A Different Perspective
Last Sunday I spoke on the subject of forgiveness - how we are to forgive others. And it spurred several conversations because it can be such a difficult thing to practice. And I readily admit it's easier to teach what scripture says on the subject than it is to always live it out. But scripturally speaking Jesus tied our forgiveness of others to God's forgiveness of us. And that's the part we don't necessarily like. I want God to forgive me, but then struggle with forgiving others.
In order to learn how to better accept Jesus' hard teaching of forgiveness of others, I think it's important for us to think about how much we need God's forgiveness. How much do we think about our immense need for forgiveness?
When it comes to God's forgiveness of us - what do we believe about who will be forgiven, and who won't? What does the world believe? And are our beliefs always based soundly on scripture, or are they influenced more by the world?
In our justice system, we've all seen criminals who - in our estimation - they either got off easy or, because of some technicality, maybe they walked away with no punishment. That sort of injustice frustrates us. That sort of situation renders the concept of justice meaningless when no one has to accept any of the consequences of their behavior. And it's easy for us to see when it's clearly a very bad person who deserves punishment.
So - from God's perspective - who deserves punishment? Who gets forgiven and who doesn't? There are many in the world, and even some in various Churches, who very much believe in...
I. Universal forgiveness
Many people reason, that since God is a loving God, He of course will forgive everyone. 'Universalism' is the belief that all humankind will eventually be saved. The reasoning is that since God loves so much, that immense love can't possibly stay 'mad' forever. So, God will grant pardons and everyone will make it to Heaven; no matter what they've done. Even the 'worst of the worst' - we will all eventually be allowed in Heaven because God can't do anything else but forgive.
It's may be a reassuring belief system for those who choose to live however they want, but it doesn't fit with what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)...
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (14) But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
But that's 'controversial', that's 'judgmental' to say that most people will not make it to Heaven. And it's certainly not a popular thing to say. But based on Jesus' words there and the rest of scripture - 'Universal forgiveness' may be what many believe, but it's not Biblical. And there are some serious implications there for humanity and those we love. Now God can do whatever He wants in the end, and His plan could somehow be to forgive everything - but that's not what the Bible says.
According to scripture, if anyone wants God's forgiveness - last week we talked about how it was tied to our forgiving of others. But even after doing that, even if we somehow perfect extending that sort of divine forgiveness to others who 'sin against us' - there is still a need for...
A. Repentance
- The act of turning away from sin, from the 'bad thing' you were doing. It's not something everyone one wants to do in order for God to extend His forgiveness.
In the book of Jeremiah we read the story of King Jehoiakim. The Lord gave the prophet Jeremiah words of judgment, warning what God would do if the King, and the people, did not turn away from evil. Included in the writing was God's call to return to Him and again be blessed by Him. Let's look at Jeremiah 36:1-3 (NIV)...
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: (2) "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. (3) Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin."
God gave a direct warning against the evil they were committing. God desired to forgive His people. God was hoping that they would repent - that they would turn away from evil - and that He could again pour out His blessings on them. That was God's desire and message to the prophet. And then we see the King's response in Jeremiah 36:23-24 (NIV)...
Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. (24) The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.
Now I'm not the smartest guy, but I'd like to believe that if a prophet of God came to me with a warning like that about my actions - I certainly hope I'd respond in fear and ask what I needed to do to fix the situation.
But as the words of the Lord were read, the king was offended. It was considered treasonous to say that their nation was no longer favored by God and that judgment was coming. The King believed God would simply overlook their wrongdoing and keep the nation from any bad consequences. But you can continue to read the story to find out how wrong he was.
Those who believe they don't have to 'repent', who live however they choose - believe God will still ultimately forgive them. They correctly understand that God is loving, God is gracious, but they fail to understand that God is also...
B. Righteous
Saying that God simply forgives everything by default would, by implication, require God to be indifferent to evil. It would mean that God really has no strong feelings about evil at all.
Just a few weeks ago in California, two gang members gunned down six people including a 16 year old girl and her baby in an execution-style massacre. The young men who did this horrible thing - God has no strong feelings about those men? God has to forgive them, because 'God is love'?
God can forgive ANY sin, no matter how vile or awful, but without repentance - does God have to? God is not indifferent to evil! God hates evil! God hates sin and evil because He is a righteous God, a just God. I like the way one preacher said it, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins - not the excusing of sins." God can forgive any sin, but that doesn't mean that sin isn't real.
According to God's Word, the sad reality is that few will make it to Heaven in the end. Biblically, this idea of a 'universal pardon' - it goes against what scripture tells us of God's unchanging character.
So, if not everyone will get to Heaven, how does God decide who gets forgiven and gets to Heaven? And again, many in the world have formed opinions about how to get to Heaven, which have even influenced many in the Church. And most of those opinions revolve around the mistaken belief that you either go to Heaven or Hell based on whether you are...
II. Good or bad
Many believe that being a Christian is simply defined by what you do or don't do. They boil it down to a list of rules to follow, and if you can just do all of the right things and avoid the bad things - you'll be considered good and get to Heaven. But who decides what's good and what's bad...? Christianity, some believe, is based on where you're found on a Sunday morning and there's no hope for people who don't follow the rules.
Now, I'm not suggesting that doing good or trying to be good doesn't matter - it does matter. But if your hope is solely in doing the right things and avoiding the wrong things - you've completely missed the heart of the Gospel message!
Was the Apostle Paul a good guy or a bad guy - based solely on his actions...? He was involved in the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen; he was dragging off men and women and having them imprisoned for being Christians; he was trying to destroy the Church! Sounds like a pretty bad guy to me. Based on the idea that 'bad people' go to Hell, what did Paul deserve? Based on the Gospel message of Jesus - what did Paul receive?
I find it interesting that the only accounts we see recorded in the Bible of Jesus getting really angry was with those who would have been considered the 'good people' of His time, the religious people. Jesus seemed to be rather gentle with the 'sinners' of His day, but called out the religious leaders as 'whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones' and He called them 'snakes' and 'vipers'. Does it sound like Jesus was basing His judgments on actions or deeds of 'good' or 'bad'? - Or was it on something deeper?
You see, basing judgments on 'good' and 'bad' actions can lead to...
A. Spiritual arrogance
The religious leaders of Jesus' day, the religious people, felt that they had somehow earned God's forgiveness because they meticulously had done the right things while avoiding all the 'bad things' that 'bad people' did. It's an easy trap to fall into if you're in the Church for any length of time. You tend to forget just how much debt Jesus paid on your behalf.
It's demonstrated in how easily I can spot sin in other people's lives, but then struggle with extending the grace shown to me, to them - as if I somehow deserve grace more than them. It puts things into perspective when we read Jesus' words in Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)...
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: (10) "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (11) The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector.
(12) I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' (13) But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' (14) I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Sin is sin and God hates sin. But God's forgiveness of our sins has everything to do with our attitude towards the sin in our lives; our response to that sin - and mostly our relationship to Jesus! God does not owe any of us Heaven. But there are also many who believe, 'Okay, maybe I'm not 'good enough' to earn Heaven, but surely I'm good enough'...
B. Compared to others
"I'm not as bad as those 'bad people' on death row, so I must be a pretty decent guy. If God were to weigh out all the good and bad in my life, the scales would probably tip in my favor - so I'm good enough, right?"
A poll showed that 80% of people believed they were going to heaven. But only 30% believed their neighbor would make it. It's all relative, right? This moral relativism believes that God will accept you because you are a better person than your neighbor, or at least better than most people you know. Forgiveness comes when you admit that you do not deserve it.
Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
That is the good news of the Gospel! On our own, no one deserves anything from God. Biblically speaking - we all deserve God's judgment. But the Good News is this - and hopefully this is the reason you are here - and this is the message that we're to share with others...'While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'
"I believe in the forgiveness of sins - not the absence of them." And there's a big difference there. One that shapes how we live, how we treat others and even how we respond to God Himself...
1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
I am no better than anyone else, my sins are not excused, but they are forgiven when I turn to God and confess with a humble heart and genuine sorrow for my sin - and accept forgiveness in Jesus! My sins are forgiven and taken away as though they never existed when I come to God and allow Jesus to wash away my sins!
And when you do that, you don't have to beg for forgiveness 'it will come running to you and throw its arms around you'. Forgiveness is extremely hard for some to receive, because they have to give up their pride and admit that they are in desperate need of forgiveness. But when you do that, the love of God can overcome you and overwhelm you!
So What?
The person who believes everyone will eventually get forgiveness doesn't see any need to come to God. The person who thinks their good deeds will earn them a place in heaven is too proud to come. Those trusting in their own relative good enough morality think they have already arrived.
Forgiveness isn't something that God owes us no matter what. Legalism doesn't work, because it's impossible to keep all the rules. The moral relativist is wrong because God doesn't grade on a curve. We may look good compared to other people, but not when compared to the perfection of Jesus. God's not impressed with our religious offerings. But the person who follows Jesus realizes that even though they do not deserve to come, God's grace is big enough to receive them anyway.
God does not just forgive as a matter of fact. There are conditions to be met - your response to His grace. You have to acknowledge that you have real sin and that you need His forgiveness.
There are all sorts of facts that you can know about forgiveness, but forgiveness was meant to be experienced. You need God's forgiveness - and you know others who need it, too! Embrace God's grace in your life and share it with someone you know - today!