The word “forgive” in English originates in Old English as “forgiefan”, which means to “give up,” or “grant the remittance of a debt.” That is interesting considering the definition in the Scriptures, specifically God’s forgiveness of our sin debt. In Ephesians 1.7 God’s word says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Jesus spoke of this thirty-one years before in Matthew 26.28, saying: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Jesus died and shed His precious blood in order for you and I to be forgiven.
Looking at those two verses, it is important to mention that “remission” and “forgiveness” are one and the same. It is the greek word: “aphesis” (af’-es-is). It means: dismissal, release, or pardon. It was used in the first century as: sending away, letting go, releasing. They also used it judicially within finance or obligation, in relation to pardon someone or some debt completely. Simply, the act of releasing someone from obligation or debt. In court settings it was used as to: dismiss the case, or to release from bondage or imprisonment while waiting trial. An act of letting them go, as if they had not committed the act.
When we forgive a debt, an offense, or an injury; we do not require a payment for settlement. If repayment is made to us for what we lost, there is no need for forgiveness… we have what was owed. That would be the opposite of “forgiveness”. Too many people assume that the offending person is to “get right” before we forgive them. This is not the case in the scripture at all. In fact, forgiveness assumes grace.
If I am injured by you, grace lets it go. I don’t sue you—I forgive you. Grace gives what someone doesn’t deserve. That’s why forgiveness has the word ‘give’ in it. Forgiveness is not ‘getting even’. It is—giving away the right to get even. That is what God does to us when we trust Christ. Acts 10.43 states, “…through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Therefore, if we trust in Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us. God’s own testimony of this in Isaiah 43.25 is, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” God also said in Psalm 103.12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” It is gone!
But this raises a problem. We all know that forgiveness is not enough. We may only see it clearly when the injury is great—like murder or rape. Neither society nor the universe can hold together if judges (or God) simply say to every murderer and rapist, ‘Are you sorry? Okay. The state forgives you. You may go.’ In cases like these we see that while a victim may have a forgiving spirit, the state cannot forsake justice. So it is with God’s justice. All sin is serious, because it’s against God personally. He is the One whose glory is injured when we ignore; disobey; or blaspheme Him. His justice will no more allow Him simply to set us free than a human judge can cancel all the debts that criminals owe to society. This would be the opposite of God’s character—Justice. The injury done to God by our sin must be repaired, repaid, or reconciled in some way. And if we sin-criminals are to go free and be forgiven, there must be some dramatic demonstration of reconciliation to set us free. The debt to be paid, for the crime committed is serious indeed. The crimes are sin against a Holy God, so the appropriate payment is death. Romans 6.23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
That’s why Christ suffered and died. As Ephesians 1.7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” Forgiveness costs us nothing. That’s why we call it grace. But it cost Jesus His life. That’s why we call it just. Oh, how precious is the news that God does not hold our sins against us! And how beautiful is Christ, whose blood made it right for God to do this. That is the “gospel” or good news. Salvation is: deliverance or rescue from the penalty of sin, that is, eternal separation from God. Again, Romans 6.23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation is God’s rescuing us from our deserved fate; and deliverance from the power of sin in this life we have left. Romans 6.14 records this as: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Faith in Jesus Christ rescues us from the normal human life with all of it’s emptiness and meaninglessness. It supplies us with a holy life, and provides us with a life that is abundant and fruitful. In John 10.10 Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
When Jesus forgives us, our sins, trespasses, iniquities, and transgressions are all erased. They are wiped off the record. God will never hold them against us. Psalm 103.12 again states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Friends, there is no salvation without forgiveness. Salvation is God’s delivering us from the consequences of sin. Forgiveness is God erasing our sin debt completely, to never be used against us again—ever. To use a financial illustration: forgiveness is God’s shredding the documents that list our debt; salvation is God’s letting us out of debtors’ prison. Praise God for the wonderful salvation and forgiveness He has provided. First, He provides the shredder. So there’s nothing to show for it. There are no records kept against us. Secondly, He release from debt prison. So He provides feedom! Do you live like you are free from a prison, or is your life still bound by guilt? You would think it would cause our lives to reflect some gregarious gratitude for all He has done for us.
God help the person who arrogantly and pharisaically still thinks they are better than someone else by weighing their sin against another. The same penalty had to be paid…Jesus and His blood. The same cost was willingly paid…Jesus and His blood. Here is a real life person who Illustrated this in real life. “And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” That was Luke 7.37-50. It is a beautiful picture of someone who truly understood their condition before and after being forgiven.
The word “for-give” assumes it is done before anything is “made right” by way of the “for” in for-give. Understand that everything stated here was planned before God created man (Ephesians 1.4). He set this in motion to demonstrate for us how much He loves us. This is perfectly recorded in Romans 5.8: “But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It is not hard for Him to forgive you and me, because He has already decided to pay the penalty, we justly owe, on our behalf.
The Natural Response is then—to love more. As verses forty-two and forty-three said: “Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? …to whom he forgave most. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”
How much have you been forgiven?