“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)”
How do we model Gods pattern for LivingOUTLoud His pattern for forgiveness?
God does not extend His grace through His mercy until we admit our need for it.
Like God, we are to model the method for forgiveness in hopes of reconciliation.
So what is Gods model?
Does God just give grace for the sake of grace?
Does God just forgive for the sake of forgiveness?
NO…God expects ACTION on our part which begins with acknowledgment…
Only in humility of our sin (true recognition of our wrong (admittance/confession) can we embrace the grace of God through His hand of His extended mercy and BEGIN the process of forgiveness.
Until we have acknowledged our wrong, we cannot turn right into His will (repent).
So then are we to forgive others?
Of course!
We are to forgive others as God forgives us – through the understanding of GRACE which begins with a contrite (sorrowful) heart that recognizes the need for forgiveness.
That process begins when we change our mind to come into (harmonious) agreement with His way (submit). In that beginning step, we can change our forward action.
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
Amos 3:3
God does NOT demand repentance and neither do we…
God stands in posture of the READINESS to forgive when we admit our wrong to Him and come into agreement with Him.
Forgiveness is conditional…
Yes forgiveness is conditional upon the admittance of defiance (to the ways of His will).
But what is NOT conditional is the posture of the grantor…
We are obligated to STAND ready in our heart with open arms WHEN a person recognizes a wrong, confesses the wrong and a desire change is present. We are to model like God the hope to restore the broken relationship.
But until the brokenness can be restored, there is no reception or exchange of forgiveness, merely a right laid down not to seek vengeance.
Forgiveness must be received.
All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
Acts 10:43
Again until there is confession of sin admitted, there IS NO harmony, no oneness in the relationship…and it is broken. There is no “THEN…” there is no carrying forward the process of forgiveness. It’s at a standstill.
Forgiveness is RESTORATION in ACTION.
Only in HARMONIOUS AGREEMENT can the exchange of forgiveness truly be issued.
Otherwise it’s merely a pardon…
If there is no agreement FORWARD, there is no harmony in action.
There is nothing authentic to build upon except a false pretense.
So there is no reconciliation. So in actuality, there’s been no forgiveness exchanged.
Don’t confuse the posture with the act.
With no admittance, there is no foundation for FORGIVENESS but merely a breeding ground for a repeated pattern of sin.
Repentance is acknowledgement of sin and NEED for forgiveness.
If we can recognize an act of wrong, we can move forward into healing. Otherwise in lack of admittance, we remain stuck in our pride, blind and/or in willful rebellion and without forgiveness.
God does NOT grant us forgiveness in this pattern of “just give it.” There is an exchange.
In model of Him, we therefore should NOT grant automatic forgiveness to others UNTIL he/she confesses otherwise we’ve lied to ourselves what it means to forgive…and as a result cheapened grace.
But what if the other person NEVER admits to the wrong?
It doesn’t matter what others DO!
OUR only obligation is to model our Father, who STANDS in POSTURE of forgiveness…
We remain WILLING to forgive, praying for the opportunity for the transaction of forgiveness in hopes of restoring what was broken to NEED forgiveness.
No grace without repentance. Know grace to walk forward into repentance.
We to clothe ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bear with each other and forgive one another (if any of you has a grievance against someone). Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:13-14).
Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.
1 John 4:8
As Gods children we liveoutloud HIS law of love.
We show in ACTION our readiness for carrying out His law of love by keeping His commands (1 John 5:2-3).
Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18
So forgiveness…
In reality, forgiving is recognizing that there is sin. And because of sin we now have an enemy.
And what is Gods will for the “enemy?” To love them and pray for them.
Gods will is for LIFE. We pray our enemy will be given LIFE.
We LOVE in Him by remembering that we were all (and at times) an enemy of God. Love hopes in life.
So like Gods model, we STAND in TRUTH of His WORD, waiting like the Father of the prodigal son to return so that the LAW of LOVE can be carried out.
When the prodigal returned home, he said to the Father, “I have sinned against Heaven and against you” (Luke 15:18). The fathers posture in Luke 15:
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Be like the Father. Model the Father.
The Father waited in willingness for his son to come to his senses. And when the son returned, the Father with open arms was ready to FORGIVE and move forward together in agreement.
Pray for life for others (and self).
Remember what He has done for YOU in His grace, and forgive others as by the model of how God has FORGIVEN YOU through the LAW of LOVE!