Biblical Forgiveness: A Summary

We’ve covered a fair bit of territory in our four previous blogs covering forgiveness. Crucially, we have seen that forgiveness is really just an extension of our love for God and is a demonstration of our willingness to obey his command to love our neighbor and our enemy. I want to summarize our discussion by looking at a familiar passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:38-42,

"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."

This text sums up well the fundamentals of forgiveness -- it is required of us by God, it is only offered at our expense (often a great expense), it involves no retaliation or vengeance, it is the precursor to a different type of relationship, and finally, it is the way God treats us when he forgives us.

And it provides the foundation for our next topic -- reconciliation -- which is the biblically stated goal of forgiveness.

Let’s get into this passage just a bit.

The law to which Jesus is referring in v 38 - the lex talionis - was designed, first, to prevent personal revenge for a wrong done to an individual. (cf Exodus 21:22-25; Leviticus 24 and Deuteronomy 19) It was also designed to administer justice through the proper means - usually the courts - which would then be adhered to by all parties. It formed the platform for justice - the punishment was to fit the crime and not be disproportionate. But fundamentally, it was designed to put the fear of God into those who would consider doing wicked things.

Unfortunately, law being law, the Pharisees had defined it and refined it and interpreted it in so many ways that they had turned the law on its head. In John Stott’s great commentary on the Sermon on the Mount he notes that the Pharisees had taken this legal principle of just retribution from the law courts (where it belongs) and put it into the realm of personal relationships (where it doesn’t belong). They tried to use the lex talionis to justify personal revenge and vengeance, although the law explicitly forbade it - “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people.” (Leviticus 19:18) Thus this excellent and stern principle of judicial retribution was being utilized as an excuse for the very thing it was instituted to abolish, namely personal revenge.

In other words, they had abandoned love of God, love of neighbor, love of enemy and the forgiveness that is often entailed in the latter two relationships in favor of personal retribution.

But Jesus would have none of it.

He begins his instruction with a simple statement -- “Do not resist an evil person.” (v 39) He is instructing us to not retaliate or to seek vengeance against someone who does evil against us. Jesus condemns a spirit of hatred, one that yearns for revenge for wrongs done to us. When people do us wrong, Jesus says, we are to be filled with love and forgiveness and not animosity or hostility.

But Jesus’ call to discipleship goes beyond merely a passive response. He calls us to take positive action to show love and grace to our enemy. He uses four illustrations to drive home his point. They are clear, potentially real-life situations that people in his day might have actually faced. Each of them introduces a person (an “evil person”) who seeks to do harm, one by hitting in the face, another by prosecuting in court, a third by commandeering service, and a fourth by begging for money. In each of these circumstances, Jesus says, our Christian duty is to so abandon our desire for revenge that we even allow the ‘evil’ person to double the injury.

Each of these illustrations have been misinterpreted and misapplied, but we don’t have time to get into that here. What I want to focus on is Jesus’ ultimate point in offering these four scenarios, which is, how will we respond when wrongs are done to us? Are we willing to be unexpectedly gracious and loving when faced with wrongdoing OR will we seek self-protection, revenge, and our own pound of flesh? When we are wronged, are we quick to demand our rights, press for our own brand of justice, withhold good from those who have wronged us to ‘make them pay’ OR are we willing to forego our rights for the sake of God, the gospel, and his kingdom?

Let me connect this with what Jesus said earlier in the Sermon on the Mount -- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Are we peacemakers when we are offended or injured or insulted? Do we lash back in hate and revenge, or do we respond in love, grace, and forgiveness? It is in these hard times that we find out what is in our hearts; who we really are. We can think we are growing in the Lord, and then we are hurt by someone, and immediately the response is bitterness, anger, and the desire to lash out wells up within us. We want ‘justice’ done, and usually that sense of justice entails a healthy dose of hate, vengeance, withholding of good things from them, and giving them what we think they deserve.

We need to hear what Jesus is saying -- these attitudes are wrong; they are sinful. They are a sign that we are in serious spiritual danger. They are a sign that we are in need of the fruits of the Spirit - the first being love - to grow more fully within us. As one commentator has said -- “A heart consumed with hate is not big enough for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.”

May our attitude be that of our Lord Jesus Christ. While hanging on the cross, people hurled insults at him. “If You are the Son of God,” “If You are the King, come down now from the cross and save Yourself.” However, instead of hurling an insult back, instead of calling for the judgment of God to fall, Jesus responds simply -- “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Soli Deo Gloria