Forgiven All Trespasses
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, Eph 1.7[1]
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph.4:32
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:14
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, Col.2:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Col. 3:13
How Hard is Forgiveness?
What would you do if you were forced to live in a concentration camp? How would you live, how would you survive knowing that years of your life were being taken away by these horrible murderers and you spend every day being tortured, abused and crushed by them. What if you had also lost a family member there, what if they had forced you to watch the most important person in your life die right in front of you? Could you, years later, forgive the person who did this? Would it be possible for you?
Forgiveness is hard, lack of forgiveness is something that ruins many relationships forever. We cling to our rights, or our perception of the events: “It’s herfault. I won’t forgive her until she apologizes!” Then the hate begins to grow in our heart. Often times we are so deeply hurt or offended that we find ourselves unable to forgive the person, or people, who hurt us so deeply. Thus relationships are broken, people fight and countries go to war. No forgiveness, no life. The cycle is ironclad justice turning around on itself.
Why do I need forgiveness?
Forgiveness is difficult and unnatural for us. Forgiveness is difficult because it costs the forgiver something. But what do we need to be forgiven for? It makes us look back to the beginning. Genesis 1-2 give us a picture of why God created man. Man was created to be in a relationship with God. However, the man(Adam) distrusted God, and the relationship was broken. Furthermore, now that Adam and Eve were broken, they could only make children in a broken relationship with God.
This is how we enter into the world. Already with a nature that is unable to have fellowship with God. The Bible tells us that we are, by nature, God’s enemies. But God forgives his enemies. But how does God forgive his enemies (us)? By taking the punishment, taking the repayment onto Himself. He did this by sending Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, to come and die for our sins. The Bible talks about two kinds of forgiveness that we are given in the person and sacrifice of Christ Jesus:
1) Positional – From God’s view point we are put into Christ. We are perfectly forgiven of any sins that we have committed in the past and present and the ones that we will commit in the future. This is what Colossians 2:13 means when it says “he has forgiven ALL our trespasses.” This forgiveness is the forgiveness that places us in the family of God. Often times it is easy for people to understand that our sins before we put our faith in Christ were forgiven but not the ones after we have already come to Him. This is not the case. The Scripture is clear that ALL of our sins were forgiven on the cross two thousand years ago. Remember always that God has a different view of time than we have. All of our sins occurred 2000 years after Christ paid for them on the Cross, yet time is not a limiting factor in the power of the blood of Jesus. We are forever freed from the penalty of sin (eternal separation from God).
2) Conditional – In our day to day life we never need to fear the punishment of eternal separation from God again, however, our sin still needs to be addressed. However, our sin is now addressed in a different way. We are no longer seen as sinners in the hands of an angry God, but rather as sons and daughters who have offended their loving Father. The relationship has changed completely. Just as when a child has a fight with his parent the relationship is paused or disrupted (you no longer are able to enjoy one another’s company) the two parties still remain parent and child. Thus, the forgiveness that is needed for the Christian who sins is different. The forgiveness for our crimes that deserved death (eternal separation from God) has already been given. The forgiveness that is needed is that which restores us to fellowship. Fortunately, this is provided for us in Christ as well.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1
“Confess” here is the a Greek word that combines the word for “same” and the word for “word. This word means to “say the same thing.” We are restored to fellowship by agreeing with God that our actions were sinful, that they were not the actions that glorify Him. This restores us to our relationship with Him.
Too much Liberty?
There is a question that always comes up at this point. Someone inevitably asks: “If God has already forgiven all of our sins, why not just do as we please? Won’t every sin be forgiven?” The answer to the last question is, shockingly, “Yes.” However, we find as we walk and are saved that a life of Sin, now that we are new creations, only leaves us feeling empty, tired, and broken. We find that now that we have tasted real life, only real life will do. We find ourselves so thankful that God is always gracious that we don’t want to break fellowship with Him anymore. Just like we may lick a toilet bowl as a baby out of ignorance, but later come to find the very thought repulsive, so we will find sin more and more repulsive as we see that it causes us to be separated from God, even if it’s only for a moment, we find that time to be more and more excruciating.
How powerful is this forgiveness?
The first question at the beginning of the lesson is a question that faced Corrie Ten Boom. Here her account of that experience for her.
IT WAS IN A CHURCH in Munich where I was speaking in 1947 that I saw him-a balding heavyset man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat, the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones.
Memories of the concentration camp came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment of skin.
Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. This man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent.
Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: "A fine message, fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say,, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!"
It was the first time since my release that I had been face to face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.
"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk, " he was saying. "I was a guard therre. But since that time, " he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein-" again the hand came out-"will you forgive me?"
And I stood there-and could not. Betsie had died in that place- could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?
It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.
For I had to do it-I knew that. The message that God forgives has has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses."
Still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgive- ness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling."
And so woodenly, mechanically, I thriust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this jealing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. "I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"
For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.[2]
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