Forgiven of Much

Forgiven of Much

by: Darrell G. Young

September 14, 2020

To some people, forgiveness may seem like a weakness or letting an undeserving person win, but in reality, Forgiveness has no connection whatsoever to any weakness. 

Instead, forgiveness is an act of ones strength and will. Forgiveness is not granted to a person because they deserve to be forgiven. In truth, forgiveness can only be offered by the offended party! 

Forgiveness is a deliberate act of love, mercy, and grace. Forgiveness is a decision to not hold something against another person, despite what he or she has done to you.

Forgiveness is an integral part of salvation. For instance, when Jesus forgives us of our sins, trespasses, iniquities, and transgressions; they are all erased, and wiped off his record book.  

Someone who is unforgiving is also unappeasable. We need to Thank God that he is not totally unforgiving! He (our sin) can be appeased, and arrested; but only through his Son, Jesus Christ! 

Jesus told his assembled listeners of Pharisees a story about Forgiveness that really hits home for all of us. At the end of his story, Jesus asked a very pertinent question of all of them. 

Luke 7:41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 ¶ Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 

Forgiveness is also an essential part of the life of believers. In Ephesians 4:32 it is commanded of those that God has forgiven to; “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. 

God is in the business of forgiving sin, yet this does not mean that He simply “looks the other way” or “sweeps it under the rug.” The penalty for sin is death, and that penalty must be paid. 

The Bible tells us that we are all in need of forgiveness from God. We have all committed sin.

In order for God to forgive us, Jesus gave Himself as the sacrifice for sin. 

Thus; Salvation and forgiveness are closely related. And it is an absolute fact that there is no salvation without forgiveness. 

Salvation is God’s delivering us from the consequences of sin. 

Forgiveness is God’s erasing our sin debt. 

To use a financial illustration, forgiveness is God’s shredding the documents that list our debt, and salvation is God’s letting us out of debtors’ prison.

Jesus concludes his story about the debtors, and his posed question with the following statement:

Luke 7:47 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. 48 ¶ And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 

Then in Luke 7:49, the critics of Jesus asked: “Who is this that forgiveth sins?”

That’s a good question isn’t it? There is only one who can offer Forgiveness! And heaven knows, we all stand in need of Divine Forgiveness! 

But the Forgiveness story and its ending question by Jesus looms large in this parable. 

It reveals that those sinners who repented of their vile sins, and were keenly aware of their fate without Gods Forgiveness, also abounded more fervently in the Love of God! 

It also conveys that those who tend to reflect on their own self righteousness; also tend to believe they have very little that requires God’s Forgiveness! 

The moral of Jesus story is just this: “We all stand deeply in need of total Forgiveness!” We have all been “Forgiven of Much!”

Darrell G. Young

Focus on the Bible