The Law of Forgiveness

“The Bible commands us to forgive, but that doesn’t mean that I will forget.”

There are so many things wrong with that statement it is difficult to know where to start. Let’s just say that anyone making that kind of statement does not really understand forgiveness.

Have you ever asked one of these questions about forgiveness?

• When must I forgive a person?
• Under what circumstances must I forgive?
• Must I forgive a person who is not sorrowful?
• Must I forgive a person who does not repent?
• Must I forgive a person who commits the same sin over and over?

The Jews believed that a person did not have to forgive after three times. Peter was undoubtedly aware of this when he asked Jesus if a person should forgive up to seven times. (He probably thought he was being generous with his limitation.)

Jesus used a parable in to explain forgiveness (Matthew 18). There are a number of elements present in the parable; law was not one of them. In other words, forgiveness is not about obedience to law, any law.

One key element involved in forgiveness is debt. A person who has no debt (or sin debt) has no need of forgiveness. A person who is not indebted to me cannot be forgiven by me; they owe me nothing.

If an official releases a prisoner before his debt to society is paid, it is called a pardon, not forgiveness. The (crime) debt goes unpaid and justice is not served.

Forgiveness is about justice with regard to debt payment, but the payment is actually made by the one who is owed the debt. In Jesus’ parable, a servant owed his master a tremendous debt that he could not possibly repay. The master released the servant from his obligation. But we must recognize that the master never received his money. So, he is the one who paid the debt by absorbing the debt that was owed him.

There are three other elements present. 

• The master had compassion on his servant: mercy. 
• By taking responsibility for the servant’s debt, the master basically gifted the servant the full amount: grace. 
• By his actions, the master restored the relationship between himself and his servant so that there was no longer any indebtedness: love.

Withholding the penalty for indebtedness is mercy. Paying the debt is grace. And preserving the relationship is love. So, ultimately, in forgiveness justice is served and the relationship preserved. Mercy, grace, love and justice are all attributes of God.

Then the Lord passed by in front of him (Moses) and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.

--Exodus 34:6-7

When a person commits a wrong against me personally, then questions of forgiveness arise. The questions are not: When? Whether? How often? How many times? Those are all legal questions from a heart that holds on to the hurt while demanding justice for the other person: An eye-for-an-eye kind of justice.

Forgiveness is motivated by love because love is more concerned with relationships than with equity in justice. Love is merciful to release the offender from his debt against me. Love is gracious to shoulder the hurt, accept the pain and embarrassment, and pay the expense for the wrong done against me.

Love sets emotion aside. You are more important than I. The preservation of our relationship is more important than I. That’s why the law of forgiveness is love; and there are no boundaries. At least, that’s what Jesus did.

Mark Stinnett

December 18, 2022

God Gave You a Day of Rest for Him

Finger-pointing, strict adherence to the Law and religious piety; those are typical descriptions of the Pharisees of Jesus day. The origin of the Pharisees is unclear, though the sect clearly began after the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, probably around the 2nd Century B.C.

The Pharisees were not priests, but were devoted to the Law of Moses. Their own experts, the scribes, became the teachers of the Law. Their teachings, known as the traditions of the elders, were passed orally to successive generations. The traditions were eventually written down between the 3rd and 6th centuries A.D.

In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were highly regarded by the people for their devotion to the Law. Their poor reputation came partly from their tendency to stand aloof from anyone who was not a Pharisee. They were also known to be judgmental of those who did not keep the Law and the traditions as carefully as they did.

Of particular interest to the Pharisees was the Sabbath, one of the Ten Commandments. And if that was not enough for serious consideration…

Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

—Exodus 31:14

With such consequences it is understandable why strict instructions developed. No one wanted to be guilty of breaking the Sabbath. So, there were rules about the definition of work, how far a person could walk on the Sabbath, how much they could carry, how work animals were to be fed and used, etc. These additional laws were, at least at first, meant for the good of the people. They were meant to give practical application to the Sabbath commandment.

However, over time, the rules became a burden and overshadowed the purpose of the law.

Do you know the purpose of the Sabbath?

The word sabbath literally means rest (not seventh). Though set in place in the creation sequence, the Sabbath Day was not explained in the Bible until the Law of Moses. The Sabbath was given to Israel as a day of rest from their work, and it included rest for their servants and work animals. It was a day that was “holy to the Lord.” In other words, it was a day that was to be set aside for the Lord.

Jesus understood the purpose of the Sabbath when He said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) With that, let me share a few non-legalistic observations about the biblical Sabbath (rest day):

• Jesus did not assign a specific rest day for his followers, nor did His Apostles.
• If Jesus had commanded Sunday to be the Christian rest day, human tendency would be to make additional laws regulating that day.
• The rest day was set in place at creation. So, it was not intended for the Israelites only, and not just for ancient times.
• Without a sabbath day, man would foolishly work 24/6/365. (And that’s no typo.)
• Participating in work and entertainment is not the same as setting a day aside for God.
• God did not categorize work into job, work at home, and play (like we do). All of that is still man’s work. He asked that we stop our efforts and give Him...just one day a week.

Think about your Sabbath. It is not about resting rules, but rather, your relationship with your God. Do you think two or three hours on a Sunday is a day? On what day do you rest from all your activity in order to maintain and nurture your relationship with God?

Mark Stinnett

December 11, 2022

What is the Opposite of Drunkenness?

It was time for our drink order. We could have water, soft drinks, tea, coffee, milk, juice, beer, or wine—some with or without lemon; many different flavors and different prices.

Those who drink soft drinks usually have their favorite blend and brand. There is an entire sub-culture of people who drink coffee, and some of us just don’t understand. Perhaps elsewhere, but certainly in Great Britain, tea has rules. (And yes, there are books to guide you.) Yet, with all these peculiarities and strong opinions about drink, none bleed over into the area of morality until alcohol is introduced.

Numerous Scriptures provide instruction about the consumption of alcoholic drinks. Many folks who enter into the discussion see things from a legal point of view. Biblical examples involving alcoholic beverages become case law. Conclusions drawn dictate the consumption of drinks with alcohol, their use in cooking, and even the consumption of alcohol for medicinal purposes.

In my lifetime I have known a few teetotalers, a nickname given to those who abstain completely from alcoholic beverages. Some will even refuse to use cooking wine even though the alcohol dissipates during the cooking process. Their arguments for total abstinence are strong and passionate, and most often misguided.

I have known others who were just as passionate about their liberty to drink alcoholic beverages. With only a biblical prohibition of drunkenness, they become adamant about their liberty and quite agitated with anyone who would threaten it. Their passion and reasoning are also most often misguided.

Still others, drink as they wish, avoiding arguments and extreme positions, yet also avoiding understanding.

I don’t think the biblical instruction on drunkenness is there as a mere legal restriction. Neither Noah’s drunkenness nor Lot’s drunkenness should be used as case law to argue that a man can become drunken and still be righteous. We must, with clarity of mind, think! God meant for us to understand something.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.

—Ephesians 5:18

Do we see that the opposite of drunkenness is being filled with the Spirit of God?

The Apostle Paul wrote that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Spirit of God dwells in each of us (Romans 8:9). In whatever way you may interpret these statements there is an intimate relationship between the Christian and the Holy Spirit.

Paul also wrote that the spirit of a man knows the thoughts of a man, just like the Spirit of God who knows the thoughts of God. He went on to say that we have received the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11-16). It is of greatest importance to recognize that the mind and the spirit are intimately connected.

Applying these things, the reason we must guard ourselves from drunkenness is because intoxication effectively pushes the Holy Spirit away. There is a vital and necessary link between my mind and my God through the Holy Spirit. This is more than a moral issue or a legal point, it is about my relationship with my God.

There are multiple dimensions regarding the question of alcohol. Yet, each person must step away from the swinging pendulum of legalism and soberly consider the importance of his relationship with God.

Mark Stinnett

December 4, 2022