What does it mean to forgive? Some people teach that only those who repent should be forgiven. They believe this because God only forgives those who repent (cf. Deuteronomy 30:1–3; Acts 2:38). Others point to the warnings in Scripture about failing to forgive as proof that we should not ever withhold forgiveness (cf. Matthew 6:12–15; 18:21–35; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37; 11:4; 17:3– 4). We have to understand what forgiveness is, what it means for God to forgive, and what it means for humans to forgive.
Two related Greek terms account for the majority of the occurrences of the concept of forgiveness in the New Testament. The noun aphesis appears 17 times; the verb, aphiémi, occurs 146 times. The verb has a broad range of meanings: send away; let go, release; remit, forgive; permit. For example, when Matthew 4:11 says, “the devil left him,” it uses this verb. In Mark, a woman anoints Jesus with pure nard. Those present scolded her (v. 5). In v. 6, Jesus says, “Leave her alone.” So, the verb does not always mean “to forgive.” These examples, however, shed light on the meaning of forgiveness: it is the releasing of a debt.
When we sin, we grieve God. We act against our Creator and the purpose for which He made us. In effect, we create a moral debt. Yet, we have no moral power to repay that debt. Our good deeds do not undo our bad ones. When Jesus died on the cross, He used the language of debt repayment in John 19:30, “It is finished.” When this phrase appeared on a receipt in the ancient world, it meant “paid in full.” So, when God forgives, now through the blood of Christ, He releases us from the debt of our sins.
Does any human have the moral authority to release another human from the moral debt of sin? The Bible teaches that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). When we forgive another person, we do not change their status with God; only their repentance and confession can do that (cf. 1 John 1:9).
When one person forgives another, he is letting go of the damage that the other person caused in the relationship. This is something we should all strive to do, for, “if one has a complaint against another, [forgive] each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13).
Clay Leonard
