I've been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately. The Bible says that God alone forgives sins--several places in the Gospels where the Scribes and Pharisees try to trick Jesus say this.
There are a number of things about this that I don't understand. For one thing, the Old Testament verses to which the New Testament refer say that God forgives sins, but they don't say that ONLY God forgives sins. Specifically I'm referring to Isaiah 43:25: "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins."~~NKJV. There's only one translation where it says that God alone forgives sins, and that's the New Living Translation, and it doesn't say that only God CAN forgive sins, just that He alone does. It may be semantics, but it makes a difference, it seems to me.
In addition, if it's true that God alone can forgive sins, why is that so? And if it is true, then why are Christians required to forgive? I mean, if God is the only one who can forgive then why does He expect His people to do it if He and not they are the ones doing the forgiving? Seems like all we would be expected to do would be to ask Him to forgive whomever has wronged us. I get that human beings shouldn't hold unforgiveness. It's bad for your health, for one thing. If practiced over a long period, holding unforgiveness can create a root of bitterness which can cause things like ulcers and cancer. It can also hinder your prayers.
When King David was confronted by Nathan the prophet because of his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, David's response was, "I have sinned against the LORD."~~II Samuel 12:13. And in Psalm 51 where David writes about this incident, he says,
After reading Psalm 51 I think I understand why only God can forgive sins. It's because sin separates us from God, and only God can cleanse and purify a person from the stain that sin creates, plus only God can repair the gap that we cause when we sin, as it says in verse seven of Psalm 51: "Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Only God is righteous and good enough to do the cleansing that's required for forgiveness to take place. The only thing I still don't understand is why we are required to forgive if God is the only one who has the ability to actually do the forgiving and cleansing? Certainly we can't cleanse our own souls from sin. Only God can do that. So why are we commanded to do something that's impossible for us to do?
There are a number of possible answers to that question, I suppose. One is that if we don't forgive--if we hold onto unforgiveness--we are, in effect, trying to exact revenge ourselves for the wrongs done to us instead of leaving it to God. The Bible says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."~~Romans 12:19, ESV.
Other plausible answers are that our forgiveness releases God to act in the person's life in some way that we can't, or maybe our forgiveness allows Him to forgive them. So I feel quite relieved, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, because I've been able to answer at least some of these questions with God's help (of course!). I suppose that sounds kind of silly, but it's true. When I'm trying to understand something like that it occupies all my thoughts and all my waking hours. Now I can move on to other mysteries.
Cool!!
There are a number of things about this that I don't understand. For one thing, the Old Testament verses to which the New Testament refer say that God forgives sins, but they don't say that ONLY God forgives sins. Specifically I'm referring to Isaiah 43:25: "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins."~~NKJV. There's only one translation where it says that God alone forgives sins, and that's the New Living Translation, and it doesn't say that only God CAN forgive sins, just that He alone does. It may be semantics, but it makes a difference, it seems to me.
In addition, if it's true that God alone can forgive sins, why is that so? And if it is true, then why are Christians required to forgive? I mean, if God is the only one who can forgive then why does He expect His people to do it if He and not they are the ones doing the forgiving? Seems like all we would be expected to do would be to ask Him to forgive whomever has wronged us. I get that human beings shouldn't hold unforgiveness. It's bad for your health, for one thing. If practiced over a long period, holding unforgiveness can create a root of bitterness which can cause things like ulcers and cancer. It can also hinder your prayers.
When King David was confronted by Nathan the prophet because of his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, David's response was, "I have sinned against the LORD."~~II Samuel 12:13. And in Psalm 51 where David writes about this incident, he says,
"Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner -- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me --now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."~~Psalm 51:4-10, NLT.
After reading Psalm 51 I think I understand why only God can forgive sins. It's because sin separates us from God, and only God can cleanse and purify a person from the stain that sin creates, plus only God can repair the gap that we cause when we sin, as it says in verse seven of Psalm 51: "Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Only God is righteous and good enough to do the cleansing that's required for forgiveness to take place. The only thing I still don't understand is why we are required to forgive if God is the only one who has the ability to actually do the forgiving and cleansing? Certainly we can't cleanse our own souls from sin. Only God can do that. So why are we commanded to do something that's impossible for us to do?
There are a number of possible answers to that question, I suppose. One is that if we don't forgive--if we hold onto unforgiveness--we are, in effect, trying to exact revenge ourselves for the wrongs done to us instead of leaving it to God. The Bible says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."~~Romans 12:19, ESV.
Other plausible answers are that our forgiveness releases God to act in the person's life in some way that we can't, or maybe our forgiveness allows Him to forgive them. So I feel quite relieved, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, because I've been able to answer at least some of these questions with God's help (of course!). I suppose that sounds kind of silly, but it's true. When I'm trying to understand something like that it occupies all my thoughts and all my waking hours. Now I can move on to other mysteries.
Cool!!
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