This Article: (3 Pages)
- 1. Sin and Forgiveness
- 2. Forgiveness in Action
- 3. New Testament and Forgiveness
3) New Testament and Forgiveness
The New Testament develops another aspect of forgiveness. If we seek forgiveness we must in turn be prepared to forgive others. The Lord's prayer includes this concept. This is a characteristic required in the faithful.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. (Luke 11: 2-4)
Luke again refers to essentials of faith.
Be ye therefore 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: (Luke 6: 36-37)
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17: 3-4)
This aspect is also emphasised in the gospel of Matthew.
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. (Matthew 6: 14-15)
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. ...So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18: 21-22, 35)
Paul, writing to the Ephesians, compares the unfavourable to the favourable approach to life.
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, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4: 31-32)
For those who would seek the inheritance of the faithful, Paul shows that redemption comes through the pouring out of blood, which was through the sacrifice of Yahweh's son, Yeshua. Yeshua's poured out blood provides a covering for sin. From the beginning of the Biblical account, the way to salvation was through the shedding of the blood of sacrificial animals, but for us today we gain forgiveness through the recognition of Yeshua's sinlessness and his sacrifice by which he was the first to obtain eternal life. Paul explained this to the Corinthians and Colossians as follows:
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (2Corinthians 5: 14-15)
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1: 12-14)
Prayer is the means of communication that we have with our Heavenly Father. Prayer and the regular reading of the Word of God will be a guide and a lamp for our life. A genuine searching for an understanding of Yahweh's plan for man upon this earth will be rewarded, bringing the hope of a better future. This web site attempts to explore the beauties of the Word of God and to open its pages to help those who seek to explore its wonders.
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This article was born as it was found that the Greek word from which we have philanthropy, philanthropos, only occurs once in the Bible, with the noun form philanthrōpia occurring only twice. Even more intriguing we found that much is said about 'philadelphia' the Greek word for brotherly love.
This article is written in thanks to Yahweh for help given in modern medicine, and for a measure of healing. The writer, unknown to herself, had heart failure. It seemed like pneumonia, as one of the symptoms is retention of water in the lungs and elsewhere, and then the feet began weeping the fluid through open sores. We trusted and prayed for help. Medical help was given from of all things, results from a test not done correctly. She has been helped much. We thank Yahweh. Also it is soon Thanksgiving in the USA.
The New Testament advises us that many of the events recorded in the Old Testament teach us great principles that we must heed.
This phrase is taken from 1 John 3. It is a promise to the faithful, the 'sons of God', who are those who await the Messiah's return to the earth.
