[For the next few blogs, we will be featuring excerpts from an article of several years back entitled, “As We Forgive”, by Pastor Mike.]
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. [14] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: [15] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:9-15 – Jesus Christ
Of all the topics the Lord Jesus preached and taught on, forgiveness, the God-kind of forgiveness, was probably one that he emphasized the most. Yet, it is probably the least talked about, least taught, and one of, if not the least practiced of all teachings that ever came from the Master’s lips. It is also, probably the most misunderstood of all of the principles taught by Him.
For the most part of 25 years of my ministry, I probably preached and taught on this subject perhaps, more than any other I ever dealt with. It was only until recent years that I actually had the opportunity to put into practice what I was preaching. I will be the first one to say, “It is easier said than done”, but it CAN and MUST be done! I thought for so long that I had a handle on this forgiveness thing, but I found out, albeit too quickly and painfully, that I did not. Oh, I understood some of the basic principles, and when it came to dealing with most people I really didn’t have a big problem.
Then suddenly, one day, my world came crashing down around me as I was deeply hurt, wounded and betrayed by the one person in the world who, at that time, I so dearly loved and trusted with my very life. Then, I was forced to look at things from an entirely new and different perspective.
Let me say right up front that this book is not written to point fingers at anyone’s faults, shortcomings or sins. It is to relate my experience and what God taught and showed me through my own faults and sins.
One reason that most people have a real problem with forgiveness is that they are approaching it from an emotional standpoint.
Genuine forgiveness is not a matter of the heart; it is a matter of the will. If you wait until you are emotionally able to forgive, then odds are, it “ain’t gonna happen”!
It is a matter of making up your mind that you are going to forgive, regardless of how you “feel”.
Our experiences certainly are not all exactly alike, but the principles that apply to each situation certainly are. They are principles that are directly from God’s Word. Principles, that God knows, will enable healing to such a degree that we can begin to understand the words that He spoke to the Apostle Paul when He said, “My grace is sufficient for thee”.
Since my healing, I have encountered so many Christians who have said, “But I can’t forgive, you just don’t understand, I have such resentment, I have such and such of this and that and the other and etc…” I am here to tell you, YOU CAN FORGIVE!!! That is one of the reasons for this book. Hopefully that others, especially those who have gone through some of the most dramatic and traumatic of experiences, can finally and completely, move on with their lives as they release and forgive “those who trespass against” them.
The Character of God
To begin to understand the principles of love, mercy and forgiveness we must, first of all, gain some insight into God’s character. God’s character never changes. It is immutable, unchangeable.
However, God can and does change His mind, and He has that privilege, because He is God! His means and methods of doing things may indeed, change from time to time. Several times in His Word He says, “I will do a new thing”. Well, it’s not new to God. Nothing is new to Him, but it is new to us, the way He sometimes does things. However, God’s character, holiness, word and love will never change. On that you can rest assured.
Malachi 3:1-3
One of the greatest passages, I think, that gives to us some great insight into God’s character is found in Malachi 3:1-3. It says, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. [2] But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope: [3] And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Of course these are prophetic verses, but without getting too deep into the prophetic, (since that is not our subject) these verses offer some great insight into God’s character.
Verse one, obviously refers to John the Baptist preparing the way for the One that “the latchet of whose shoes” he said he was “not worthy to stoop down and unloose.” Then, the Lord did “suddenly come to His temple”. His first coming was as Savior.
When studying prophetic scripture, one must keep in mind that many, if not most times, prophetic verses have a dual-fold and sometimes, tri-fold meaning and interpretation. Also, where one verse may be referring to one particular time the very next verse could be referring to another different time, which appears to be the case here with verses two and three when they are read in context with verse one.
Verses two and three seem to be referring to another period of time when Christ shall come as Judge. It asks a very poignant question: “But who may abide the day of His coming?”
So, we can see in these verses from Malachi one of the aspects of prophetic scripture. We can see that obviously this passage is dealing with John the Baptist being the forerunner of Christ, the “messenger” sent to “prepare the way”. Then we see Christ in His first coming as the “Messenger of the covenant”. His first coming, He came as the Saviour of the world. Then we see a change of direction when we move just from verse one to the very next verse. Verse two says, “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope:” You see, it moves now to the time when He shall come as King and Judge. The same God, the same Jesus, the same God of love, mercy and grace is also, the same God of judgment and wrath.
Now, someone is reading this and saying, “Yeah, so what does that have to do with this book?” The fact is, it has everything to do with the subject of “forgiveness”, because we can better understand forgiveness by building a foundation to understanding God’s character.
The point I am making is that many people down through the ages, seemingly have this “dual-God” system in the back of their gray matter. Though we may not consciously teach that or say it with our mouths, we many times unconsciously give that impression by how we speak or live. We think that the Old Testament is all about the God of judgment, wrath and anger, but the New Testament is all about the God of mercy, love and grace. However, it is all about one and the same God!
The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament
As stated, God’s character and principles never change from Old to New Testament. His character is immutable, unchangeable. His means and methods of doing things may differ from time to time and, according to the Word, God can even change His mind, but His character and principles will never change. Changing His mind has nothing to do with His character. God created us as free moral agents, so He Himself is certainly a free moral Agent. So, even if He does change His mind, He will do so in line with His character, His holiness and His will.
God’s character and principles are the same from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament plainly tells us in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I change not;” Then the New Testament comes right back to affirm, in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
The Image of God
God created us in His image. This means God breathe into us His traits and characteristics. We have the same capacities of will and emotions that God Himself possesses. God created us (at least most of us) with a sense of humor, and the capacity for laughter. He also created within us the capacity to become angry.
It is no sin to possess the ability, capacity or emotion to become angry. God Himself, we are told in His Word, has that same capacity. He has and does become angry. Jesus said in Matthew 5:22, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:”
Finis J. Dake says concerning this verse, “People must have just and lawful causes to be angry and even then they are to keep their temper under strict control (Ephes. 4:26). The fruit of the Spirit is temperance or self-control (Galatians 5:22)”.
Mark 3:5 says of Jesus, “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” Even in a state of anger, the Lord Jesus healed a man. Read the entire passage and think about what his tone of voice must have been when he said, “STRETCH FORTH YOUR HAND”!
So, you see God has always been the God of love, mercy, grace, truth and righteousness, but at the same time the God of righteous jealousy, wrath, indignation, anger and judgment. Does one diminish the other? NO! God also showed mercy in the Old Testament as well as judgment in the New Testament.
Jesus said in John 14:9, “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” He was saying “look guys, if you want to see the Father, just look at Me. If you want to know what God thinks, how He feels, look at Me. If you want to feel the pulse-beat of God, keep your eyes on Me, open your ears to Me, because if you have seen Me, then I am telling you, you have seen the Father”!
The Compassion of Jesus
Think about this with me for a few moments. The Bible says in several places that Jesus was “moved with compassion”, “had compassion” or He said, “I have compassion”.
In Mark 5:19, the Bible says, “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” In this verse the translation from the Greek is the word “eleeo” pronounced ” el-eh-eh’-o”. It means “to perform a word or deed by divine grace, to be compassionate (by word or deed, specially by divine grace):- have compassion (pity on), have (obtain, receive, shew) mercy (on)”. In 1 John 4:8, 16 we are told that, “God is love”. So, you see when Jesus had compassion on people he was being moved by God!
In other passages another Greek word used for “compassion” is splagchnizomai, pronounced splangkh-nid’-zom-ahee; to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (figurative) feel sympathy, to pity :- have (be moved with) compassion.
Now this is the same Jesus who, in all four Gospels, is recorded to have driven people out of the temple! Can you imagine Jesus running people off from church? Let’s take a look.
First in Matthew 21:12-13 we’re told, “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, [13] And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
Then in Mark 11:15-17 it says, “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; [16] And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. [17] And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
Next, Luke 19:45-46 tells us, “And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; [46] Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Understand that this took place immediately after He had been weeping over the city in verses 41- 44.
Finally, John 2:13-17 records “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, [14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: [15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; [16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. [17] And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”
So, here we have four accounts and some scholars think it was four different occasions where, the same Jesus of love, mercy, tenderness and forgiveness suddenly, becomes a mad-man and begins to tear up the temple. Can you imagine someone coming into your church building and turning over pews and seats (probably with people still sitting in them) and taking a whip to them and running them out. Cell phones all over the place would be dialing 911 after some attempt to restrain this guy had been made by whatever men were there, by whatever means necessary!
Now, this is the very same Jesus of compassion, now exhibiting great anger. Did these incidents at the temple make Him any less the Son of God? I think not. According to some of my good Pentecostal brethren, He would have lost His sanctification at this point; however, that is hardly the case.
Having the capacity to become angry is not sin. We are created in the image of God, which means far more than just a physical likeness. It means that when the awesome God of glory breathed into humanity the breath of life, and man became a living soul, he took on the characteristics of his Creator.
The Word tells us that God had various emotions at various times. We serve an emotional God, which is why we are emotional beings. However, God is not governed by His feelings or emotions and He doesn’t expect us to be governed by them. Faith, not feelings move Him. I do like to “feel my faith”, but we must be led by His Spirit dealing with our spirit and not allow our emotions to control us. This is an aspect of the soulish realm, which is another teaching altogether.
There is a proper place for emotions. The Bible says that God laughs. Psalm 2:4 says, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” Psalm 37:13, “The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.” Psalm 59:8, “But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.” God laughs, therefore, we have the emotion of laughter.
Jesus was God incarnate. He was the Son of God. He is very God and very man. The Word tells us in John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” It is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. In essence, God wept, therefore we have the capacity to weep.
God has and does become angry according to numerous scriptures, therefore we have the same emotional quality to become angry. However, as God’s people we must control the anger and not let it control us.
Thank God for emotions, however, forgiveness is exercised, not based on emotion, but on the will. If you are waiting to “feel” like forgiving someone, then you never will. And if you harbor un-forgiveness in your spirit, you are in trouble in more ways than one.
(To be continued)
Pastor Mike
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