dollars that your brother owes you?” I can reply, “He doesn’t owe me anything.” This is true forgiveness because it is how God forgives. Once God has forgiven our sins, He will never bring them up to us again. The devil might remind us, but God will not; the past is forgiven.

A major aspect of forgiving is forgetting. “Forgive and forget,” we like to say, but when we choose to forgive we must also choose to forget. This kind of forgetting does not mean that our mind goes blank, and we just cannot remember. It means choosing not to think unforgiving thoughts. When those thoughts resurface, they can be judged and rejected. I tell myself, “No, I am not going to think about it. Please help me, Lord.”

I must continue to make that choice. When it comes to mind, it must again be left in the past, securely canceled under the grace of forgiveness.

Does it hurt? Yes, it could. And the more I think about that one thousand dollars and about how my brother wronged me, the more it hurts. The opposite is also true. The less I think about it, the less it hurts. When I forgive from the heart, I choose to release the pain and injustice to the Lord, and it becomes his problem. By his sacrifice, Jesus took the pain of all wrong and hurt so none of us need to carry it. This is the basis of all forgiveness. If I remind my brother what he owes me, I am putting the pain back on him. That is not forgiveness.

Questions

1. What is an indication of not really forgiving someone from the heart?
2. Consider Luke 15:11-32. Was the elder brother’s problem really being unforgiving?
3. Share some thoughts about 1 John 3:18-21.
4. Jesus gave us a new commandment to love one another (John 13:34). Is it possible to love without forgiving?
5. When we forgive others, who benefits the most? We or they?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).