What Is Forgiveness - Jay E. Adams PDF

WHAT IS FORGIVENESS?
Jay E.Adams
T
HE correct answer to the question at the head of this chapter is
essential. In any study, a proper understanding of basic issues is
important early on as a foundation on which to build structures of
truth. That is certainly the case when considering forgiveness. Until this
basic question has been satisfactorily addressed, you will address other
questions regarding forgiveness either unsatisfactorily or not at all.
“I’m not so sure I see your point. Doesn’t everyone know what forgiveness is?
Why, when someone has wronged me, I expect him to come and apologize. Then
I tell him, ‘That’s OK.’ That’s forgiveness isn’t it?”
No, I’m afraid it isn’t. You see, many wrong ideas go about masquer-
ading as forgiveness that are not biblical forgiveness at all. Indeed,
probably most Christians have wrong ideas about forgiveness, just like
those in the previous paragraph.
“Well, I can’t see where there’s anything wrong with the ideas I just ex-
pressed. I’m baffled, I always thought forgiveness was one of those areas, unlike
baptism and predestination, where there is no argument. You’ re going to have
to do some pretty fancy talking to convince me that I don’t understand what
forgiveness is.”
I realize that. I also recognize that discussion of forgiveness is com-
monly neglected because everyone thinks he understands it, when actu-
ally he doesn’t. Take, for instance, your notion of “apologizing.” Where
do you find that in the Bible? Do biblical writers, like many Christians
writing today, ever equate “apologizing” with seeking forgiveness?
“Well…no. I guess not. But everyone knows that apologizing is what you do
when you seek forgiveness.”
Frankly, I’m afraid that’s what most Christians do think. But, as you
will discover later on, apologizing is not only unscriptural, it is the
world’s unsatisfactory substitute for forgiveness. I don’t want to discuss
apologizing now, but I bring it up because you mentioned it. And what
you said is a good example of what I have been talking about—wrong
assumptions that are so widespread that few ever think to question them.
“Well, I guess I can’t think of anything in the Bible that tells us to apologize,
so perhaps there is a thing or two that I can learn about forgiveness after all.
But I still can’t see where apologizing is a substitute for forgiveness.”
We’ll come to that in good time, but first, as I said, it is important to
build a proper biblical foundation for all such discussions. That’s why, at
this point, I want to talk about forgiveness itself. What is forgiveness
anyway? There are at least two ways to answer that question.
2 Free Grace Broadcaster Issue 184
What Forgiveness Does and Is

We can talk about what forgiveness does (i.e., what it accomplishes).
To do so is to speak practically, in terms of its results. In such an answer
our response would begin with words like these: “Forgiveness is a process
whereby...”
That’s one way to answer the question. Perhaps it is the principal way
in which it has been answered by theologians and preachers over the
years. As important as that answer is, it is not what I want to consider
here.
The other way in which the question “What is forgiveness?” may be
answered is to discuss its nature or essence. That is to say, having boiled
all else away, what is the irreducible element that is left that makes for-
giveness forgiveness?
For many years I read about forgiveness, talked about forgiveness,
preached forgiveness. And most of what I said was true. However, there
was something missing, something that remained vague, unexplained—
something intangible that dogged my steps. Then one day I began to
think deeply about forgiveness. In the process I asked myself, “What is
forgiveness anyway?” You know, I didn’t have an answer. I simply
couldn’t state what, in its essence, forgiveness is. “Is it a feeling?” I won-
dered. But that didn’t seem right. “Doesn’t God require me to forgive my
brother, whether I feel like it or not?” Unlike modern discussions of for-
giveness, there is nothing in the Bible about “feelings of forgiveness” or
“having forgiving feelings” toward another. No, that is clearly the wrong
path to an answer. Well, then, what is forgiveness?
Thinking about the matter, I remembered that Paul tells us in Ephe-
sians 4:32 to “forgive one another just as God, for Christ’s sake, has for-
given” us. “Among other things,” I reasoned, “that means our forgiveness
is to be modeled after God’s. In order to find out what forgiveness is I
must study God’s forgiveness.” At last I have found the key to unlock the
door to the meaning of forgiveness.
Obviously, when God forgives, He does not simply sit in the heavens
and emote. So forgiveness isn’t a feeling. If it were, we would never know
that we have been forgiven. No, when God forgives, He goes on record.
He says so. He declares, “I will not remember your sins” (Isa 43:25; see
also Jer 31:34). Isn’t that wonderful? When He forgives, God lets us know
that He will no longer hold our sins against us. If forgiveness were
merely an emotional experience, we would not know that we were for-
given. But praise God, we do, because forgiveness is a process at the end
of which God declares that the matter of sin has been dealt with once and
for all.
Now, what is that declaration? What does God do when He goes on re-
cord saying that our sins are forgiven? God makes a promise. Forgiveness
is not a feeling; forgiveness is a promise!
What Is Forgiveness? 3
Forgiveness Is a Promise
Never forget that fact. It is one of the most stupendous facts of all
time. When our God forgives us, He promises that He will not remember
our sins against us anymore! That is wonderful!
“Yes, I recognize that is what Isaiah and Jeremiah say. But I’ve always had
a problem with such statements. How can God, who knows all things past, pre-
sent, and future—ever forget anything? How can He forget our sins?”
He doesn’t.
“But doesn’t it say that He won’t remember our sins?”
Yes, it does, but that’s not the same thing as forgetting them. Obvi-
ously, the omniscient God who created and sustains the universe does
not forget, but He can “not remember.” You see, forgetting is passive and
is something that we human beings, not being omniscient, do. “Not re-
membering” is active; it is a promise whereby one person (in this case,
God) determines not to remember the sins of another against him. To
“not remember” is simply a graphic way of saying, “I will not bring up
these matters to you or others in the future. I will bury them and not ex-
hume the bones to beat you over the head with them. I will never use
these sins against you.”
“So now I see the difference! You have answered a perplexing problem that I
have never been able to resolve before. I am certainly glad to have a clear, satis-
fying explanation of that matter at last. Perhaps there is more to forgiveness
than at first meets the eye. Probably I have a lot more to learn than I realized.”
From From Forgiven to Forgiving by Jay E. Adams, Calvary Press,
Amityville, NY 11701, website: www.calvarypress.com. Used by permission.
_______________________
Jay E. Adams: Dr. Adams has pastored churches in Western Pennsylvania and
New Jersey in the old United Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Presbyterian
Church, E.S., and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He is now an ordained
Associate Reformed Presbyterian minister. Author of numerous books including
From Forgiven to Forgiving.
FORGIVENESS
J.C.Ryle (1816-1900)
“Your sins are forgiven you”—1 John 2:12.
T
HERE is a clause near the end of the Belief, or Apostle’s Creed,
which, I fear, is often repeated without thought or consideration. I
refer to the clause which contains these words,” I believe in the
forgiveness of sins.” Thousands, I am afraid, never reflect what those
words mean. I propose to examine the subject of them in the following
paper, and I invite the attention of all who care for their souls and want
to be saved. Do we believe in the “Resurrection of our bodies”? Then let
us see to it that we know something by experience of the “Forgiveness of
our sins.”
I. Let me show, first of all, our need of forgiveness.
All men need forgiveness, because all men are sinners. He that does
not know this, knows nothing in religion. It is the very A B C of Christi-
anity that a man should know his right place in the sight of God and un-
derstand his deserts.
We are all great sinners.
sinners “There is none righteous, no, not one”—“All
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:10, 23). Sinners
we were born, and sinners we have been all our lives. We take to sin
naturally from the very first. No child ever needs schooling and educa-
tion to teach it to do wrong. No devil or bad companion ever leads us into
such wickedness as our own hearts. And “the wages of sin is death” (Rom
6: 23). We must either be forgiven, or lost eternally.
We are all guilty sinners in the sight of God.
God We have broken His holy
law. We have transgressed His precepts. We have not done His will.
There is not a commandment in all the ten which does not condemn us.
If we have not broken it in deed we have in word; if we have not broken it
in word, we have in thought and imagination—and that continually.
Tried by the standard of the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, there is not one
of us that would be acquitted. All the world is “guilty before God.” And
“As it is appointed unto men once to die, so after this comes the judg-
ment.” We must either be forgiven, or perish everlastingly (Rom 3:19;
Heb 9: 27).
And then what is the Lord God, whose eyes are on all our ways, and be-
be-
fore whom we have one day to give account?
account “Holy, holy, holy,” is the
remarkable expression applied to Him by those who are nearest to Him
(Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). It sounds as if no one word could express the intensity
of His holiness. One of His prophets says, “He is of purer eyes than to
behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity” (Hab 1:13). We think the an-
Forgiveness 5
gels exalted beings, and far above ourselves; but we are told in Scripture,
“He charged His angels with folly” (Job 4:18). We admire the moon and
stars as glorious and splendid bodies; but we read, “Behold even to the
moon, and it shineth not, yea the stars are not pure in His sight” (Job
25:5). We talk of the heavens as the noblest and purest part of creation;
but even of them it is written, “The heavens are not clean in His sight”
(Job 15:15). What then is any one of us but a miserable sinner in the
sight of such a God as this?
Surely we ought all to cease from proud thoughts about ourselves. We
ought to lay our hands upon our mouths, and say with Abraham, “I am
dust and ashes;” and with Job, “I am vile;” and with Isaiah, “We are all
as an unclean thing;” and with John, “If we say that we have no sin we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (Gen 18:27; Job 40:4; Isa 64:6;
1Jo 1:8). Where is the man or woman in the whole catalogue of the Book
of Life, that will ever be able to say more than this, “I obtained mercy”?
What is the glorious company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship of
the prophets, the noble army of martyrs—what are they all but pardoned
sinners? Surely there is but one conclusion to be arrived at:—we are all
great sinners, and we all need a great forgiveness.
See now what just cause I have to say that to know our need of for-
giveness is the first thing in true religion. Sin is a burden, and must be
taken off. Sin is a defilement, and must be cleansed away. Sin is a mighty
debt, and must be paid. Sin is a mountain standing between us and
heaven, and must be removed. Happy is that mother’s child amongst us
that feels all this! The first step towards heaven is to see clearly that we
deserve hell. There are but two alternatives before us—we must either be
forgiven, or be miserable for ever.
II. Let me point out, in the second place, the way of forgiveness.
I ask particular attention to this point, for none can be more impor-
tant. Granting for a moment that you want pardon and forgiveness, what
ought you to do? Whither will you go? Which way will you turn? Every
thing hinges on the answer you give to this question.
Will you turn to ministers and put your trust in them? They cannot give
you pardon: they can only tell you where it is to be found. They can set
before you the bread of life; but you yourself must eat it. They can show
you the path of peace; but you yourself must walk in it. The Jewish priest
had no power to cleanse the leper, but only to declare him cleansed. The
Christian minister has no power to forgive sins;—he can only declare and
pronounce who they are that are forgiven.
Will you turn to sacraments and ordinances, and trust in them? They
cannot supply you with forgiveness, however diligently you may use
them. By sacraments “faith is confirmed and grace increased,” in all who
rightly use them (See Article 27). But they cannot justify the sinner.
They cannot put away transgression. You may go to the Lord’s Table
every Sunday in your life: but unless you look far beyond the sign to the
thing signified, you will after all die in your sins. You may attend a daily
service regularly, but if you think to establish a righteousness of your
own by it, in the slightest degree, you are only getting further away from
God every day.
Will you trust in your own works and endeavours, your virtues and your
good deeds, your prayers and your alms? They will never buy for you an
entrance into heaven. They will never pay your debt to God. They are all
imperfect in themselves, and only increase your guilt. There is no merit
or worthiness in them at the very best. The Lord Jesus Christ says ex-
pressly, “When you have done all those things which are commanded
you, say, We are unprofitable servants” (Luk 17:10).
Will you trust in your own repentance and amendment? You are very
sorry for the past. You hope to do better for time to come. You hope God
will be merciful. Alas, if you lean on this, you have nothing beneath you
but a broken reed! The judge does not pardon the thief because he is
sorry for what he did. Today’s sorrow will not wipe off the score of yes-
terday’s sins. It is not an ocean of tears that would ever cleanse an uneasy
conscience and give it peace.
Where then must a man go for pardon? Where is forgiveness to be
found? There is a way both sure and plain, and into that way I desire to
guide every inquirer’s feet.
That way is simply to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. It
is to cast your soul, with all its sins, unreservedly on Christ—to cease
completely from any dependence on your own works or doings, either in
whole or in part—and to rest on no other work but Christ’s work, no
other righteousness but Christ’s righteousness, no other merit but
Christ’s merit, as your ground of hope. Take this course and you are a
pardoned soul. “To Christ,” says Peter, “give all the prophets witness,
that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remis-
sion of sins” (Act 10:43). “Through this Man,” says Paul at Antioch, “is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe are
justified from all things” (Act 13:38). “In Him,” writes Paul to the Colos-
sians, “we have redemption thro u g h His blood, even the forgiveness of
sins” (Col 1:14).
The Lord Jesus Christ, in great love and compassion, has made a full
and complete satisfaction for sin, by suffering death in our place upon
the cross. There He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, and allowed the
wrath of God, which we deserved, to fall on His own head. For our sins,
as our Substitute, He gave Himself, suffered, and died, the just for the
unjust, the innocent for the guilty—that He might deliver us from the
curse of a broken law, and provide a complete pardon for all who are
willing to receive it. And by so doing, as Isaiah says—He has borne our
Forgiveness 7
sins; as John the Baptist says—He has taken away sin; as Paul says—He
has purged our sins, and put away sin; and as Daniel says—He has made
an end of sin, and finished transgression (Isa 53:11; Joh 1:29; Heb 1:3, 9:26;
Dan 9: 24)
Christ, in one word, has purchased a full forgiveness, if we are only
willing to receive it. He has done all, paid all, suffered all that was need-
ful to reconcile us to God. He has provided a garment of righteousness to
clothe us. He has opened a fountain of living waters to cleanse us. He has
removed every barrier between us and God the Father, taken every ob-
stacle out of the way, and made a road by which the vilest may return. All
things are now ready, and the sinner has only to believe and be saved, to
eat and be satisfied, to ask and receive, to wash and be clean.
And faith, simple faith, is the only thing required, in order that you
and I may be forgiven. That we will come by faith to Jesus as sinners
with our sins—trust in Him—rest on Him—lean on Him—confide in
Him—commit our souls to Him—and forsaking all other hope, cleave only
to Him—this is all and everything that God asks for. Let a man only do
this, and he shall be saved. His iniquities shall be found completely par-
doned, and his transgressions entirely taken away. Every man and
woman that so trusts is wholly forgiven, and reckoned perfectly right-
eous. His sins are clean gone, and his soul is justified in God’s sight,
however bad and guilty he may have been.
This is the doctrine which is the true strength of any Church on earth
at this day. It is not orders, or endowments, or liturgies, or learning, that
will keep a Church alive. Let free forgiveness through Christ be faith-
fully proclaimed in her pulpits, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against her. Let it be buried, or kept back, and her candlestick will soon
be taken away. A Church is only useful so far as she exalts free forgiveness
through Christ.
This is the doctrine which, of all others, is the mightiest engine for
pulling down the kingdom of Satan. Preach salvation by the sacraments,
exalt the Church above Christ, and keep back the doctrine of the Atone-
ment, and the devil cares little—his goods are at peace. But preach a full
Christ, and a free pardon by faith in Him, and then Satan will have great
wrath, for he knows he has but a short time.
This is the only doctrine which will ever bring peace to an uneasy con-
science, and rest to a troubled soul. A man may get on pretty well with-
out it so long as he is asleep about his spiritual condition. But once let
him awake from his slumber, and nothing will ever calm him but the
blood of Atonement, and the peace which comes by faith in Christ.
You should ask yourself whether you have really received the truth
which I have been dwelling on, and know it by experience. Jesus, and
faith in Him, is the only way to the Father. He that thinks to climb into
Paradise by some other road will find himself fearfully mistaken. Other
foundation can no man lay for an immortal soul than that of which I
have been feebly speaking. He that ventures himself here is safe. He that
is off this rock has got no standing ground at all.
You should seriously consider what kind of a ministry you are in the
habit of attending, supposing you have a choice. You have reason indeed
to be careful. It is not all the same where you go, whatever people may say.
There are many places of worship, I fear, where you might look long for
Christ crucified, and never find Him. He is buried under outward cere-
monies—thrust behind the baptismal font—lost sight of under the
shadow of the Church. “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not
where they have laid Him” (Joh 20:13). Take heed where you settle your-
self. Try all by this single test, “Is Jesus and free forgiveness proclaimed
here?” There may be comfortable pews—there may be good singing—
there may be learned sermons. But if Christ’s Gospel is not the sun and
centre of the whole place, do not pitch your tent there. Say rather with
Isaac, “Here, is the wood and the fire, but where is the lamb?” (Gen 22:7).
Be very sure, this is not the place for your soul.
III. Let me, in the third place, encourage all who wish to be forgiven.
I dare be sure this paper will be read by some one who feels he is not
yet a forgiven soul. My heart’s desire and prayer is that such an one may
seek his pardon at once. And I would fain1 help him forward, by showing
him the kind of forgiveness offered to him, and the glorious privileges
within his reach.
Consider, then, for one thing, that the forgiveness set before you is a
great and broad forgiveness.
forgiveness Hear what the Prince of Peace Himself de-
clares: “All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies,
where with soever they shall blaspheme” (Mar 3:28). “Though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa 1:18). Yes: though your trespasses be
more in number than the hairs of your head, the stars in heaven, the
leaves of the forest, the blades of grass, the grains of sand on the sea
shore, still they can all be pardoned. As the waters of Noah’s flood cov-
ered over and hid the tops of the highest hills, so can the blood of Jesus
cover over and hide your mightiest sins. His blood “cleanseth us from all
sin” (1Jo 1:7). Though to you they seem written with the point of a dia-
mond, they can all be effaced from the book of God’s remembrance by
that precious blood. Paul names a long list of abominations which the
Corinthians had committed, and then says, “Such were some of you: but
ye are washed” (1Co 6:11).
Furthermore, it is a full and complete forgiveness.
forgiveness It is not like David’s
pardon to Absalom—a permission to return home, but not a full restora-
tion to favour (2Sa 14:24). It is not, as some fancy, a mere letting off, and
1
fain – gladly
Forgiveness 9
letting alone. It is a pardon so complete that he who has it is reckoned as

righteous as if he had never sinned at all! His iniquities are blotted out.
They are removed from him as far as the east from the west (Psa 103:12).
There remains no condemnation for him. The Father sees him joined to
Christ and is well pleased. The Son beholds him clothed with His own
righteousness and says, “Thou art all fair, there is no spot in thee” (SoS
4:7). Blessed be God that it is so! I verily believe if the best of us all had
only one blot left for himself to wipe out, he would miss eternal life. If
the holiest child of Adam were in heaven all but his little fin g e r, and to
get in depended on himself, I am sure he would never enter the kingdom.
If Noah, Daniel, and Job, had had but one day’s sins to wash away, they
would never have been saved. Praised be God, that in the matter of our
pardon there is nothing left for man to do! Jesus does all, and man has
only to hold out an empty hand and to receive.
Furthermore, it is a free and unconditional forgiveness.
forgiveness It is not burdened
with an “if,” like Solomon’s pardon to Adonijah: “If he will show himself
a worthy man” (1Ki 1:52). Nor yet are you obliged to carry a price in your
hand, or to bring a character with you to prove yourself deserving of
mercy. Jesus requires but one character, and that is that you should feel
yourself a sinful, bad man. He invites you to “buy wine and milk without
money and without price,” and declares, “Whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely” (Isa 55:1; Rev 22:17). Like David in the cave of
Adullam, He receives every one that feels in distress and a debtor, and
rejects none (1Sa 22:2). Are you a sinner? Do you want a Saviour? Then
come to Jesus just as you are, and your soul shall live.
Again, it is an offered forgiveness.
forgiveness I have read of earthly Kings who knew
not how to show mercy; of Henry the Eighth of England who spared nei-
ther man nor woman—of James the Fifth of Scotland, who would never
show favour to a Douglas. The King of kings is not like them. He calls on
men to come to Him, and be pardoned. “Unto you, O men, I call, and my
voice is to the sons of men” (Pro 8:4). “Ho! Every one that thirsteth, come
ye to the waters” (Isa 55:1). “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and
drink” (Joh 7:37). “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat 11:28). It ought to be a great comfort
to you and me to hear of any pardon at all; but to hear Jesus Himself in-
viting us, to see Jesus Himself holding out His hand to us—the Saviour
seeking the sinner before the sinner seeks the Saviour—this is encour-
agement, this is strong consolation indeed!
Again, it is a willing forgiveness.
forgiveness I have heard of pardons granted in re-
ply to long entreaty, and wrung out by much importunity. King Edward
the Third of England would not spare the citizens of Calais till they
came to him with halters round their necks, and his own Queen inter-
ceded for them on her knees. But Jesus is “good and ready to forgive”
(Psa 86:5). He “delighteth in mercy” (Mic 7:18). You and I may well
come boldly to the throne of grace. He who sits there is far more willing
and ready to give mercy than we are to receive it (Heb 4:16).
Besides this, it is a tried forgiveness.
forgiveness Thousands and tens of thousands
have sought for pardon at the mercy seat of Christ, and not one has ever
returned to say that he sought in vain. Sinners of every name and na-
tion—sinners of every sort and description—have knocked at the door of
the fold, and none have ever been refused admission. Zacchaeus the ex-
tortioner, Magdalen the harlot, Saul the persecutor, Peter the denier of
his Lord, the Jews who crucified the Prince of Life, the idolatrous Athe-
nians, the adulterous Corinthians, the ignorant Africans, the blood-
thirsty New Zealanders—all have ventured their souls on Christ’s
promises of pardon, and none have ever found them fail. If the way
which the Gospel sets before us were a new and untraveled way, we
might well feel faint-hearted. But it is not so. It is an old path. It is a path
worn by the feet of many pilgrims, and a path in which the footsteps are
all one way. The treasury of Christ’s mercies has never been found
empty. The well of living waters has never proved dry.
Besides this, it is a present forgiveness.
forgiveness All that believe in Jesus are at
once justified from all things (Act 13:39). The very day the younger son
returned to his father’s house he was clothed with the best robe, had the
ring put on his hand, and the shoes on his feet (Luk 15:22). The very day
Zacchaeus received Jesus he heard those comfortable words, “This day is
salvation come to this house” (Luk 19:9). The very day that David said,
“I have sinned against the Lord,” he was told by Nathan, “The Lord also
hath put away thy sin” (2Sa 12:13). The very day you first flee to Christ,
your sins are all removed. Your pardon is not a thing far away, to be ob-
tained only after many years. It is nigh at hand. It is close to you, within
your reach, all ready to be bestowed. Believe, and that very moment it is
your own. “He that believeth is not condemned” (Joh 3:18). It is not said,
“He shall not be,” or “will not be,” but “is not.” From the time of his be-
lieving, condemnation is gone. “He that believeth hath everlasting life”
(Joh 3:36). It is not said, “He shall have,” or “will have,” it is “hath.” It is
his own as surely as if he was in heaven, though not so evidently so to his
own eyes. You must not think forgiveness will be nearer to a believer in
the Day of Judgment than it was in the hour he first believed. His com-
plete salvation from the power of sin is every year nearer and nearer to
him; but as to his forgiveness and justification, and deliverance from the
guilt of sin, it is a finished work from the very minute he first commits
himself to Christ.
Last, and best of all, it is an everlasting forgiveness.
forgiveness It is not like Shimei’s
pardon—a pardon that may some time be revoked and taken away (1Ki
2:9). Once justified, you are justified for ever. Once written down in the
book of life, your name shall never be blotted out. The sins of God’s chil-
dren are said to be cast into the depths of the sea—to be sought for and
Forgiveness 11
not found—to be remembered no more—to be cast behind God’s back

(Mic 7:19; Jer 50:20; 31:34; Isa 38:17). Some people fancy they may be
justified one year and condemned another—children of adoption at one
time, and strangers by and by—heirs of the kingdom in the beginning of
their days, and yet servants of the devil in their end. I cannot find this in
the Bible. It seems to me to overturn the good news of the Gospel alto-
gether, and to tear up its comforts by the roots. I believe the salvation
Jesus offers is an everlasting salvation, and a pardon once sealed with His
blood shall never be reversed.
I have set before you the nature of the forgiveness offered to you. I
have told you but a little of it, for my words are weaker than my will. The
half of it remains untold. The greatness of it is far more than any report
of mine. But I think I have said enough to show you it is worth the seek-
ing, and I can wish you nothing better than that you may strive to make
it your own.
Do you call it nothing to look forward to death without fear, and to
judgment without doubtings, and to eternity without a sinking heart? Do
you call it nothing to feel the world slipping from your grasp, and to see
the grave getting ready for you, and the valley of the shadow of death
opening before your eyes, and yet to be not afraid? Do you call it nothing
to be able to think of the great day of account, the throne, the books, the
Judge, the assembled worlds, the revealing of secrets, the final sentence,
and yet to feel, “I am safe”? This is the portion, and this the privilege of a
forgiven soul.
Such an one is on a rock. When the rain of God’s wrath descends, and
the floods come, and the winds blow, his feet shall not slide, his habita-
tion shall be sure.
Such an one is in an ark. When the last fiery deluge is sweeping over
all things on the surface of the earth, it shall not come nigh him. He shall
be caught up, and borne securely above it all.
Such an one is in an hiding place. When God arises to judge terribly the
earth, and men are calling to rocks and mountains to fall upon them and
cover them, the Everlasting Arms shall be thrown around him, and the
storm shall pass over his head. He shall “abide under the shadow of the
Almighty” (Psa 91:1).
Such an one is in a city of refuge. The accuser of the brethren can lay no
charge against him. The law cannot condemn him. There is a wall be-
tween him and the avenger of blood. The enemies of his soul cannot hurt
him. He is in a secure sanctuary.
Such an one is rich. He has treasure in heaven which cannot be af-
fected by worldly changes, compared to which Peru and California are
nothing at all. He need not envy the richest merchants and bankers. He
has a portion that will endure when bank-notes and sovereigns are worth-
less things. He can say, like the Spanish ambassador, when shown the
treasury at Venice, “My Master’s treasury has no bottom.” He has Christ.
Such an one is insured. He is ready for anything that may happen.
Nothing can harm him. Banks may break and governments may be over-
turned. Famine and pestilence may rage around him. Sickness and sor-
row may visit his own fireside. But still he is ready for all—ready for
health, ready for disease—ready for tears—ready for joy—ready for pov-
erty, ready for plenty—ready for life, ready for death. He has Christ. He
is a pardoned soul. “Blessed” indeed “is he whose transgression is for-
given, and whose sin is covered” (Psa 32:1).
How will any one escape if he neglects so great salvation? Why should
you not lay hold on it at once, and say, Pardon me, even me also, O my
Saviour! What would you have, if the way I have set before you does not
satisfy you? Come while the door is open. Ask, and you shall receive.
IV. Let me, in the last place, supply the readers of this paper with some
marks of having found forgiveness.
I dare not leave out this point. Too many persons presume they are
forgiven, who have no evidence to show. Not a few cannot think it possi-
ble they a re forgiven, who are plainly in the way to heaven, though they
may not see it themselves. I would fain raise hope in some, and self-
inquiry in others; and to do this, let me set down in order the leading
marks of a forgiven soul.
(a) Forgiven souls hate sin.
sin They can enter most fully into the words of
our Communion Service: “The remembrance of sin is grievous unto
them, and the burden of it is intolerable.” It is the serpent which bit
them: how should they not shrink from it with horror? It is the poison
which brought them to the brink of eternal death how should they not
loathe it with a godly disgust? It is the Egyptian enemy which kept them
in hard bondage, how should not the very memory of it be bitter to their
hearts? It is the disease of which they carry the marks and scars about
them, and from which they have scarcely recovered: well may they dread
it, flee from it, and long to be delivered altogether from its power! Re-
member how the woman in Simon’s house wept over the feet of Jesus
(Luk 7:38). Remember how the Ephesians publicly burned their wicked
books (Act 19:19). Remember how Paul mourned over his youthful
transgressions: “I am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I perse-
cuted the Church of God” (1Co 15:9). If you and sin are friends, you and
God are not yet reconciled. You are not meet for heaven; for one main
part of heaven’s excellence is the absence of all sin.
(b) Forgiven souls love Christ.
Christ This is that one thing they can say, if
they dare say nothing else—they do love Christ. His person, His offices,
His work, His name, His cross, His blood, His words, His example, His
day, His ordinances—all, all are precious to forgiven souls. The ministry
Forgiveness 13
which exalts Him most, is that which they enjoy most. The books which
are most full of Him, are most pleasant to their minds. The people on
earth they feel most drawn to, are those in whom they see something of
Christ. His name is as ointment poured forth, and comes with a peculiar
sweetness to their ears (Sol 1:3). They would tell you they cannot help
feeling as they do. He is their Redeemer, their Shepherd, their Physician,
their King, their strong Deliverer, their gracious Guide, their hope, their
joy, their All. We re it not for Him they would be of all men most miser-
able. They would as soon consent that you should take the sun out of the
sky, as Christ out of their religion. Those people who talk of “the Lord,”
and “the Almighty,” and “the Deity,” and so forth, but have not a word to
say about Christ, are in anything but a right state of mind. What saith
the Scripture? “He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father
which hath sent Him” (Joh 5:23). “If any man love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be anathema” (1Co 16:22).
(c) Forgiven souls are humble.
humble They cannot forget that they owe all
they have and hope for to free grace, and this keeps them lowly. They are
brands plucked from the fire—debtors who could not pay for them-
selves—captives who must have remained in prison for ever, but for un-
deserved mercy, wandering sheep who were ready to perish when the
Shepherd found them; and what right then have they to be proud? I do
not deny that there are proud saints. But this I do say—they are of all
God’s creatures the most inconsistent, and of all God’s children the most
likely to stumble and pierce themselves with many sorrows. Forgiveness
more often produces the spirit of Jacob: “I am not worthy of the least of
all the mercies, and all the truth which Thou hast showed unto Thy ser-
vant” (Gen 32:10); and of Hezekiah:—“I shall go softly all my years” (Isa
38:15); and of the Apostle Paul: “I am less than the least of all saints—
chief of sinners” (Eph 3:8; 1Ti 1:15). When you and I have nothing we
can call our own but sin and weakness, there is surely no garment that
becomes us so well as humility.
(d) Forgiven souls are holy.
holy Their chief desire is to please Him who has
saved them, to do His will, to glorify Him in body and in Spirit, which
are His. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits?” (Psa
116:12), is a leading principle in a pardoned heart. It was the remem-
brance of Jesus showing mercy that made Paul in labours so abundant,
and in doing good so unwearied. It was a sense of pardon that made Zac-
cheus say, “The half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken
anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold” (Luk
19:8). If any one points out to me believers who are in a carnal, slothful
state of soul, I reply in the words of Peter, “They have forgotten they
were purged from their old sins” (2Pe 1:9). But if you show me a man
deliberately living an unholy and licentious life, and yet boasting that his
sins are forgiven, I answer, “He is under a ruinous delusion, and is not
forgiven at all.” I would not believe he is forgiven if an angel from
heaven affirmed it, and I charge you not to believe it too. Pardon of sin
and love of sin are like oil and water—they will never go together. All
that are washed in the blood of Christ are also sanctified by the Spirit of
Christ.
(e) Forgiven souls are forgiving.
forgiving They do as they have been done by.
They look over the offences of their brethren. They endeavour to “walk
in love, as Christ loved them, and gave Himself for them” (Eph 5:2).
They remember how God for Christ’s sake forgave them, and endeavour
to do the same towards their fellow-creatures. Has He forgiven them
pounds2, and shall they not forgive a few pence?3 Doubtless in this, as in
every thing else, they come short;—but this is their desire and their aim.
A spiteful, quarrelsome Christian is a scandal to his profession. It is very
hard to believe that such an one has ever sat at the foot of the cross and
has ever considered how he is praying against himself every time he uses
the Lord’s Prayer. Is he not saying as it were, “Father, do not forgive me
my trespasses at all”? But it is still harder to understand what such a one
would do in heaven, if he got there. All ideas of heaven in which forgive-
ness has not a place, are castles in the air and vain fancies. Forgiveness is
the way by which every saved soul enters heaven. Forgiveness is the only
title by which he remains in heaven. Forgiveness is the eternal subject of
song with all the redeemed who inhabit heaven. Surely an unforgiving
soul in heaven would find his heart completely out of tune. Surely we
know nothing of Christ’s love to us but the name of it, if we do not love
our brethren.
I cannot conceal from you, these marks should raise in many minds
great searchings of heart. I must be plain. I fear there are thousands of
persons called Christians, who know nothing of these marks. They are
baptized. They attend the services of their Church. They would not on
any account be reckoned infidels. But as to true repentance and saving
faith, union with Christ and sanctification of the Spirit, they are “names
and words” of which they know nothing at all.
Now if this paper is read by such persons, it will probably either alarm
them, or make them very angry. If it makes them angry I shall be sorry.
If it alarms them I shall be glad. I want to alarm them. I want to awaken
them from their present state. I want them to take in the great fact, that
they are not yet forgiven, that they have not peace with God, and are on
the high road to destruction.
I must say this, for I see no alternative. It seems neither Christian
faithfulness, nor Christian charity, to keep it back. I see certain marks of
pardoned souls laid down in Scripture. I see an utter want of these marks
in many men and women around me. How then can I avoid the conclu-
2
pound – the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom.
3
pence – plural for penny.
Forgiveness 15
sion that they are not yet “forgiven”? And how shall I do the work of a
faithful watchman if I do not write it down plainly in so many words?
Where is the use of crying Peace! Peace! when there is no peace? Where
is the honesty of acting the part of a lying physician, and telling people
there is no danger, when in reality they are fast drawing near to eternal
death? Surely the blood of souls would be required at my hands if I wrote
to you anything less than the truth. “If the trumpet give an uncertain
sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1Co 14:8).
Examine yourself, then, before this subject is forgotten. Consider of
what sort your religion is. Try it by the five marks I have just set before
you. I have endeavoured to make them as broad and general as I can, for
fear of causing any heart to be sad that God has not made sad. If you
know anything of them, though it be but a little, I am thankful, and en-
treat you to go forward. But if you know nothing of them in your own
experience, let me say, in all affection, I stand in doubt of you. I tremble
for your soul.
1. And now, before I conclude, let me put a home4 question to every one
who reads this paper.
paper It shall be short and plain, but it is all important:
“Are you forgiven?”
I have told you all I can about forgiveness. Your need of forgiveness—
the way of forgiveness—the encouragements to seek forgiveness—the
marks of having found it—all have been placed before you. Bring the
whole subject to bear upon your own heart, and ask yourself, “Am I for-
given? Either I am, or I am not. Which of the two is it?”
You believe perhaps, there is forgiveness of sins. You believe that
Christ died for sinners, and that He offers a pardon to the most ungodly.
But are you forgiven yourself? Have you yourself laid hold on Christ by
faith, and found peace through His blood? What profit is there to you in
forgiveness, except you get the benefit of it? Except you lay hold for your
own soul, you will be as surely lost as if there was no forgiveness at all.
If ever your sins are to be forgiven, it must be now—now in this life, if
ever in the life to come—now in this world, if they are to be found blot-
ted out when Jesus comes again the second time. There must be actual
business between you and Christ. Your sins must be laid on Him by
faith: His righteousness must be laid on you. His blood must be applied
to your conscience, or else your sins will meet you in the Day of Judg-
ment, and sink you into hell.
Oh, how can you trifle when such things are at stake? How can you be
content to leave it uncertain whether you are forgiven? Surely that a man
can make his will, insure his life, give directions about his funeral, and
yet leave his soul’s affairs in uncertainty, is a wonderful5 thing indeed.
4
home – close, in the sense of bringing the question close to home or heart.
5
wonderful – strange; astonishing.
2. Let me next give a solemn warning to every one who reads this paper,
and knows in his conscience he is not forgiven.
forgiven
Your soul is in awful danger. You may die this year. And if you die as
you are, you are lost for ever. If you die without pardon, without pardon
you will rise again at the last day. There is a sword over your head which
hangs by a single hair. There is but a step between you and death. Oh, I
wonder that you can sleep quietly in your bed!
You are not yet forgiven. Then what have you got by your religion? You
go to church. You have a Bible, you have a Prayer-book, and perhaps a
Hymnbook. You hear sermons. You join in services. It may be you go to
the Lord’s Table. But what have you really got after all? Any hope? Any
peace? Any joy? Any comfort? Nothing: literally nothing! You have got
nothing but mere temporal things, if you are not a pardoned soul.
You are not yet forgiven. But you trust God will be merciful. Yet why
should He be merciful if you will not seek Him in His own appointed
way? Merciful He doubtless is, wonderfully merciful to all who come to
Him in the name of Jesus. But if you choose to despise His directions,
and make a road to heaven of your own, you will find to your cost there is
no mercy for you.
You are not yet forgiven. But you hope you will be some day. I cannot
away with6 that expression. It is like thrusting off the hand of conscience,
and seizing it by the throat to stop its voice. Why are you more likely to
seek forgiveness at a future time? Why should you not seek it now? Now
is the time for gathering the bread of life. The day of the Lord is fast
drawing near, and then no man can work (Joh 9:4). The Seventh trumpet
will soon sound. The kingdoms of this world will soon become the king-
doms of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev 11:15). Woe to the house which
is found without the scarlet line, and without the mark of blood upon the
door! (Jos 2:18; Exo 12:13). Well, you may not feel your need of forgive-
ness now. But a time may come when you will want it. The Lord in
mercy grant that it may not then be too late.
3. Let me next give an earnest invitation to all who read this paper and
desire forgiveness.
I know not who you are, or what you have been in time past, but I say
boldly, come to Christ by faith, and you shall have a pardon. High or low,
rich or poor, young men and maidens, old men and children—you can-
not be worse than Manasseh and Paul before conversion—than David
and Peter after conversion: come all of you to Christ, and you shall be
freely forgiven.
Think not for a moment that you have some great thing to do before
you come to Christ. Such a notion is of the earth, earthy; the Gospel bids
you come just as you are. Man’s idea is to make his peace with God by
6
away with – cannot bear or endure.
Forgiveness 17
repentance, and then come to Christ at last: the Gospel way is to receive
peace from Christ first of all, and begin with Him. Man’s idea is to
amend, and turn over a new leaf, and so work his way up to reconcilia-
tion and friendship with God. The Gospel way is first to be friends with
God through Christ, and then to work. Man’s idea is to toil up the hill,
and find life at the top: the Gospel way is first to live by faith in Christ,
and then to do His will.
Come then, willing to receive, and not thinking how much you can
bring. Come, willing to take what Christ offers, and not fancying you can
give anything in return. Come with your sins, and no other qualification
but a hearty desire for pardon, and, as sure as the Bible is true, you shall
be saved.
You may tell me you are not worthy, you are not good enough, you are
not elect. I answer, You are a sinner, and you want to be saved, and what
more do you want? You are one of those whom Jesus came to save. Come
to Him and you shall have life. Take with you words, and He will hear
you graciously. Tell Him all your soul’s necessities, and I know from the
Bible He will give heed. Tell Him you have heard He receiveth sinners,
and that you are such. Tell Him you have heard He has the keys of life in
his hand, and entreat Him to let you in. Tell Him you come in depend-
ence on His own promises, and ask Him to fulfil His word, and “do as He
has said” (2Sa 7:25). Do this in simplicity and sincerity, and, my soul for
yours, you shall not ask in vain. Do this and you shall find Him faithful
and just to forgive your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness
(1Jo 1:9).
4. Last of all, let me give a word of exhortation to all forgiven souls.
You are forgiven. Then know the full extent of your privileges, and
learn to rejoice in the Lord. You and I are great sinners, but then we have
a great Saviour. You and I have sinned sins that are past man’s knowl-
edge, but then we have “the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” to
rest upon (Eph 3:19). You and I feel our hearts to be a bubbling fountain
of evil, but then we have another fountain of greater power in Christ’s
blood, to which we may daily resort. You and I have mighty enemies to
contend with, but then the “Captain of our salvation” is mightier still,
and is ever with us. Why should our hearts be troubled? Why should we
be disquieted and cast down? O men and women of little faith that we
are! Wherefore do we doubt?
Let us strive every year to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. It is sad to be content with a little religion. It is hon-
ourable to covet the best gifts. We ought not to be satisfied with the same
kind of hearing, and reading, and praying, which satisfied us in years
gone by. We ought to labour every year to throw more heart and reality
into everything we do in our religion. To love Christ more intensely—to
abhor evil more thoroughly—to cleave to what is good more closely—to
watch even our least ways more narrowly, to declare very plainly that we
seek a country—to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be clothed with
Him in every place and company—to see more—to feel more—to know
more—to do more—these ought to be our aims and desires every year we
begin. Truly there is room for improvement in us all.
Let us try to do good to the souls of others, more than we have done
hitherto. Alas, it is poor work indeed to be swallowed up in our own
spiritual concerns, and taken up with our own spiritual ailments; and
never to think of others! We forget that there is such a thing as religious
selfishness. Let us count it a sorrowful thing to go to heaven alone, and
let us seek to draw companions with us. We ought never to forget that
every man, woman, and child around us, will soon be either in heaven or
hell. Let us say to others, as Moses did to Hobab, “Come with us, and we
will do thee good” (Num 10:29). Oh, it is indeed a true saying, “He that
watereth shall be watered himself” (Pro 11:25). The idle, do-little, selfish
Christian has little idea what he is missing.
Finally, let us say to everything in the world that interferes between
ourselves and Jesus Christ, “Stand aside;” and let us dread allowing our-
selves in the least evil habits, lest insensibly they rise up like a mist and
hide Him from our eyes. “In His light alone shall we see light” and feel
warmth, and separate from Him we shall find the world a dark and cold
wilderness (Psa 36:9). We should call to mind the request of the Athe-
nian philosopher, when the mightiest Monarch on earth asked him what
he desired most. “I have,” said he, “but one request to make; and that is
that you would stand from between me and the sun.” Let this be the
spirit in which you and I are found continually. Let us think lightly of
the world’s gifts. Let us sit calmly under its cares. Let us care for nothing
if we may only ever see the King’s face, if we may only ever abide in
Christ.
If our sins are forgiven, our best things are yet to come.
Yet a little time, and we shall “see face to face, and know as we have
been known.” We shall “see the King in His beauty,” and “go out no
more” (1Co 13:12; Isa 33:17; Rev 3:12). “Blessed then is he whose trans-
gression is forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Psa 32:1).
This article available as a small booklet from Chapel Library.

_______________________
J.C. Ryle (1816-
(1816-1900):
1900): Bishop of the Anglican Church. Revered author of Holi-
ness, Knots Untied, Old Paths, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, and others. Born
at Macclesfield, Cheshire County, England.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS
ADMIRED AND IMITATED
C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”—Colossians 3:13.
T
O whom is this exhortation addressed? The apostle speaketh thus
in the twelfth verse: “Elect of God, holy and beloved.” Here are
three particulars. They are, first of all, “elect of God,” that is to
say, chosen according to his eternal purpose. They are made choice ones
by being thus chosen. Next, they are sanctified by the Spirit of God, and
are, therefore, called “holy”: this holiness appertaining to their persons
and their pursuits, their calling and their conversation. When the Spirit
of God has fully done his work he sheds abroad in their hearts the love of
God, so that experimentally they feel themselves to be “beloved.” To
abide in the love of God is the fruit of election, and the result of holiness.
If any of you can with humble confidence claim these three titles,” elect
of God, holy and beloved,” you are among the most favored of all man-
kind: of you the Father hath made a special choice, in you his Holy Spirit
has wrought a special work, and you possess within your souls the special
joy of living in the love of God. “Elect of God, holy and beloved”: it is as
you enjoy these three things that you will find it easy to carry out the
precept which is now set before you, “Forbearing one another, and for-
giving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye.”
You see your example...
example...C
...COPY IT FOR YOURSELVES. If the Holy
Spirit enables you to write according to this copy, you will have the ap-
proval of the L o rd resting upon you. See how large and clear the letters!
It will be no small success if you can reproduce them. “Even as Christ
forgave you”; the imitation should be as exact as possible. Mark the
“even,” and the “so,” and endeavor to keep touch with your gracious
Lord.
Notice, however, in the text, that this precept concerning the imitation
of Christ in forgiveness is universally applicable.
applicable The text is not long, but
see how unqualified is its range. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving
one another, if any man have a quarrel against any.” You see it is not put
that superiors are to forgive inferiors; or, on the other hand, that the less
are to forgive the greater; but the circle of the command includes the
whole: it is, “forbearing one another.” The rich are to be forbearing to the
poor, the poor a re to be forbearing to the rich; the elderly man is to for-
give the junior for his imprudence,1 the junior is to bear with the petu-
lance2 and slowness of the elder. It is an all-round business, implying
that one of these days I shall have to forgive you, and you will have to
forgive me. Personally, I tax your forbearance to put up with me; and I
need not say that sometimes I have need to exercise forbearance towards
one and another in so large a church. We have all our own angles and
edges, and these are apt to come into contact with others. We are all
pieces of one puzzle, and shall fit in with each other one day, and make a
complete whole; yet just now we seem misshapen and unfitting. Our cor-
ners need to be rounded. Sometimes they are chipped off by collision
with somebody else; and that is not comfortable for the person with
whom we collide. Like pebbles in the river of the water of life, we are
wearing each other round and smooth, as the living current brings us
into communion: everybody is polishing and being polished, and in the
process it is inevitable that some present inconvenience should be sus-
tained; but nobody must mind it, for it is part of a great process by which
we shall all come into proper shape, and be made meet for endless fel-
lowship.
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another”: you see it has
two sides. “Ah,” says one, “I cannot understand it; people ought to be far
more forbearing to me.” Just so; but the first point is that you should be
forgiving towards them. What numbers of church members think that
the duties of a church are all one-sided. “I was ill, and nobody came to
see me.” “Did you send for anybody to see you?” “No, I did not.” Brother,
before you find fault, remember your own fault; you have violated the
command, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the
church.” “But nobody exhibits Christian love,” says one. Is that true of
yourself? I have noticed that the man who says that love is dead is usu-
ally rather short of love himself. How very different the church looks to
different eyes: one sees a thousand virtues to admire, and another a world
of evil to expose. One gratefully cries, “When I was ill, the dear brethren
came to see me so often that I had even to ask them not to stay very
long.” Another grumbles, “I might have laid there a month, and nobody
would ever have come near me.” We understand the reason for this dif-
ference: the tone of the speech is the key to the riddle. As a rule, with
what measure we mete3 it is measured to us again. I do not find Christ’s
people to be one half so faulty as I am myself. I meet with many Chris-
tians whom I think it an honor to know, and commune with; and those of
another sort are useful to me as warnings, and as fields for exercising my
graces. The forgiveness and the forbearance are needed all round, and we
1
imprudence – lack of caution.
2
petulance – unreasonable irritability.
3
mete – to measure.
Divine Forgiveness Admired and Imitated 21
must both give and take. By the sweet love of Jesus, let us not fail in this
business.
Let me say here that this matter is an absolutely one—this
absolutely essential one—
forbearance and this forgiveness are vital.
vital Be not deceived; God is not
mocked: no man is a child of God who has not a likeness to God; and no
man is forgiven who will not himself forgive. In the Middle Ages a cer-
tain baron had a fend4 with another nobleman, and determined to avenge
himself for some insult, real or imaginary. His enemy was to pass by the
castle with a small retinue,5 and therefore the baron determined to way-
lay him and kill him, or, at least, to punish him severely, and exact a ran-
som. A holy man who lived in the castle begged and entreated the baron
to forbear from bloodshed, and make peace; but for some time he
pleaded in vain. The baron would not be appeased, but swore that he
would be avenged of his adversary. So this godly man begged one favor of
him, namely, that he would come with him into the chapel and offer
prayer before he sallied6 forth. They knelt together in prayer, and ere
they rose the saintly man said, “My lord, repeat after me the Lord’s
Prayer.” He went on saying word by word, as the other did, till he came
to that, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass
against us”; but there the good man stopped, and said, “I charge you not
to say this unless you really mean it! Do not mock the Lord. You may not
go out and fight if you thus speak with God. You will have to appear be-
fore God and be judged for your sins, for you will not be forgiven if you
do not forgive. Choose, then, either to utter this prayer and forgive, and
be saved; or to refuse the prayer, and go forth to battle and be lost.” The
baron paused and bit his lip, but at last his better spirit prevailed, and he
cried, “I cannot renounce my hope of heaven; I cannot renounce my hope
of forgiveness; therefore my enemy shall pass by my castle in safety, and
I will say, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass
against us.’” Do not attempt to deceive God. If you must lie and cheat,
practice your impositions7 upon your fellow-men, but do not imagine
that you can flatter your Maker or deceive the Omniscient One. If you
will not forgive, say so, and expect eternal perdition,8 but if you profess
to be a Christian obey this great and essential precept, and forgive as
Christ forgave you. Be honest, be straight with God, for he will be honest
and straight with you; but if you cannot and will not forgive, then look
forward to a portion with the tormentors; for even the loving Jesus says,
“Neither shall my heavenly Father forgive you.”
In urging you to this copying of Christ, let me notice that this forgive-
forgive-
ennobling We are not
ness of those who offend against us is gloriously ennobling.
4
fend – struggle.
5
retinue – the attendants accompanying high-ranking person.
6
sallied – rushed out, as a body of troops from a fortified place to attack besiegers.
7
impositions – deception.
8
perdition – eternal loss of the soul; damnation.
asked to perform a duty which will in the least degrade us. Revenge is pal-
9
try, forgiveness is great-minded. Was not David infinitely greater than Saul,
when he spared his life in the cave, and when he would not smite him as he
lay asleep on the battle-field? Did not the king humble himself before David
when he perceived his forbearance? If you would be the greatest among
men, bear injuries with the greatest gentleness; if you would win the no-
blest of conquests, subdue yourself: To win a battle is a little thing if it be
fought out with sword and gun; but to win it in God’s way, with no weapons
but love, and patience, and forgiveness, this is the most glorious of victo-
ries. Blessed is that man who is more than a conqueror, because he inflicts
no wounds in the conflict, but overcomes evil with good. In the process of
such a conquest the warrior is himself a gainer. A nation in fighting, even if
it wins the campaign, has to suffer great expense and loss of life; but he that
overcomes by love, is the better and stronger man through what he has
done. He comes out of the conflict not only victor over his adversary, but
victor over sin within himself, and all the readier for future war against evil.
He glorifies God and himself becomes strong in grace. Nothing is more glo-
rious than love. Your Master, who is King of kings, set you an example of
gaining glory by enduring wrong: if you would be knights of his company,
imitate his graciousness.
Notice that this imitation of Christ is logically appropriate to you all.all
Brothers, if Christ has forgiven you, the parable we read just now shows
that it is imperative that you should forgive your fellows. If our Lord has
forgiven us our ten thousand talents, how can we take our brother by the
throat for the hundred pence, and say, “Pay me what thou owest”? If we
are indeed members of Christ, should we not be like our Head? If we
profess to be his servants, are we to pretend to a dignity greater than our
Master, who washed his disciples’ feet? If he forgave so freely, how dare
we call ourselves his brethren if our spirit is hard and malice lingers
within us?
I say, to conclude, that this copying of Christ is most forcibly sustained
by the example given in the text.
text We are to forbear and to forgive, “Even as
Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” I have heard it said “If you pass by
every wanton offense, and take no notice of it, you will come to be de-
spised, and regarded as a person of mean10 spirit: your honor demands
vindication.” When Christ forgave you, did his honor suffer by that for-
giveness? You transgressed most wickedly, and yet he forgave you; do you
regard him as less honorable because of that readiness to pass by of-
fenses? Far from it: it is his glory to forgive. The hallelujahs of saints and
the songs of angels are sent up to his throne the more heartily because of
the richness of his grace, and the freeness of his mercy. Dishonour in-
deed! What pride it is on the part of such poor creatures as we are to talk
9
paltry – vile; worthless.
10
mean – lacking dignity; contemptible.
about our honor! Where is the honor of revenge? It is a dishonorable

thing to put yourself on the level of him who injures you. A heathen phi-
losopher used to say, “If an ass kicks you, is it necessary for the mainte-
nance of your honor to kick that ass again?” That speech looks like a
noble one, but yet it is too much flavoured with contempt. When you
speak, or even think, of another who has wronged you as though he were
only worthy to be regarded as a beast, you are not right in spirit, a degree
of evil remains in your heart. Think of the offender without contempt, as
well as without resentment. Believe that he is a brother worth winning.
Say, “If he does me an injury, for that very reason I will do him a double
service. My only vengeance shall be double love. I will not allow myself
even to think hardly of him. I will put the best possible construction on
all that he does, and thus show that the spirit of Christ is in me, conquer-
ing the spirit of fallen humanity both in me and in him.”
Says one, “If we always overlook offenses other people may be tempted
to do us wrong also.” Our text furnishes us with a ready answer to this
also. The Lord Jesus Christ forgave you. Have you met anybody who has
been tempted to do wrong because the Lord has forgiven you? He has
freely forgiven myriads of poor unworthy sinners, and has that promoted
sin? No. Is it not the very groundwork and case of holiness in the world,
that Jesus is so gracious as to pardon sin? Why then should your forbear-
ance do harm? Do not you pretend to be so very wise; for therein you
censure11 your Master. You are not the ruler of the world. It is not for you
to be refraining from good for fear that evil may come of it: attend to
your own ways, forgive every one his brother his trespasses, and leave
consequences with God.
“Oh, but,” says one, “I know several pious persons who are very unfor-
giving.” You do not know any really good man who is of that character. I
make bold to say that no man is really good if he has not a forgiving
spirit. Unwillingness to forgive is a grievous flaw in anyone’s character.
But if there were such good people, what have you to do with them? Is
the servant to imitate his fellow-servant, especially in his faults? The ex-
ample set before you is, “Even as Christ forgave you.” You have nothing
to do with either saints or sinners in this matter; your Lord says to you,
“What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” Perhaps you do not know all the
story which you think proves that a good man has been unforgiving; and
if you do know it, you are no judge of others. Mind your own business,
and even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
But I hear another one saying, “These persons would not have forgiven
me.” Just so; but then you are a child of God, you are “elect, holy, and
beloved.” You are not to lower your standard to that of publicans and
sinners. Does not Christ continually say, “What do ye more than others?
11
censure – to find fault with and condemn as wrong.
Do not even the publicans and the sinners the same?” “If you love them
that love you, what thank have ye?” But if ye love them that despitefully
use you, then blessed are you when men shall persecute you. In that case
you have an opportunity of showing your love to your Lord. When Dr.
Duff first read to some young Brahmins12 in the Government school the
precept, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,” one of the
Brahmins cried out with delight, “Beautiful! Beautiful! This must have
come from the true God. I have been told to love those that love me, and
I have not always done that: but to love my enemies is a divine thought.”
That young man became a Christian under the influence of that precept.
Do not darken this light, but be sure to display it in your life, that many
may be attracted to Christ by its lustre. Let your goodwill go forth even
to the worst of men, for Christ’s sake. Forget their evil as you behold his
goodness.
“Well,” says one, “I would forgive the fellow, but he does not deserve
it.” That is why you are to forgive him: if he deserved it, you would be
bound to do him the justice which he could claim; but as he does not
deserve it, you have here an appeal to your Christian love. Does not your
heavenly Father give good things to the unthankful and to the evil? Did
not Jesus forgive the undeserving when he forgave you? Does he not over-
look our wretched characters when he has mercy upon us?
I hear one say, “I cannot forgive!” That is a terrible confession. The
apostle of the Gentiles said, “I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me.” Is not the same strength available for you? Some per-
sons find forgiving and forgetting to be hard work; but as you are bound
to do it or stop out of heaven, you must cry to God for help, and set about
it with determination. If you are indeed a child of God you will soon find
the difficulty gone; indeed forgiveness will become easy to you. To be
forgiven is such sweetness that honey is tasteless in comparison with it;
but yet there is one thing sweeter still, and that is to forgive. As it is more
blessed to give than to receive, so to forgive rises a stage higher in experi-
ence than to be forgiven. To be forgiven is, as it were, the root; to forgive
is the flower. That divine Spirit, who bears witness with our spirit when
he breathes peace into us because we are pardoned, beareth yet a higher
witness with us when he enables us truly to pardon all manner of tres-
passes against ourselves. Let it never be said in a Christian church, that
fellow-members bear a grudge against one another. I do not know that it
is so in your case; assuredly it should not be so anywhere. Let it not be
said of any Christian man, that he is unloving, ready to take offense, apt
to bear malice, or quick to anger. Cultivate forbearance till your heart
yields a fine crop of it. Pray for a short memory as to all unkindnesses. I
bless God that I know a man who finds it easy to forgive and to forget all
12
Brahmins – a priest among the Hindus.
offenses against himself. He takes no credit for so doing, for no one ever
offends him in a way which is worth remembering. That man has been
reminded again and again of the misbehaviour of unreasonable and un-
kind men, and he has honestly said, “I had quite forgotten it.” He does
not claim this forgetfulness as a virtue, for as a matter of fact his memory
has become weak in that direction, and he has no desire to strengthen it.
He has never tried to recollect unkindnesses, and now by long disuse his
memory happily fails him upon such matters. That man has often en-
joyed exquisite pleasure in doing good to those who have injured him;
and he can truly say that at this moment he bears no ill-will to any soul
upon this earth. He does not think this to be any singular attainment, for
his belief is that every follower of Jesus should be of the same mind.
Do you not think the same? I am sure I do. I heard this man once say
of another, “He spoke against me that which was false, but if he had
known more of me, he might have said something far worse, and have
been nearer the truth. Perhaps my false accuser believed what he said,
and thought he was doing a right thing in protesting against what he
thought was my fault. At any rate, no one can harm my character, unless
I do so myself.” It is a wise thing to profit by every accusation, whether
true or false, by trying to be better. Let us so live as to be able to say, “I
am as much at peace with all men as a child new born.” Thus shall we
wear the mark of the Spirit of God. In a word, my brethren, “Even as
Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Amen.
Excerpted from a sermon delivered on Lord’s-day morning, May 17th, 1885,

at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
_______________________
Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-
(1834-1892):
1892): Influential Baptist minister in England. The
New Park Street Pulpit and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit—the collected ser-
mons of Spurgeon during his ministry with that congregation fill 63 volumes.
The sermons’ 20–25 million words are equivalent to the 27 volumes of the ninth
edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Born at Kelvedon, Essex.
CONDITIONAL OR UNCONDITIONAL
FORGIVENESS?
John MacArthur, Jr.
1. GOD’S FORGIVENESS / OUR FORGIVENESS

How can forgiveness between fellow sinners be compared to the forgive-
ness of an offended deity? There must be some similarities, because
Scripture instructs us to forgive in the same manner as we have been for-
given. This idea occurs in two verses we have quoted repeatedly: Ephe-
sians 4:32 (“forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath
forgiven you.”) and Colossians 3:13 (“even as Christ forgave you, so also
do ye”).
Some take the position that this teaches forgiveness should always be
conditional. Their rationale goes like this: God forgives only those who
repent. Therefore, if we are going to forgive in the same manner as we
have been forgiven, we should withhold forgiveness from all who are un-
repentant. Some fine teachers hold this view. For example, [one author]
writes: It should go without saying that since our forgiveness is modeled
after God’s (Eph 4:32), it must be conditional.
Forgiveness by God rests on clear, unmistakable conditions. The apos-
tles did not merely announce that God had forgiven men...Paul and the
apostles turned away from those who refused to meet the conditions, just
as John and Jesus did earlier when the scribes and the Pharisees would
not repent.
There is some merit in [this author’s] position. There are times when
forgiveness must be conditional. I have great respect for [this author]
and have recommended his book on forgiveness as a helpful study of the
subject. On this issue, however, I must disagree with the position he
takes.
To make conditionality the gist of Christlike forgiving seems to miss
the whole point of what Scripture is saying. When Scripture instructs us
to forgive in the manner we have been forgiven, what is in view is not the
idea of withholding forgiveness until the offender expresses repentance.
Listen carefully to what these verses are saying:
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.... For if ye forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
(Mat 6:12, 14-15)
Conditional or Unconditional Forgiveness? 27
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed

no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (Jam 2:13)
“So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your
hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Mat 18:35)
“Be ye there f o re merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye
shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and
ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed
down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again.” (Luk 6:36-38)
The emphasis is on forgiving freely, generously, willingly, eagerly,
speedily—and from the heart. The attitude of the forgiver is where the
focus of Scripture lies, not the terms of forgiveness.
Most of those who hold that all forgiveness is conditional portray for-
giveness as a formal transaction in which the forgiven one must repent
and the offended party promises in return never to bring up the sin
again. If this transaction has not occurred, they say, real forgiveness has
not yet taken place. In some cases the offender may repent and ask for-
giveness without prompting, and forgiveness should be granted on the
spot. But in most cases, particularly when the offender is ignorant of hav-
ing committed a wrong, the offended party must first confront the of-
fender and formally solicit repentance before he or she can forgive. In
short, no act of forgiveness can occur until the offender asks for forgive-
ness.
Sadly, I have seen people who hold this opinion become obsessive con-
fronters and ultimately make themselves odious to friend and foe alike.
Others nurse grudges, refuse to relinquish bitterness, and even sever
friendships over relatively petty offenses, justifying such attitudes be-
cause they are convinced they have no duty to forgive until the offender
repents.
While it is often true that forgiveness involves a two-way transaction,
it is not true of all forgiveness. There are times when forgiveness should
be unconditional and unilateral,1 and there are other times when for-
giveness must be withheld until the offender repents. The biblical prin-
ciples governing these different kinds of forgiveness are clear.
2. CONDITIONAL / UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS
It is obvious from Scripture that sometimes forgiveness must be condi-
tional. For example, in certain cases the offender is to be confronted and
1
unilateral – performed by only one side.
ultimately even excommunicated from the church if he or she refuses to

repent (Luk 17:3; Mat 18:15-17).
But does every offense call for confrontation, possibly leading to for-
mal church discipline? Is there no place for simply granting unilateral
forgiveness for petty offenses? Is there no time when the offended party
should simply overlook a transgression, choosing to suffer wrong and
forgive without being asked or without formally confronting the of-
fender?
Obviously, these questions have important practical ramifications. If
you had a friend who scrupulously tried to confront you every time you
committed a petty offense, wouldn’t the friendship grow tedious pretty
quickly? And if marriage partners saw it as their solemn duty to confront
each other for every offense, wouldn’t such a mind-set make the marriage
relationship practically impossible to endure?
It is a mistake to assume that verses like Luke 17:3 (“If thy brother
trespass against thee, rebuke him”) and Matthew 18:15 (“Moreover if thy
brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault”) are abso-
lute prescriptions for every kind of transgression. If we were obligated to
confront one another for every paltry misdeed, we would be doing little
else.
Indeed, Scripture gives us another principle for dealing with the vast
majority of petty infractions: overlook the offense. Forgive unilaterally,
unconditionally. Grant pardon freely and unceremoniously. Love de-
mands this. “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves:
for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1Pe 4:8). “Hatred stirreth
up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (Pro 10:12). “He that covereth a
transgression seeketh love” (Pro 17:9). Love “thinketh no evil...[but]
beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things” (1Co 13:5-7).
[One author] recognizes the Christian’s duty to overlook petty of-
fenses, citing some of these same texts. “But,” he writes, “it is
not...forgiveness.” Having defined forgiveness as a two-way transaction,
he has no room in his system for unilateral or unconditional forgiveness.
So he draws a distinction between forgiveness and overlooking another’s
transgression. If true, that would mean all the petty offenses we choose to
overlook (or “cover,” in biblical terminology) are not really to be re-
garded as forgiven.
But the Bible itself makes no such distinction. Covering another’s
transgression is the very essence of forgiveness. Speaking of God’s for-
giveness, Psalm 32:1 equates the concepts of forgiveness and the covering
of sin:
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
This is a Hebrew parallelism, employing two different expressions to
designate the same concept. To cover someone else’s sin is the very es-
sence of forgiveness.
Psalm 85:2 draws the same parallel: “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity
of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.”
James 5:20 also equates forgiveness with the covering of sin: “Let him
know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall
save a soul from death, and shall hide [cover] a multitude of sins.”
So when 1 Peter 4:8 says, “For charity shall cover the multitude of
sins,” it is describing forgiveness.
Furthermore, Scripture also teaches that forgiveness can be unilateral
and unconditional. Mark 11:25-26 clearly speaks of this kind of forgive-
ness and even makes it a condition for receiving God’s forgiveness:
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought2 against any: that
your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye
do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your tres-
passes.”
That describes an immediate forgiveness granted to the offender with
no formal meeting or transaction required. It necessarily refers to a par-
don that is wholly unilateral, because this forgiveness takes place while
the forgiver stands praying. “Forgive” is the clear command of that verse,
and it is to take place on the spot. There is no mention of confrontation.
There is no command to seek the offender’s repentance. The forgiveness
of Mark 11:25 is therefore different from the forgiveness of Luke 17:3.
This forgiveness is to be granted unconditionally and unilaterally.
3. UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
What does unilateral forgiveness entail? If there’s no transaction, no
seeking of forgiveness, no formal granting of pardon, no words ex-
changed between the two parties, then what exactly is accomplished by
this sort of forgiveness?
Its chief effects are wrought in the heart of the forgiver. This kind of
forgiveness involves a deliberate decision to cover the other person’s of-
fense. “Forgive” in Mark 11:25 is an imperative, a command. The for-
giveness called for here is necessarily a volitional matter. In other words,
it is a choice, not a feeling or an involuntary response.
It is, as Matthew 18:35 suggests, from the heart; but even that does not
place forgiveness primarily in the realm of feeling. “Heart” in Scripture
normally designates the seat of the intellect (cf. Pro 23:7; Luk 9:47). So
this speaks of a deliberate and rational decision. It is a choice made by
the offended party to set aside the other person’s transgression and not
permit the offense to cause a breach in the relationship or fester in bit-
terness.
2
ought – anything.
In effect, the person who chooses to forgive resolves not to remember

the offense, refuses to hold a grudge, relinquishes any claim on recom-
pense, and resists the temptation to brood or retaliate. The offended
party simply bears the insult. The offense is set aside, lovingly covered
for Christ’s sake. For petty and unintentional offenses, this is the proper
and loving way to forgive—unilaterally, without confrontation and with-
out stirring any strife.
This, I believe, is what Scripture refers to most often when it calls us
to forgive one another. The heavy emphasis on forgiveness in Scripture is
not meant to make us more confrontational, but quite the opposite.
When Scripture calls us to have an attitude of forgiveness, the emphasis
is always on long-suffering, patience, benevolence, forbearance, kindness,
and mercy—not confrontation.
To deny that forgiveness can ever be unilateral is in my view a poten-
tially serious mistake. It places too much stress on confrontation. And
that tends to produce more conflict than it avoids. People who insist on
confronting every wrong often simply stir strife—the antithesis of what
Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness was intended to produce. Real love should
cover the vast majority of transgressions, not constantly haul them out in
the open for dissection (1Pe 4:8).
4. TO CONFRONT OR NOT TO CONFRONT?
All of this calls for some careful distinctions. Obviously there are
times when confrontation is essential. How do we identify those situa-
tions? Are there clear biblical principles that teach us when to confront
and when to forgive unilaterally?
I believe there are. Here are some guidelines to help you in drawing
the distinction:
Whenever possible, especially if the offense is petty or unintentional, it is best
to forgive unilaterally.
unilaterally This is the very essence of a gracious spirit. It is the
Christlike attitude called for in Ephesians 4:1-3:
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-
suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.”
That calls for a gracious tolerance (forbearing) of others’ faults. This is
necessary for the sake of maintaining peace.
In other words, believers are supposed to have a sort of mutual immu-
nity to petty offenses. Love “is not easily provoked” (1Co 13:5). If every
fault required formal confrontation, the whole of our church life would
be spent confronting and resolving conflicts over petty annoyances. So
for the sake of peace, to preserve the unity of the Spirit, we are to show
tolerance whenever possible.
This, then, is the governing rule: Unless an offense requires confronta-

tion, unconditional, unilateral forgiveness should cover the transgres-
sion. The offended party, in suffering the offense, is following in the
footsteps of Christ (1Pe 2:21-25). This is the very attitude Christ called
for in Matthew 5:39-40: “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him
have thy cloak also.”
If you are the only injured party, even if the offense was public and flagrant,
you may choose to forgive unilaterally.
unilaterally Examples of this abound in Scrip-
ture. Joseph, for example, was the victim of a grievous wrong at the
hands of his brothers. They plotted to kill him, then sold him into slav-
ery.
But he held no grudge. Years later, when famine drove the wicked
brothers to Egypt in search of food, Joseph recognized them and freely
forgave them, without any expression of repentance on their part. Before
they even realized who he was, he was moved to tears with compassion
for them. Finally revealing his true identity to them, he said, “I am Jo-
seph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not
grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did
send me before you to preserve life.” (Gen 45:4-5). His forgiveness was
unconditional, unilateral, not predicated on any expression of remorse
from them.
In fact, as far as we know from Scripture, the closest these brothers
ever came to formally declaring their repentance was after Jacob died.
Once their father was no longer there to stay Joseph’s hand, they imag-
ined their offended brother might unleash vengeance against them. The
brothers, knowing the gravity of their sin, were evidently unable to be-
lieve that his charity toward them was well-meant. They feared he might
still secretly harbor a wish for vengeance. So they told Joseph that it was
their father’s wish that he grant them forgiveness (Gen 50:16-17). They
did not formally admit their wrong and express repentance, though it is
quite clear that they were humbled men by now.
But all their pleading was wholly unnecessary. Joseph had forgiven
them long before. Having seen undeniable evidence that the hand of Di-
vine Providence was working good in his life through the evil that was
done to him, Joseph had long since forgiven his brothers fully, freely,
and unconditionally. His perspective? “But as for you, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good” (Gen 50:20). The knowledge
that God had a good purpose for his sufferings made it impossible for
Joseph to harbor a grudge.
There are also other examples of unilateral forgiveness in Scripture,
even when the offense was public and pronounced. For example, on at
least one significant occasion David unilaterally and unconditionally

forgave the most humiliating kind of public insult.
It occurred during Absalom’s rebellion against David. David was
forced to flee Jerusalem so that his defiant son would not destroy the city
in his zeal to overthrow David’s throne. During that agonizing and pain-
ful exodus from Jerusalem, a worthless character named Shimei publicly
taunted the already heartbroken David, trying to humiliate him further.
Second Samuel 16:5-8 records what happened:
“[Shimei] came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at
David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the
mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei when
he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The
LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose
stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the
hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because
thou art a bloody man.”
Abishai, one of David’s companions, wanted justice on the spot: “Why
should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee,
and take off his head” (v. 9).
But David’s response was a godly forbearance:
“So let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who
shall then say, Where f o re hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and
to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my
life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him
curse; for the LORD hath bidden him. It may be that the LORD will look on
mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite3 me good for his cursing this
day.”
Shimei continued to run along the hillside next to David, cursing and
throwing rocks and dirt at the king, but David bore the insults with grace
and forbearance—though under the circumstances it would have been
perfectly appropriate for David, a sitting king, to demand that the
mocker be punished.
Later, after David was victorious over the rebels, Shimei made a show
of remorse, begging David’s mercy. David, still over the protest of his
men, reaffirmed his forgiveness to Shimei (2Sa 19:18-23). Having already
forgiven the initial offense unilaterally, David now forgave Shimei for-
mally.
Stephen’s prayers for those who stoned him are another example of
unilateral, unconditional forgiveness. The fact that Stephen prayed for
God’s mercy for his murderers shows that he had already forgiven them.
It is true that God’s forgiveness was not to be granted apart from their
repentance; but Stephen himself had already made a deliberate, con-
3
requite – repay; reward.
scious choice to relinquish the right to retribution. He had forgiven them

in his heart.
This brings up an important point. Even after we have forgiven of-
fenders for their transgressions against us, God Himself may exact jus-
tice for their sins against Him. We can forgive an offense against us. But
we cannot grant forgiveness for sin against God. “Who can forgive sins,
but God alone?” (Luk 5:21). To forgive someone does not convey some
priestly absolution, clearing them of sin before God. Those whom we
forgive must still give account to God.
For example, Stephen’s forgiving his killers did not assure that their
sins would go unpunished if they did not also seek God’s forgiveness. In
the case of Saul of Tarsus (who stood by the garments of Stephen’s kill-
ers, consenting to the martyr’s death, Act 7:58; 8:1), his offense was com-
pletely blotted out when he fully repented. We are never told what
became of those who threw the stones, but if they never embraced Christ
as Lord and Savior, they will suffer the wrath of God for the sin of killing
Stephen. Stephen forgave the offense against him; the sin against God
still had to be reckoned with.
Shimei is another case in point. David kept his promise not to kill
Shimei, but Shimei remained an unregenerate and worthless man to the
end of his life. Knowing this, on his deathbed David instructed Solomon
how to deal with Shimei: “Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou
art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his
hoar4 head bring thou down to the grave with blood” (1Ki 2:9).
This is a difficult command to explain, until we realize that David, as
the divinely appointed king, was responsible to see that God’s glory was
not besmirched in Israel. He had kept his promise to Shimei: he did not
kill him for his insult. As far as David was concerned, the personal of-
fense against him was forgiven. But Shimei’s act also involved the most
wretched kind of blasphemy against God. And since Shimei remained in
wanton rebellion against God, divine justice still had a claim on him. For
the sake of the nation’s purity, this needed to be dealt with. It was now
time for the account to be settled—for the sake of God’s glory, not
David’s. David could overlook a personal transgression against him; he
could not ultimately overlook a public act of overt hostility to God. As
Puritan commentator Matthew Henry wrote, David’s instructions to
Solomon “proceeded not from personal revenge, but a prudent zeal for
the honour of the government and the covenant God had made with his
family, the contempt of which ought not to go unpunished.” Surely that
is why David waited until he was on his deathbed to order that Shimei be
punished. This way, no one could say that David did it to preserve his
own honor.
4
hoar – white with age
And Solomon wisely honored David’s forgiveness of Shimei’s insult.

Instead of summarily executing him for that past offense, Solomon im-
posed a restriction on Shimei, forbidding him ever to set foot outside the
city of Jerusalem. As long as he stayed in the city, under the king’s su-
pervision, he could move about freely in perfect safety. But the day he set
foot across the Kidron Valley, he would be killed. Shimei agreed to the
terms, which were gracious (1Ki 2:36-38). But because he was a wicked
man, Shimei broke his word. He left the city in search of some runaway
slaves, and when Solomon found out, he summoned him and said:
“Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, say-
ing, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any
whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I
have heard is good. Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and
the commandment that I have charged thee with? The king said moreover to
Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that
thou didst to David my father:: therefore the LORD shall return
return thy wicked-
wicked-
ness upon thine own head”
head –vv. 42-44, emphasis added.
In other words, Shimei’s death was the Lord’s, not David’s, reprisal for
Shimei’s sin. David forgave the man and kept his promise not to retali-
ate. But in the end, given Shimei’s refusal to repent, God Himself de-
manded justice.
Our forgiving an offense does not guarantee that the offender will re-
ceive judicial forgiveness from God. God, who knows the heart, always
judges righteously. Our part is to be gracious, bear the wrong, and pray
for the offender’s full repentance. God Himself will see to it that justice
is done if the offender fails to seek divine forgiveness.
From The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness by John MacArthur, Jr.,

Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL Used by permission.
_______________________
John MacArthur, Jr.: Pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, Califor-
nia, well-known Bible teacher, best selling author, conference speaker, and
President of The Master’s College and Seminary. Prolific author of The Gospel
according to Jesus, The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness, and numerous others.
HOW TO BE FREE FROM BITTERNESS
Jim Wilson
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tender-
hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ
also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweetsmelling savour”—Ephesians 4:31-5:2.
I
N our text we are instructed to get rid of all bitterness.
bitterness Before we be-
gin discussing how and why this must be done, it is crucial to realize
that the basis for all our actions in this regard must be what Jesus
Christ has done for us on the cross. In all our actions, we are to be imita-
tors of God.
In the Old Testament, there was a woman whose name meant Pleas-
ant. Her name was Naomi and she had moved from Israel to another
land with her husband and sons. But her husband had died and within
the next ten years both of her sons died. She made some comments to her
recently widowed daughters-in-law about it.
Ruth 1:13b: “... it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the
LORD is gone out against me.” She was comparing in order to determine
who had the right to be more bitter.
And in Ruth 1:20-21: “And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi,
call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went
out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then
call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the
Almighty hath afflicted me?”
Her bitterness was toward God. It was God who had taken away her
husband; it was God who had taken away her sons, and she held it
against Him. Five times in these three verses she held God accountable
for her bitterness.
There are many people like this today. Not only are they bitter, they
enjoy being bitter. They somehow like it, and they feed on it. They
wouldn’t know what to do if they got rid of it; they wouldn’t have a pur-
pose for living. They like being bitter.
We know people like that in the world, and we know people like that
in the church. It is easy to recognize when somebody is bitter. You can
see it in the eyes and in the lines of the face—even if the person is young.
You can see it in their mouth, you can see it when they’re smiling or
laughing. They are bitter and you can see it. You can hear it in the tone
of their voices. You can hear it when they protest that they are not bitter.
The bitterness is central and pervades everything.
There are bitter people in the Bible besides Naomi. In fact, there are
quite a few. For example, Jonah was a bitter man. The Lord said to him,
“Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?” And he said: ‘‘I do well to be
angry,’’ he said, ‘‘even unto death’’ (Jon 4:9).
He thought he had a right to his anger. I like being angry. God, you are
wrong to forgive people. I don’t want you to forgive people.
People enjoy holding things against other people. But our text re-
quires us to remove all bitterness and to maintain a tender heart. Here’s
the question: Is it possible to be kind, compassionate, tenderhearted and
yet bitter at the same time? These are all interior attitudes. Tenderheart-
edness, by definition, involves a tender heart. Bitterness is also on the
inside. But it is not possible to have two different, contradictory attitudes
on the inside.
Paul says to get rid of all bitterness and to be kind and compassionate
one to another. Therefore, the bitterness must go. But before it can be
removed, it is necessary to know what it is—and that it is there.
It is relatively easy to see when other people are bitter. But it’s not so
easy to see it in ourselves. It is therefore important to have a good under-
standing of the Bible’s definition of the problem.
Let us suppose that a Christian commits a sin. He tells a lie, for in-
stance. Now when he tells this lie, does he feel guilty or does he feel bit-
ter? The answer is guilty. When we sin, we feel guilty. It is
straightforward. Now let us suppose that someone told a lie about this
same Christian and spread it all over town. What does he feel now—guilt
or bitterness?
Guilt is what we feel when we sin, and bitterness is what we feel when
others sin against us.us The very definition of bitterness points to the ac-
tion of another. If we had committed the offense, we would feel guilty
and would know that we had to confess and forsake our sin.
We might not confess the sin, but not because we did not know what to
do. But what do we do with the guilt of others? Bitterness is always based
upon someone else’s sin—whether real or imagined.
Consider the imaginary sin first.
first Many times we can be bitter toward
someone for what he said, when in reality he did not say it. We heard a
false report, and now we are bitter. We wait for an apology which he can-
not offer. Shall we remain in bitterness the rest of our lives because he
never says he is sorry for something he did not do?
Incidentally, many bitter people cannot imagine the possibility that
they a re bitter over imaginary sins. As far as bitterness is concerned, the
other person’s guilt is always real. For such a person trying to be free
How to Be Free From Bitterness 37
from bitterness, it is acceptable for them to assume the real guilt of the
other person, so long as they get rid of their own bitterness.
But what about genuine sin?sin There are many bitter people who really
were mistreated by the offender. So how do we deal with a genuine of-
fense?
Bitterness is based on sin that somehow relates to you. It is not con-
cerned with how big the sin is; it is based upon how close it is. For in-
stance, if some great and gross immorality occurs in Iran, Iraq, El
Salvador, or Columbia, what do we do? We read about it, but we will not
feel guilty. We read about it, but we will not feel bitter. We might be ap-
palled or amazed, but we do not feel guilty, and we do not feel bitter.
Nevertheless, it was an awful sin, and someone actually committed it. So
it does not depend on how great the evil is, it depends on how close the other
person is to me. Bitterness is related to those people who are close.
Who are likely candidates? The answer is simple: fathers, mothers,
brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, children, boyfriends, girlfriends,
roommates, immediate superiors, immediate subordinates, co-workers,
business partners, and maybe some other relatives—grandparents, un-
cles, and others. There are even many people who are bitter against God.
We do not get bitter towards evil outside of our own immediate con-
tact. Bitterness is based upon somebody else’s sin who is close to us, and
who did something to us. It might be minor. It does not have to be great,
it just has to be close. Does he pick up his socks? No? Can you get bitter
over that? Well, no, but what if he does it 5,000 times?
You may think you have a right to be bitter. But the Bible does not
grant anyone the right to be bitter. The text says to get rid of all bitterness.
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root
grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Heb 12:15).
Here it describes bitterness as if it were a root. A root is something
that is underground and cannot be seen. But there can be visible evi-
dence of its presence, as when sidewalks are lifted.
Roots do other things. The fact that you cannot see roots does not
mean they are not there. Neither does it mean you will never see them.
They drink in nourishment, and they do not stay roots. Eventually they
come up.
The fruit that is born bears a direct relation to the root producing it.
The roots of an apple tree provide us with apples. If there is a bitter root,
it will bear bitter fruit.
That is what this verse is saying. Beware lest any root of bitterness
spring up, cause trouble, and defile many people, which means to make
many people filthy. Have you ever seen bitterness go through a church?
Bitterness can go through a congregation like a prairie fire. It can go
through the work place or a dormitory. Why is this? Somebody decided
to share. He was bitter, let the root come to the surface and bear fruit. He
shared it and many people became bitter. The author of Hebrews warns
us about this. He says beware of missing the grace of God. When you
allow it, bitterness comes up and defiles many people. It makes many
people filthy.
What happens to a person if he keeps bitterness on the inside for
many years?
years What happens to him physically? Can he get physically
sick? Suppose it is bitterness toward some member of the family. He’s
kept it inside, he has not shared it. He has not defiled many people—he
has kept it down inside. When he keeps it inside for some years, he fi-
nally begins to hurt. He goes to the doctor and the doctor says, “You are
right, you are sick. But your sickness is not the kind I deal with. I am
going to send you to the other kind of doctor.”
So he sends him to the psychiatrist, and the psychiatrist agrees. “Yes,
you are sick all right. And I know why you are sick. You are sick because
of 20 years of bitterness towards your father. You have kept it suppressed
all these years and it’s just rotted out your insides. You have kept this
poison within and this acid on the inside has made you just physically
ill. So what I want you to do is I want you to go home and share it with
your father. Why keep it in and get sick? Let it out. Get everybody else
sick.”
So the world has two solutions. Keep the bitterness in, and make your-
self sick, or let it out and spread the sickness around. God’s solution is to
dig up the root. Get rid of it. But this takes the grace of God. A man must
know the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to do this. He is the source of
grace.
The world’s solutions for bitterness shouldn’t be used by Christians.
When Christians copy the world, they have two poor choices. The Bible
says to get rid of all bitterness. You must not keep it in and you must not
share it. Surrender it to the Father, through the Son.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do
not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down
from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have
envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice
(Jam 3:14,15).
When I was a young midshipman at the Naval Academy, I thought
that the pettiness and jealousy I observed would give way to maturity. I
thought the higher you got in rank, the more mature you became, the
less this sort of thing occurred. But as I grew older I found out that the
jealousy just got more intense. Bitterness accumulates. Unless there’s a
solution to it, people do not get less bitter with maturity. They get more
bitter over the years. It gets worse and worse.
And if you harbor bitter envy, evil practice will result. It does not
come from heaven. It is straight from the pit and is of the devil. Every
evil practice results from this attitude. As should be obvious, we have a

real problem. How do we get rid of bitterness?
Before we can get rid of bitterness, we have to realize that we are bit-
ter.
How can we tell if we are bitter?
One good rule of thumb is this: Bitterness remembers details.
details You
have had thousands of conversations in your life, most of which you have
forgotten. But this one took place five years ago, and you remember every
single word, his intonation and the inflection of every part of his voice.
You know exactly what happened—which means you are bitter.
Someone might object and say that it is also possible to have a good
memory of a wonderful conversation. Is this possible? Yes, but not likely.
Why is this? Because memory is helped by review, review, and more re-
view. People do not usually mull over the wonderful things as much. But
they do go over and over and over the bad things. I have done quite a bit
of counseling with people who are in the process of getting divorced. I
have known some since the time they were married, at a happier time in
their life. But at the time of the divorce they cannot remember a single
happy time. All they can remember is that which they have gone over
and over. They are bitter.
This doesn’t mean there were not happy times. It just means that they
have concentrated on how right they were and how wrong the other per-
son was. If someone has a sharp, detailed memory for things which hap-
pened years ago when he was a child, or a young man or woman, and that
memory is at all accusative of anyone else, then it is an indication of bit-
terness. And the solution for bitterness is to get rid of it.
I had a wonderful experience one time in Dallas, Texas. I was speak-
ing on a Saturday night at the home of an old friend. Because I was going
to be in Dallas, I wrote notes to several people that I’d known from dif-
ferent parts of the country at other times, and they showed up at this
home.
My host asked me to speak on bitterness, which I did. Afterwards, a
couple came up to see me. I had known them eight years before in Pull-
man, Washington. The wife came up to me and said, “We have been
married for eight years. The first year of marriage I was so bitter toward
my mother that I laid it on my husband every single day. Our first year of
marriage was just awful because I kept sharing this bitterness toward my
mother with my husband.”
She then told me that seven years ago I had spoken on bitterness and
she had gotten rid of hers. One day she saw another woman who was
really bitter towards her mother. She thought, “I can help that woman. I
can share all the common experiences. I went to her to share this, and I
couldn’t remember any of the details. My detailed memory had gone. All
I could tell her was I used to remember things, and I do not remember
them anymore.” The Lord had really taken care of her bitterness.
Another time I was teaching a four-week course on marriage. I had put
a notice in the paper and did not know who would show up. A woman
came who had been referred to the class by a doctor. She came in and I
can honestly say that I have never seen anybody more bitter in appear-
ance in my life. She had forty years of accumulated bitterness. She got
rid of it that night and made an appointment to see me the next day at
the bookstore where I worked. She came in the store, and I did not know
who she was. She looked so different. I had just met her the night before,
but she was clean inside now.
What is the problem? Why is it we do not get rid of bitterness? If I tell
a lie, I can confess it and be forgiven. In order to get rid of it I have to
bring it back to my own heart. We need to bring the realization of bitter-
ness back to our own hearts. Instead, the temptation is to look at the of-
fender. Look what he did. That is the nature of bitterness. In order to get
rid of it, I need to recognize it is my problem before I can confess and
forsake it.
But you say, “I am not bitter. I just get hurt easily.” But the symptoms
of getting hurt are very close to the symptoms of resentment. Do you
know what instant resentment is? You might say. “It is not bitterness—it
is just hurt feelings.” But there is a close relationship between being hurt
and being resentful. Someone gets hurt and he gets resentful. There is
another very close connection between resentment and bitterness. Re-
sentment turns into a deep bitterness.
Bitterness is just resentment that has been held on to. It has become
rancid and rotten. It is kept in and it gets worse. The links in the chain
continue. There is a connection between bitterness and hatred, and a
very clear biblical identification between hatred and murder. What I am
saying is that hurt can lead to murder. Some might object that this teach-
ing is too strong. But the strength of it is from the Bible.
What we want to do is make it apparent how sinful bitterness is. is The
bitter person must first recognize that he is bitter, and secondly, that it is
a gross evil. Again, the reason people do not deal with this sin is that they
think it is the other person’s sin. The devil says, “Well, when he quits
lying, or he quits doing this or that, or when he says he’s sorry, then you
will feel better.”
But suppose he does not quit? Suppose he never quits? Are you going
to be bitter the rest of your life because someone else insists on being in
sin? That does not make any sense at all. You may say, “I will forgive
him when he says he is sorry, but not until then. I have a right to my bit-
terness until then. When he says he is sorry, I will forgive him and every-
thing will be fine.” You keep this wall of bitterness up, and one day he
comes to you and he says, “I’m sorry.” Can you now forgive him? No,
because bitterness doesn’t forgive. In order to forgive this person when

he says he is sorry you have to be ready before he says he is sorry. And if
you are ready to forgive him before he says he is sorry, then it doesn’t
depend on whether he says he is sorry or not. In other words, you get rid
of bitterness unilaterally. It does not matter what the other person does.
Earlier the point was made that bitterness seems to stem from the
other person’s sin—
sin—real or imagined.
imagined That is only how it appears. In re-
ality bitterness is a sin that stands alone. The bitter person decides to be
bitter independently of the offender.
But you say, “No, he sinned against me, and when he says he is sorry
everything will be fine.” But this is not true.
I’ve known situations where an apology was off e red and the person is
still bitter. Suppose the offender is dead and cannot apologize. I know
people who a re extremely bitter and the bitterness is toward their par-
ents who died years ago. But the bitterness has not died. Bitterness is the
sin of the bitter person alone, unrelated to anybody else.
One time I went to the Walla Walla State Penitentiary to spend the
day with the inmates. It was around Christmas. I spent about six hours
there. During the afternoon, I was in maximum security, talking about
and teaching evangelism. This one fellow asked about reaching the really
hard-core criminals. I thought he was really interested in such evangel-
ism and talked to him about it. Then I spent time in minimum security,
protective custody and other places. In the evening I was back in maxi-
mum security, and thought I’d talk on this subject of bitterness. I figured
there were probably some bitter people there.
This same fellow who asked about evangelism in the afternoon asked
me another question. He said, “How can you get rid of bitterness towards
somebody who beat up your three-year-old son unmercifully?” So I told
him how, and then I said, “You know, when you get rid of your bitterness
you can help this person so that he won’t beat up other little kids.”
He said, “No, this guy cannot be helped.”
I said, “Sure, he can.”
“No, no.”
“Why not?”
“He is not with us any more.”
This inmate had murdered him. He had murdered him because of
what he had done to his three-year-old son—that’s why he was in prison.
But even though he had killed the man, he was still bitter. In other words,
expressing it did not get rid of it.
When somebody else says he is sorry, it does not get rid of our bitter-
ness. The only thing that gets rid of it is confession before God because
of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. This is the only solution.
We must not keep it and we must not share it with others. There is
only one thing to do and that is to confess it as a great and evil sin. We
must be as persistent in the confession as necessary.
Once I was speaking at Monterey, California, at the U.S. Naval Post-
Graduate School. There was a man there who had a great reputation as a
Bible teacher. He was a line officer in the Navy, but he had been passed
over for the command of a submarine. He did not have command of a
submarine and he was bitter. I spoke on confession of sin and bitterness,
and he was really wiped out. He came and saw me and got rid of this bit-
terness. The next morning, his wife said to me, “I’ve got a new husband.”
He had been bitter toward the Navy. But it was his sin, not the Navy’s.
Amy Carmichael has a note in her little book If. “For a cup brimful of
sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly
jolted.” If it is full of sweet water and is jolted, what will come out of the
cup? Sweet water. If you gave it a harder jolt, what’s going to happen?
More sweet water. If someone is filled with sweet water and someone else
gives him a jolt, what will come out? Sweet water. Jolts do not turn sweet
water into bitter water. That is done by something else.
Jolts only bring out of the container what’s already in the container. If
you’re filled with sweetness and light, and you get jolted, you’re going to
spill sweetness and light. If you’re filled with honey, the honey will come
out. If vinegar comes out, what does that prove? It shows what was al-
ready in the container. In other words, much bitterness is not based upon
what the other person did at all. It is the result of what we do and are.
Many years ago, I was working in our bedroom at my desk. My wife,
Bessie, was reading in bed. Whatever I was doing wasn’t going well.
Bessie said something to me and I turned around and let her have it. It
was something unChristian. She looked at me in amazement and got up
and left the room. I sat there thinking, “She should not have said it. Look
what she said. Look, look, look.” I did that for around 10 minutes, maybe
longer. I was bitter toward Bessie, but all she did was jolt the cup. What
was in the cup came out of the cup.
If I had been filled with sweetness and light, it would not have made
any difference. I sat there and thought about what she did. I knew better,
because I had already learned this truth about bitterness. Still, I thought
about her “sin” because there is enjoyment in accusing the other person.
Some people do this for years.
I sat there for a while and then got up and went over to my side of the
bed, got on my knees and said, “Lord, I was the only one at fault. It was
my bitterness and my sin. I am confessing it, forsaking it, and please for-
give me.”
I got up off my knees and said, “But look what she said.” I got back on
my knees. “God, I’m sorry for what I did. I accept the responsibility. It
was my sin and mine only.”
I got up off my knees and said, “God, you and I know who is really at
fault.” I knelt back down. I stayed on my knees for 45 minutes until I
could get up and not say, “Look what she said.”
I do not remember now what she said, and I do not remember what I
was doing at the desk. I do not remember the details. The only thing I
remember now is getting up. But I also know that if I had not taken care
of the bitterness I would know to this day exactly what she had said. That is
the nature of bitterness.
In order to get rid of it, I have to see that it is evil and that it is my sin
and my sin only. I do not get rid of it through the other person saying he
is sorry. I do not get rid of it if the other person quits or dies. I do not get
rid of it any other way except calling it sin against the holy God, confess-
ing it and receiving forgiveness.
The difficulty is in getting my eyes off the other person’s sin. But just
the fact that I think it is his problem shows that it is not. If it were his
problem, and I was filled with sweetness and light, and not bitter, then I
would be concerned about the other person.
I could say, “That poor guy! Look what he did. If I did something like
that, I would feel awful. He must really feel awful. I think I will go help
him.” But if that is not my response then I am bitter, and it is my sin, not
his.
I believe that this sin is a major hindrance to revival in this country.
When Christians start confessing their sins, they will be able to forgive
the sins of others.
This article available as a small booklet from Chapel Library.

_______________________
James I. Wilson: Pastor and teacher, Jim has been with Community Christian
Ministries in full-time, personal and literature evangelism since 1956. Author of
Principles of War, On Being a Christian, and How To Be Free From Bitterness
(which has been translated into Afrikaans, Armenian, Albanian, Simplified and
Traditional Chinese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Telegu, and
Urdu).
FATHER, FORGIVE THEM
John Flavel (1630-1691)
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”—Luke 23:34.
D
OCTRINE: That to forgive enemies, and beg forgiveness for them, is the
true character and property of the Christian spirit. Thus did Christ:
“Father, forgive them.” And thus did Stephen, in imitation of
Christ, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord
Jesus receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud
voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Act 7:59, 60). This suits
with the rule of Christ, “But I say unto you, love your enemies; bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the chil-
dren of God your Father which is in heaven” (Mat 5:44, 45).
Here I shall first open the nature of this duty, and shew you what a
forgiving spirit is; and then the excellency of it, how well it becomes all
that call themselves Christians.
First, Let us enquire what this Christian forgiveness is. is And that the
nature of it may the better appear, I shall shew you both what it is not,
and what it is.
First, It consists not in a Stoical insensibility
insensibility of wrongs and injuries.
injuries God
hath not made men as insensible, stupid blocks that have no sense or
feeling of what is done to them. Nor hath he made a law inconsistent
with their very natures that are to be governed by it: but allows us a ten-
der sense of natural evils, though he will not allow us to revenge them by
moral evils: nay, the more deep and tender our resentments of wrongs
and injuries are, the more excellent is our forgiveness of them; so that a
forgiving spirit doth not exclude sense of injuries, but the sense of inju-
ries graces the forgiveness of them.
Secondly, Christian forgiveness is not a politic1 concealment of our
wrath and revenge, because it will be a rep roach to discover it; or, because we
want2 opportunity to vent it.
it This is carnal policy, not Christian meekness.
So far from being the mark of a gracious spirit, that it is apparently the
sign of a vile nature. It is not Christianity to repose3, but depose4 injuries.
Thirdly, Nor is it that moral virtue, for which we are beholden to anan easier
documents There are cer-
and better nature, and the help of moral rules and documents.
1
politic – crafty; cunning.
2
want – lack.
3
repose – to lay up; to deposit.
4
depose – to lay down; to take away.
Father, Forgive Them 45
tain virtues attainable without the change of nature, which they call
homilitical 5 virtues, because they greatly adorn and beautify nature; such
as temperance, patience, justice, &c. These are of singular use to con-
serve peace and order in the world and without them, (as one aptly
speaks) the world would soon break up, and its civil societies disband.
But yet, though these are the ornaments of nature, they do not argue the
change of nature. All graces, in the exercises of them, involve a respect to
God: and for the being of them, they are not by natural acquisition, but
supernatural infusion.
Fourthly, and lastly, Christian forgiveness is not an injurious giving up of
our rights
rights and properties to the lust of every one that hath, a mind to invade
them.
them No; these we may lawfully defend and preserve, and are bound so
to do; though, if we cannot defend them legally, we must not avenge our
wrongs unchristianly: this is not Christian forgiveness. But, then posi-
tively,
It is a Christian lenity, or gentleness of mind, not retaining, but freely passing
by the injuries done to us, in obedience to the command of God.
God
It is a lenity, or gentleness of mind. The grace of God demulces6 the an-
gry stomach; calms the tumultuous passions; new-moulds our sour spir-
its, and makes them benign, gentle and easy to be entreated; “The fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,” &c. (Gal 5:22).
This gracious lenity inclines the Christian to pass by injuries; so to
pass them by, as neither to retain them revengefully in the mind, or requite
them when we have opportunity with the hand: Yea, and that freely, not by
constraint, because we cannot avenge ourselves, but willingly. We abhor
to do it when we can. So that as a carnal heart thinks revenge its glory,
the gracious heart is content that forgiveness should be his glory. I will
be even with him, saith nature: I will be above him, saith grace: it is his
glory to pass over transgression (Pro 19:11).
And this it doth in obedience to the command of God: Their own nature
inclines them another way. “The spirit that is in us lusteth to envy; but
he giveth more grace” (Jam 4:5). It lusteth to revenge, but the fear of God
represseth those motions. Such considerations as these God hath forbid-
den me; yea, and God hath forgiven me, as well as forbidden me: they
prevail upon him when nature urges to revenge the wrong. “Be kind one
to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s
sake hath forgiven you” (Eph 4:32). This is forgiveness in a Christian
sense.
Secondly, And that this is excellent, and singularly becoming the pro- pro-
fession of Christ, is evident;
evident inasmuch as,
5
homilitical – sociable; agreeable as a companion.
6
demulces – soothes.
This speaks your religion excellent that can mould your hearts into that
heavenly frame, to which they are so averse, yea, contrarily disposed by
nature. It is the glory of Pagan morality, that it can abscondere vitia, hide
and cover men’s lusts and passions. But the glory of Christianity lies in
this, that it can abscindere vitia, not hide, but destroy, and really mortify
the lusts of nature. Would Christians but live up to the excellent princi-
ples of their religion, Christianity shall be no more out-vied7 by heathen-
ish morality. The greatest Christian shall be no more challenged to
imitate Socrates, if he can. We shall utterly spoil that proud boast that
“the faith of Christians is out-done by the infidelity of Heathens.” O
Christians yield not to-day to Heathens! Let all the world see the true
greatness, heavenliness, and excellency of our represented pattern; and
by true mortification of your corrupt natures, enforce an acknowledg-
ment from the world, that a greater than Socrates is here. He that is
really a meek, humble, patient, heavenly Christian, wins this glory to his
religion, that it can do more than all other principles and rules in the
world. In nothing were the most accomplished Heathens more defective
than this forgiving of injuries: It was a thing they could not understand,
or, if they did, could never bring their hearts to it; witness that rule of
their great Tully:8 “It is the first office of justice, (saith he), to hurt no
man, except first provoked by an injury.” The addition of that exception
spoiled his excellent rule.
But now Christianity teaches, and some Christians have attained it, to
receive evil, and return good (1Co 4:12, 13). “Being reviled, we bless; be-
ing persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed, we intreat.” This certainly is
that meekness wrought in us by the wisdom that is from above (Jam
3:17). This makes a man sit sure in the consciences of others, who, with
Saul, must acknowledge, when they see themselves so outdone, “Thou art
more righteous than I,” (1Sa 24:16, 17). Had we been so much injured,
and had such opportunities to revenge them, we should never have
passed them by, as these men did.
This impresses and stamps the very image of God upon the creature,
and makes us like our heavenly Father, who doth good to his enemies,
and sends down showers of outward blessings upon them, that pour out
floods of wickedness daily to provoke him (Mat 5:44, 45). In a word, this
Christian temper of spirit gives a man the true possession and enjoyment
of himself. So that our breasts shall be as the Pacific sea, smooth and
pleasant, when others are as the raging sea, foaming and casting up mire
and dirt.
Inference 1. Hence we clearly infer, That the Christian religion, exalted in
its power, is the greatest friend to the peace and tranquillity of states and king-
king-
doms.
doms Nothing is more opposite to the true Christian spirit, than impla-
7
out-vied – exceeded; surpassed.
8
Cicero (Marcus Tullius) (106-43 B.C.) – Roman writer, statesman, orator.
Father, Forgive Them 47
cable9 fierceness, strife, revenge, tumults and uproars. It teaches men to

do good and receive evil: to receive evil, and return good. “The wisdom
that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
intreated; full of mercy and good fruits; without partiality, and without
hypocrisy; and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that
make peace” (Jam 3:17, 1 8).
The church is a dove for meekness (SoS 6:9). When the world grows
full of strife, Christians then grow weary of the world and sigh out the
Psalmist’s request, “O that I had the wings of a dove! that I might fly
away and be at rest.” Strigellius10 desired to die, that he might be freed ab
implacabilibus odiis theologorum, ‘‘from the implacable strife of contend-
ing divines.”
The rule by which they are to walk is, “If it be possible, as much as li-
eth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not your-
selves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is
mine, I will repay it, saith the Lord” (Rom 12:18, 19). It is not religion,
but lusts that make the world so unquiet (Jam 4:1, 2). Not godliness, but
wickedness, that makes men bite and devour one another. One of the
first effects of the gospel is to civilize those places where it comes, and
settle order and peace among men. How great a mistake and evil then is
it to cry out, when atheism and irreligion have broken the civil peace;
this is the fruit of religion! This is the effect of the gospel! Happy would
it be if religion did more obtain in all nations. It is the greatest friend in
the world to their tranquillity and prosperity.
Inference 2. How dangerous a thing is it to abuse and wrong meek and for-
for-
giving Christians? Their patience and easiness to forgive often invites in-
jury, and encourages vile spirits to insult and trample upon them: but if
men would seriously consider it, there is nothing in the world should
more scare and affright them from such practices than this. You may
abuse and wrong them, they must not avenge themselves, nor repay evil
for evil: true, but because they do not, the Lord will; even the Lord to
whom they commit the matter; and he will do it to purpose, except ye
repent.
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord” (Jam
5:7). Will ye stand to that issue? Had you rather indeed have to do with
God than with men? When the Jews put Christ to death, “He committed
himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1Pe 2:22, 23). And did that
people get any thing by that: did not the Lord severely avenge the blood
of Christ on them and their children? Yea, do not they and their children
groan under the doleful effects of it to this day? If God undertakes, (as he
always doth) the cause of his abused, meek, and peaceable people, he will
9
implacable – impossible to pacify or make peaceable.
10
Victorinus Strigellius (1524-1569) – A friend of Luther and Melancthon; a man of sound
sense and vast learning.
be sure to avenge it seven-fold more than they could. His little finger will
be heavier than their loins. You will get nothing by that.
Inference 3. Lastly, Let us all imitate our pattern Christ, and labour
spirits I shall only propose two inducements11 to it:
for meek forgiving spirits.
the honour of Christ, and your own peace: two dear things indeed to a
Christian. His glory is more than your life, and all that you enjoy in this
world. O do not expose it to the scorn and derision of his enemies. Let
them not say, How is Christ a lamb, when his followers are lions? How is
the church a dove, that smites and scratches like a bird of prey? Consult
also the quiet of your own spirits. What is life worth, without the comfort
of life? What comfort can you have in all that you do possess in the
world, as long as you have not the possession of your own souls? If your
spirits be full of tumult and revenge, the spirit of Christ will grow a
stranger to you: that dove delights in clean and quiet breasts. O then imi-
tate Christ in this excellency also!
Taken from The Fountain of Life Opened, The Works of John Flavel,
vol. 1, Banner of Truth, Carlise, PA.
_______________________
John Flavel: (c. 1630-1691) English Presbyterian. Voluminous writer of Evangeli-
cal works such as The Fountain of Life Opened and Keeping the Heart. Born at
Bromagrove, Worcestor.
11
inducements – incentives.

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What is the author trying to establish as the proper understanding of forgiveness?

What is the author trying to establish as the proper understanding of forgiveness?

What are some common misconceptions about forgiveness that the author addresses?

What are some common misconceptions about forgiveness that the author addresses?

WHAT IS FORGIVENESS?

What Forgiveness Does and Is

letting alone. It is a pardon so complete that he who has it is reckoned as

not found—to be remembered no more—to be cast behind God’s back

This article available as a small booklet from Chapel Library.

about our honor! Where is the honor of revenge? It is a dishonorable

Excerpted from a sermon delivered on Lord’s-day morning, May 17th, 1885,

1. GOD’S FORGIVENESS / OUR FORGIVENESS

“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed

ultimately even excommunicated from the church if he or she refuses to

In effect, the person who chooses to forgive resolves not to remember

This, then, is the governing rule: Unless an offense requires confronta-

least one significant occasion David unilaterally and unconditionally

scious choice to relinquish the right to retribution. He had forgiven them

And Solomon wisely honored David’s forgiveness of Shimei’s insult.

From The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness by John MacArthur, Jr.,

evil practice results from this attitude. As should be obvious, we have a

because bitterness doesn’t forgive. In order to forgive this person when

This article available as a small booklet from Chapel Library.

cable9 fierceness, strife, revenge, tumults and uproars. It teaches men to

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