Forgiveness After Discipline

5If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.9Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

Thoughts: Paul is referring here to someone who sinned and he asked to discipline him.  But now he says there is forgiveness for them, and the need to reaffirm love.  Paul knew God's grace.  He knew that though he had thrown Christians in jail and assisted in the stoning of Stephen he had been forgiven.  Those who have forgiven much can forgive much.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to forgive those in my life that  have hurt me.  

Heidelberg 126 Forgiveness

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; ²and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Thoughts: Some think that Christians are weak because they offer forgiveness.  But we offer forgiveness undeserved because Christ offers it to us undeserved.  It was not weak for Christ to say on the cross, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."  Peace comes only if we are willing to forgive and relinquish the revenge that may be ours.  The Emanuel AME nine taught us that in forgiving a killer the state and many were changed and saw the power of God.  Those who are conscious of their need for forgiveness from God are more ready to forgive others.  But those who think they are righteous and do not need forgiveness (from God or anyone else) are not ready to forgive and are stagnant in their evil. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.  

Q & A 126

Q. What does the fifth petition mean?

A. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” means: Because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us.1 Forgive us just as we are fully determined, as evidence of your grace in us, to forgive our neighbors.2

1 Ps. 51:1-7; 143:2; Rom. 8:1; 1 John 2:1-2
2 Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35

Heidelberg 56

¹⁸Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. ¹⁹He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19)

Thoughts: Forgiveness means forgiving our past.  People who think nothing can change, that we must just live under the burden and guilt of our pain are wrong.  Forgiveness is a process, but forgiveness must start somewhere.  When forgiveness takes a first step- guilt, hatred, and evil flee away.  The longest journey begins with a first step.  Beginning to say "I forgive you" shows a willingness to try in the moment and for the future.
    Many of the families of those killed in Emmanuel AME Church taught us much about forgiveness.  It was not easily given.  Neither was forgiveness easily given when Christ said, "Father forgive them they know not what they do."  But it is that attitude of forgiveness- not bitterness, not revenge, not hate over the past- that makes a difference. 

       Forgiveness of God means He leaves the past behind and accepts us.  We do not need to continue to wrestle with the mistakes of the past.  Learn from them- yes- but be defeated by them- no.  Christ has paid for our sins.  His eternal righteousness and purity overwhelms our mistakes, failures, guilt, and evil.  

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to forgive and accept.  Help me to forgive as you have forgiven me.    

Q & A 56

Q. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”?

A. I believe that God, because of Christ’s satisfaction, will no longer remember any of my sins1 or my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life.2 Rather, by grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.3

1 Ps. 103:3-4, 10, 12; Mic. 7:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; 1 John 1:7;2:2
2 Rom. 7:21-25
3 John 3:17-18; Rom. 8:1-2

10/26- Need to forgive

10/26- Sunday (New Theme: FELLOWSHIP OF FORGIVENESS; Read LT Chapter 5) Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Bonhoeffer: “The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner.  So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship.  We dare not be sinners.  Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous.  So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy.  The fact is that we are sinners!”

Thoughts: A whole section of the forty days is devoted to forgiveness.  This is a priority for the Christian far more than the atheist, the Muslim, the Jew, the Buddhist or Hindu.  Forgiveness as a priority- even over worship and prayer- alone in the Christian tradition.   For many forgiveness doesn’t make sense.  But holding grudges or allowing yourself to be eaten up with anger or revenge is self-destructive behavior too.  Bitterness and grudge keeping hurts ourselves far more than the one who may have injured us.  Our passage reminds us that we have been forgiven by God- not because we have earned that forgiveness with right living.  In this passage even repentance is not required for forgiveness.  When someone injures you then moves away- you must forgive them not for their protection but for your own good.  The Father’s grace elicits repentance- but sometimes we may not have time to repent.  The person who is going to apologize but dies on the way is surely offered forgiveness by God.  God’s grace is amazing, and we are called to be gracious to those who do not deserve our forgiveness either.  In the end- God is glorified by His great mercy, and we are helped in our relationship with the merciful God when we join in showing forgiveness and mercy.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see how much I need your forgiveness.  Give me grace to forgive as you have forgiven me. 

9/16/12- Forgiving our debt

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Karl Menninger, famous psychiatrist and owner of the Menninger clinics said that 75% of his patients could leave his hospitals if they could believe that they were forgiven.   We all mess up- and therefore we alll stand in need of what we will study tomorrow: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."   Trying to pretend we are forgiven when we have not come to God asking is like trying to smile to someone on shore while holding two big beach balls under the water-- it takes so much energy and we need to let them go.  In fact, being forgiven of our debt is letting our past sins go and moving on.

Prayer: Help me, O Lord, to forgive others, and by doing so know I am also forgiven by you.

7/13/12- The Mercy of the Gospel

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must rid yourselvesof all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

(1998 poster of Les Miserables)

Thoughts: Just watched Les Miserables (1998 version).  The homeless thief, Jean Valjean, was welcomed into the bishop's home.  There Valjean tried to steal the bishop's silverware and hit the bishop.  When Valjean was caught and brought to the bishop, the bishop said he had given him the silverware and even said he had forgotten the candlesticks- giving them to him.  Then in private the bishop said he had purchased his soul and that Valjean should keep his saying that he would be a "new man." Valjean was changed. The miserable people- were not the very poor, but the evil people who could not enjoy the life God had given them- and could not show mercy.   

    This passage is full of mercy- there is no Greek, Jew, circumcised, or uncircumcised.  The gospel- of compassion and kindness- that elicits us to forgive each other as God forgives us- has grabbed Paul and changed him.  He reminds us the power of God transforms the old "disobedient man" into someone full of love and grace.  

Prayer: Thank you Lord, that we do not need to walk in the ways of sin, but in the ways of kindness.