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Unless those who crucified Him repented and accepted God’s grace, then they weren’t forgiven.Ħ. When Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them,” he wasn’t granting absolution. However, forgiveness doesn’t happen until the other party is repentant. Just as the Lord prayed on the Cross that his murderers would be forgiven, so we should pray for those who persecute us. That being the case, Christians are always required to have an attitude of forgiveness. The Bible clearly teaches that God does not forgive everyone. We are to forgive others as God forgives us (Eph 4:32). Start with the most basic biblical principle about forgiveness. What do you mean by this? What don’t you mean? Probably the most provocative aspect of your book is the repeated assertion that forgiveness is conditional.
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The tragedy of therapeutic forgiveness is that in making individual feelings the center of everything, I think it ultimately leads to bitterness and the wrong feelings.ĥ. If forgiveness is simply how I feel, there is no need to worry about the relationship. Therapeutic forgiveness also diminishes the necessity of two parties working out there differences. But, “therapeutic” forgiveness needs to forgive God so bitterness is no longer felt. This is a heretical idea because God has never done anything which requires forgiveness. For instance, some say it is legitimate to forgive God. Once people make forgiveness therapeutic, you have all sorts of non-biblical things happening. That is why Calvin said that the whole of the Gospel is contained under the headings of repentance and forgiveness of sins (Institutes 3.3.19). When God forgives us, our relationship with Him is restored. I argue that forgiveness is, “More Than a Feeling.” Biblical forgiveness is something that happens between two parties. When most people say that they forgive, they mean that it is a private matter in which he or she is not going to feel bitter.īorrowing a line from Boston’s, “Don’t Look Back,” album. Our culture has picked up on this in a big way. “Therapeutic forgiveness” insists that forgiveness is at its core a feeling. You talk a lot about therapeutic notion of forgiveness. The most common misconception is that of “therapeutic forgiveness,” which we get to in the next question.Ĥ. If someone feels themselves drowning where a forgiveness issue is concerned, the first question they should ask is, “Am I really connected to a Christ-centered, Bible preaching local church?” As much as Noah and his family needed to be on the ark, we need to be truly connected to a local church if we are going to unpack forgiveness. The church is God’s plan for this stage in redemptive history. The need for a church home is even more pronounced when working through a deep wound. All Christians must be part of a local church. I think another misconception is that we can unpack forgiveness on our own. If someone reading this is unwilling or unable to forgive they should read and meditate on Matthew 18:21-35. Many people do not understand what a serious matter it is to be unwilling to forgive those who ask for forgiveness. What are some of the common misconceptions about forgiveness? So, it was that combination, the need of people in my church, combined with unbiblical teaching.ģ. Once I began to really study forgiveness, I discovered that a lot of what was written was not biblical. I began to study and preach about forgiveness because there was such a need in my church. How did you get interested in the topic of forgiveness?Īs a pastor, I repeatedly encountered situations where people in my church needed to work through forgiveness issues and were not following biblical teaching. Your book “Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds” is very good. Our dog still has a Michigan State collar, and my wife picked MSU to win it all in March Madness. My sermon illustrations are not the only thing we took from Lansing. I collected a lot of forgiveness illustrations during that time and they ended up in the book. You can read more about me than you want to know here.Īs for the Lansing State Journal, I was the senior pastor at Grand Ledge Baptist for 6 years which is just west of Lansing, MI. My wife, Jamie and I have four children (ages 15,13,11, 6). I pastor a church in a small town (Stillman Valley, IL). Originally I am from the cultural center of Keosauqua in the GSOI (Great State of Iowa) –though, I’m very disappointed about last week’s court decision about marriage. Where are you from? Do you have a family? Where are you serving now? Why does your book reference the Lansing State Journal?