I started this post some weeks ago, but for some reason hesitated to post it until now.
Some of you are aware of a book I have been reading by Tim R Jennings titled “Could it be this Simple?” This little book has made a profound effect in my life. I do not know how to explain it, the author does present a simple truth, but that truth is at the same time complex and deep and it made me look at things in ways I had not before.
I thought I would start a mini-series based on what I am learning from this book. I will call it “Simple Tuesday”. I will try to post weekly on some of the concepts the book presents.
I thought I would start a mini-series based on what I am learning from this book. I will call it “Simple Tuesday”. I will try to post weekly on some of the concepts the book presents.
Disclaimer: The words below are not mine originally, I'm offering a recap of some of the concepts presented, paraphrasing and using direct quotes from the book. I hope I am not breaking any copyright laws by doing this, and if somebody finds that I am please notify me immediately and I will take the post down.
One of the chapters that immediately called my attention was Chapter 12 “Forgiveness” However, being a tad obsessive compulsive, I normally do not like to jump out of order when I am reading a book. Since I had to go back and re-read several of the initial chapters to better understand the concepts presented, it took me a while to get to Chapter 12. When I finally did, it had a tremendous impact in the way I now look at forgiveness not just between humans, but also between God and us.
Dr. Jennings presents Seven Common Myths or Misconceptions that people have about forgiveness. Today I would like to talk about this one.
Myth: Forgiveness comes after the offender says they are sorry.
This is a very common belief, is it not? Many people believe that they do not have to forgive somebody until that person comes and asks for forgiveness, and even then, if you choose to forgive them you feel like you are doing that person a favor.
In reality, a fact confirmed by Dr. Jennings, forgiveness is 100% for the sake of the person that was offended. When somebody offends us, the seed of anger, hostility and bitterness is planted in our heart (our mind). If we let it take root and start to grow, our mind will then become just like the mind of the offender. The only weapon we have to fight the sins planted in our minds is forgiveness. Only when we truly forgive from our hearts we uproot the sins of anger and hostility and restore balance to our mind. Forgiveness is not just an act or event, where you say, “It’s OK I forgive you.” Forgiveness is a process, it involves you making the decision to work through the emotions and pain and reach out to the offending person in an effort to understand what happened and offer a way for them to restore their relationship with you.
Dr. Jennings explains that this is exactly what God did when Adam sinned. Adam ran from God and hid because now he did not trust Him anymore. God ran after Adam not to punish him or seek revenge for breaking his law but to reach out and restore the broken relationship. Unfortunately men misunderstood God’s motives and have been running from God ever since.
The Bible teaches that God forgiveness came before men repentance. Romans 5:8 states “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Dr. Jennings also addresses the misunderstanding that is so deeply rooted in the Christian world in regards to the reason Christ came to die for us.
Many of us have the belief that God requires appeasement or payment in order for Him to forgive us. That Jesus came to pay that legal debt to the Father. That He came to pay for our sins. However, the Bible teaches that God forgives our sins. If God forgave us, is there a debt that needs to be paid? And if Jesus paid the debt, can God then forgive us?
Dr. Jennings gives a practical example of this contradiction. Imagine that a relative owes you $1000. They come to you and tell you they just don’t have a way to pay you back and you tell them “It’s OK, I forgive your debt” Can you still collect that debt if you forgave it? Or imagine this other scenario, the relative owes you the $1,000 and they have a rich friend that comes and pays the entire debt in their behalf. Can you now forgive that debt? If you forgive, you cannot collect.
Jesus paid and the Father forgave. See the contradiction?
Jesus had to come to earth and die, not to get God to forgive us (they are both the same, on the same side), but to do something that simple forgiveness could not do, to restore in the human race God’s perfect Law of Love. The only way to get rid of sin is to live in complete accord with God’s Law of Love. That is what Jesus came to accomplish.
Dr. Jennings explains that the two principles at war in the universe are God’s perfect Law of Love vs. Satan's Survival of the Fittest principle. God’s principle says: “I love you so much that I will do everything in my power to help you even if that means giving up my life and dying so that you can live.” Satan’s principle says: “I love myself so much that I will do anything to promote myself and help me get ahead, even if that means killing you so I can live.”
When sin entered the world, we contracted the disease of selfishness. The only cure for this disease was self-sacrificing love. No human was able to do this for ourselves. Jesus came to live a perfect live in perfect harmony with God’s law in order to restore in the human race God’s perfect law, the remedy for our sinful condition. He was constantly tempted to make use of His power to save himself but he lived a perfectly selfless life. He had to die, not as a payment for our sins, but because if at any point he would have used his power to save himself from the imminent death, he would have acted in a self-serving way. By giving his life for us, he destroyed Satan and his principle of selfishness and He now freely offers this victory to us. Is through a real connection with Jesus Christ that what he has achieved in our behalf becomes a reality in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.
One of the chapters that immediately called my attention was Chapter 12 “Forgiveness” However, being a tad obsessive compulsive, I normally do not like to jump out of order when I am reading a book. Since I had to go back and re-read several of the initial chapters to better understand the concepts presented, it took me a while to get to Chapter 12. When I finally did, it had a tremendous impact in the way I now look at forgiveness not just between humans, but also between God and us.
Dr. Jennings presents Seven Common Myths or Misconceptions that people have about forgiveness. Today I would like to talk about this one.
Myth: Forgiveness comes after the offender says they are sorry.
This is a very common belief, is it not? Many people believe that they do not have to forgive somebody until that person comes and asks for forgiveness, and even then, if you choose to forgive them you feel like you are doing that person a favor.
In reality, a fact confirmed by Dr. Jennings, forgiveness is 100% for the sake of the person that was offended. When somebody offends us, the seed of anger, hostility and bitterness is planted in our heart (our mind). If we let it take root and start to grow, our mind will then become just like the mind of the offender. The only weapon we have to fight the sins planted in our minds is forgiveness. Only when we truly forgive from our hearts we uproot the sins of anger and hostility and restore balance to our mind. Forgiveness is not just an act or event, where you say, “It’s OK I forgive you.” Forgiveness is a process, it involves you making the decision to work through the emotions and pain and reach out to the offending person in an effort to understand what happened and offer a way for them to restore their relationship with you.
Dr. Jennings explains that this is exactly what God did when Adam sinned. Adam ran from God and hid because now he did not trust Him anymore. God ran after Adam not to punish him or seek revenge for breaking his law but to reach out and restore the broken relationship. Unfortunately men misunderstood God’s motives and have been running from God ever since.
The Bible teaches that God forgiveness came before men repentance. Romans 5:8 states “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Dr. Jennings also addresses the misunderstanding that is so deeply rooted in the Christian world in regards to the reason Christ came to die for us.
Many of us have the belief that God requires appeasement or payment in order for Him to forgive us. That Jesus came to pay that legal debt to the Father. That He came to pay for our sins. However, the Bible teaches that God forgives our sins. If God forgave us, is there a debt that needs to be paid? And if Jesus paid the debt, can God then forgive us?
Dr. Jennings gives a practical example of this contradiction. Imagine that a relative owes you $1000. They come to you and tell you they just don’t have a way to pay you back and you tell them “It’s OK, I forgive your debt” Can you still collect that debt if you forgave it? Or imagine this other scenario, the relative owes you the $1,000 and they have a rich friend that comes and pays the entire debt in their behalf. Can you now forgive that debt? If you forgive, you cannot collect.
Jesus paid and the Father forgave. See the contradiction?
Jesus had to come to earth and die, not to get God to forgive us (they are both the same, on the same side), but to do something that simple forgiveness could not do, to restore in the human race God’s perfect Law of Love. The only way to get rid of sin is to live in complete accord with God’s Law of Love. That is what Jesus came to accomplish.
Dr. Jennings explains that the two principles at war in the universe are God’s perfect Law of Love vs. Satan's Survival of the Fittest principle. God’s principle says: “I love you so much that I will do everything in my power to help you even if that means giving up my life and dying so that you can live.” Satan’s principle says: “I love myself so much that I will do anything to promote myself and help me get ahead, even if that means killing you so I can live.”
When sin entered the world, we contracted the disease of selfishness. The only cure for this disease was self-sacrificing love. No human was able to do this for ourselves. Jesus came to live a perfect live in perfect harmony with God’s law in order to restore in the human race God’s perfect law, the remedy for our sinful condition. He was constantly tempted to make use of His power to save himself but he lived a perfectly selfless life. He had to die, not as a payment for our sins, but because if at any point he would have used his power to save himself from the imminent death, he would have acted in a self-serving way. By giving his life for us, he destroyed Satan and his principle of selfishness and He now freely offers this victory to us. Is through a real connection with Jesus Christ that what he has achieved in our behalf becomes a reality in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.
What do you think of the discussed above? I would love to read your comments.
Next week I will discuss some of the other myths about forgiveness that the book presents.
1 comment:
Hi This was very deep and intresting blog, I love it so much that I am going to ask hardi to get me the book for my B-Day.Keep it up cant wait for next week.I check your blog on a couple times a day,great job.Hope you feel better.
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