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Articles
Forgive One Another
Introduction:
In Ephesians 4:32 we are told, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” We need to begin to understand this idea of forgiving one another. How is it we forgive? Who do we forgive? To what extent do we forgive? Why do we forgive? When do we forgive? These are the questions we will strive to answer in this article.
The Context:
Walk Worthy - The theme of chapters 4-6 is “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” As Part of this discussion Paul is discussing putting off the old man (4:17-24).
Putting on the New Man – Paul concludes the section on putting off the old man by telling us to put on the new man.
After God’s Likeness - The new man is “After God’s likeness” in verse 24. He forgives as God forgives (v.32) and we are to be “Imitators of God” (5:1). Therefore, we need to put off the old man and put on the new man after God’s likeness.
The Text:
The Foundation: “God….Forgave You” – We have been guilty of sin (Romans 3:23), and our sin separated us from God (Isaiah 59:1-3). These sins also led to us being spiritually dead (Romans 6:23) and left us needing forgiveness. God has given us a means of forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7), and this is the very reason Christ came (Acts 5:30-31). An understanding of God’s forgiveness of us will make us want to forgive others even more. We will consider our past lives (Titus 3:2-7) and what God did for us, we will forgive others.
The Extent: “As God in Christ Forgave You.” – Not only does this text teach us that we forgive because God forgave us, but also that we forgive as God has forgiven us. Consider how God forgives us: 1) Willingly (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4-5) – God wants to forgive us, He desires we be saved. We too must also desire to forgive others when they seek it out. 2) Conditionally (Acts 2:38, Acts 8:33) – God forgives us with conditions (i.e., baptism for alien sinner). We also forgive conditionally as God did. Some have the idea that we forgive others without them seeking it, but that is not consistent with the scriptures. We forgive when others seek it (Luke 17:1-4) – when they repent – just as God does. 3) Graciously (Ephesians 2:4-6, Colossians 2:11-13) – God forgave us by His grace and we therefore but be gracious in giving forgiveness. 4) Completely (Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:17) – God has forgiven us completely, He has blotted out our sins. We must forgive others completely, not keep recounting their past sins against us. 5) Repeatedly (1 John 1:8-2:2, Acts 8:14-25) - God forgives us as many times as we truly repent of sins (Just as he forgave Simon when he sinned shortly after baptism). We must forgive our brethren even if they ask us for forgiveness 7 times in a day (Luke 17:4). 6) Immediately (Daniel 9:20-27, Luke 15:20-24) – God does not hesitate to forgive us, it does not take Him time to forgive us. When we sin, God will forgive us as soon as we truthfully ask, and we therefore must also do the same and forgive immediately.
The Attitude of Forgiveness: Love – Chapter 5 begins with the word “Therefore,” connecting it back to the end of chapter 4. Since we are a new man, created after the likeness of God, we must “Therefore be imitators of God…” Verse 2 adds further explanation as it tells us to “Walk in love” just as “Christ also has loved us.” The very attitude as to how we forgive is Agape love – like what is discussed in 1 Corinthians 13. The love of 1 Corinthians 13 gives us 4 key terms that can help us understand how this love acts when it comes to forgiveness. 1) Be kind (v.4) – this love is going to treat others with kindness. 2) Think no evil (v.4) – That is, love takes no account of wrong. This is not that we do not see when others do us wrong, but we do not keep holding onto it. We do not sit there and say, “Do you remember that time you….” But instead, we completely forget (as we saw under the previous point). 3) Does Not Rejoice in Evil (v.6) – Love does not rejoice when people do wrong, but instead try to help them correct their mistakes. Love hates when others do what is wrong and wants to forgive when they seek it. 4) Believe and Hopes All Things (v.7) – Love gives the benefit of the doubt. When we see something that “Could be” something we perceive wrong but there could be a reasonable explanation, we believe the reasonable explanation. For example, suppose someone leaves worship services without talking to you when they always talk to you. We could suppose, “Were they mad at me?” or “What was wrong with them? They didn’t talk to me like they normally do.” Instead, love will consider only the best, “Maybe they had to hurry home, or maybe they didn’t see me.” What we learn from these passages is that love will want to forgive. If we truly love our brethren, we will want to forgive them.
Conclusion:
The fact that we need to forgive one another is evident. The question really is, how we forgive. We have seen that we have put off the old man and put on the new man, created in the likeness of God. This new man forgives others as God forgives us, will forgive to the extent God forgives us, and lastly forgives out of love. Let us all learn to forgive as we have been forgiven.
