Meaning of Forgiveness
WORD O’GRAM TO FORGIVE
To put away,
Omit, pass over or leave out,
Forsake, leave behind,
Overlook, lay aside,
Remit, yield up… the sin, offense, stumbling block, trespass, evil deed is
Gone and left behind, I wont carry it any more.
I choose to let go of what offends and fails to meet my expectations,
Valuing my freedom and their liberty more than punishment…
Experiencing a new heart where angry bitterness once reigned.
Rom 4:7-8 AMP
Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him. {Ps 32:1,2.}
Matt 18:21-23 NKJV
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
TEACHING: UNDERSTANDING FORGIVENESS
UNDERSTANDING OLD TESTAMENT FORGIVENESS
In the OT the Hebrew word for forgiveness meant to carry or lift up and bear the offenses upon their own shoulders. They took the weight upon their own selves in lui of another carrying weight or penalty of such. It was the very act of being a mediator, intercessor or someone who was willing to bear the burden and stand in the gap or breach of sin. I found it interesting that they used the same Hebrew word when lifting up and carrying the ark upon their shoulders.
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Ex 32:32 NKJV
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive {5375} their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
Gen 4:13 NKJV
And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. {5375}
Gen 50:16-21 NKJV
‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive {5375} the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.”‘ Now, please, forgive {5375} the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Deut 1:8-12 NKJV
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. 9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear {5375} you myself alone: 10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 11(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) 12 How can I myself alone bear {5375} your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
Josh 3:15-17 NKJV
And as they that bare {5375} the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare {5375} the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
HEBREW TO FORGIVE
OT:5375 – To lift up and carry
OT:5375 nasa’ (naw-saw’); or nacah (Ps 4:6 {OT:7}) (naw-saw’); a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):
KJV – accept, advance, arise, (able to, {armor}, suffer to) bear (-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, swear, take (away, up), utterly, wear, yield. {quote}
AS IN INTERCESSOR, JESUS BORE OUR SINS
He lifted them up and carried them upon Himself.
Isaiah 53 NKJV
Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground.\He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne {#5375} our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked – But with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered {4487} with the transgressors, And He bore {#5375} the sin of many, and made intercession {#6293} for the transgressors {#6586}.
NUMBERED
OT:4487
OT:4487 manah (maw-naw’); a primitive root; properly, to weigh out; by implication, to allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or enroll:
KJV – appoint, count, number, prepare, set, tell.
Mark 15:25-28 NKJV
Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
1 Peter 2:22-24 NKJV
“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness..
TRANSGRESSORS
OT:6586
OT:6586 pasha` (paw-shah’); a primitive root {identical with OT:6585 through the idea of expansion}; to break away (from just authority), i.e. trespass, apostatize, quarrel:
KJV – offend, rebel, revolt, transgress (-ion, -or).
INTERCESSION
OT:6293
OT:6293 paga` (paw-gah’); a primitive root; to impinge (intrude, impose) , by accident or violence, or (figuratively) by importunity:
KJV – come (betwixt), cause to entreat, fall (upon), make intercession, intercessor, intreat, lay, light {upon}, meet (together), pray, reach, run.
WHEN WE ARE SENT AS INTERCESSORS IN THE NT WE HAVE THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS OR NOT
Jesus was given the power to forgive sins. And when He sent the disciples out to pray for the sick, He gave them the same power. He said we can forgive sins or retain them. The choice is ours.
MARK 2:5 JESUS HAD POWER TO FORGIVE SINS
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven {863} you.”
John 20:20-23 JESUS SENT THEM WITH POWER AND CHOICE TO FORGIVE
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive {863} the sins of any, they are forgiven {863} them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
TO FORGIVE: {In the NT Greek} To let go and leave
NT:863 – To let go and leave
NT:863 aphiemi (af-ee’-ay-mee); from NT:575 and hiemi (to send; an intens. form of eimi, to go); to send forth, in various applications (as follow):
KJV – cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.
TO RETAIN: {In the NT Greek} To hold on and keep
Krateo – To hold on and keep
NT:2902 krateo (krat-eh’-o); from NT:2904; to use strength, i.e. seize or retain (literally or figuratively):
KJV – hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).
Rom 4:6-8 NLT
King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. {863} 8 Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord.”
1 Cor 7:12-13 KJV
If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. {863} 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. {863}
Rev 2:4 KJV
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left {863} thy first love.
John 12:7 KJV
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: {863} against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
HOWEVER WHEN WE ARE PERSONALLY OFFENDED, WE MUST FORGIVE UNLESS WE WANT TO BEAR THE PENALTY
1. WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN UNLESS WE FORGIVE
Mark 11:25-26 KJV
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive {#863} you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, {#863} neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. {3900}
Matt 6:14-15 NKJV
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive {#863} men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive {#863} your trespasses.
3900 Trespasses
paraptoma
NT:3900 paraptoma (par-ap’-to-mah); from NT:3895; a side-slip (lapse or deviation), i.e. (unintentional) error or (wilful) transgression:
KJV – fall, fault, offence, sin, trespass.
2. WE RISK BEING SENT TO THE PRISON OF TORMENT IF WE DO NOT FORGIVE
Matt 18:34-35 KJV THE FATHER CAN SEND US TO BE TORMENTED
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive {#863} not every one his brother their trespasses.
3. THE SAME MEASURE WE FORGIVE, THE SAME MEASURE WE RECEIVE FORGIVENESS
Gal 6:7-8 NKJV
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Luke 6:37-38 NKJV
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, {#863} and you will be forgiven {#863} … For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
4. WE RISK NOT BEING HEALED IF WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN
{Healing and Forgiveness are connected} Remember we must forgive in order to be forgiven.
James 5:14-16 KJV
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Matt 9:2 NKJV
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
John 5:14 NKJV
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
Ps 103:3 NKJV
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.
2 Chron 7:14-15 NKJV
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
5. OUR ACCUSERS CAN SEND US TO PRISON IF WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN
Remember we must forgive in order to be forgiven.
Matt 5:23-26 AMP 23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any {grievance} against you, 24 Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way traveling with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last fraction of a penny.
