Unconditional Forgiveness?

When John the Baptizer was sent to “prepare the way of the Lord”, he preached repentance. (John 3:1-12) According to the gospel of Mark, the first thing Jesus preached was, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14)

Jesus instructed his disciples to go to the brother who has sinned against them, show him his fault and hope he listens—or repents; if not, he outlines more steps to take. If after all that, the sinning brother still won’t listen, he is to be treated as a “pagan” (non-believer). (Matthew 18:15-17) Jesus further told them, “If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3 emphasis added) Repentance as a qualification for forgiveness is a major part of the framework of the Bible in both Old and New Testaments.

A second qualification for forgiveness is that the sin must be forgivable. Jesus said, “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit (calling the Holy Spirit’s ways evil) will never be forgiven, he is guilty of an eternal sin. (Mark 3:29, 30) John said, “There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.” Since he didn’t specify which sin that is, I can only conclude that he referred to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

So no, God’s forgiveness is not “unconditional”. However, in his mercy he may occasionally grant forgiveness without repentance just as he “sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”. (Matthew 5:45)

Forgiveness is often confused with God’s love. Followers of Jesus are to love each other, their neighbors, those who insult or persecute them and their enemies—that would seem to be everybody.

Parables

“Jesus taught in parables to make his teachings easier to understand.”

No, Jesus specifically said that he taught in parables so that the people would NOT understand (Matthew 13:10,11) in fulfillment of a specific prophecy (Matthew 13:13). Even his disciples had to ask him what he meant by the parables. Later one exclaimed, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech”.(John 16:29) Jesus’ meanings were hidden to the Jewish people with the exception of the few(relatively) who followed him. (Matthew 13:10,11)

Use Words If Necessary

“Preach the gospel always; if necessary use words.” St. Francis undoubtedly meant that you have to live the gospel, which is very true though his radical lifestyle would have really stood out. However, Francis was no Trappist (of course) and had plenty to say or we wouldn’t have so many of his quotes!

Today (amazingly) words are always necessary in proclaiming the gospel. I’ve met very nice and helpful Hindus and Buddhists. I’ve known Muslims who believe in being very moral and hospitable. So unless you tell people why you do what you do(and don’t do) they won’t necessarily know that you serve Jesus and that they can serve him too. However, words alone aren’t enough and can quickly lead to hypocrisy.

“Forgiveness, An Act of the Will”

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, just make up your mind and do it whether you feel like it or not.”

Yes and no.

Yes, we disciples of Jesus are commanded to forgive (those who repent-Luke 17:3b,4) but to settle for a determination of the will is to stop dangerously short of Jesus’ command.

Jesus summed up his parable of the wicked servant who, though he had been forgiven refused to forgive his fellow servant with this stern warning, “In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive from your heart.” (Matthew 18:34; emphasis added) The apostle Paul added that everything we do must be done in love or it’s nothing—worthless. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

“The Wonderful Cross”

Imagine, if you will, that you had an older brother with whom you were really close. One day you began crossing a street without seeing a speeding truck that was headed straight for you. But your brother saw it and threw himself at you to knock you out of the truck’s path. You thankfully were saved but sadly, your brother was killed by the speeding truck.

In the realization that you were saved by your brother’s sacrifice you’re at the same time thankful yet devastated by the loss. The pain is dulled slightly by the discovery that your brother had named you as the beneficiary of a great inheritance.

In your desire to always remember what your brother did for you, do you wear a gold truck around your neck and proclaim, “O wonderful truck”? Of course not, you would tell everyone about your wonderful brother!

So why focus on a cross? The early church understood that our focus is to be on Jesus and not the cross as they did not use the cross for symbolism or art; some sources say that such use was forbidden. They saw the cross as what it was, a cruel instrument of tortuous execution by an oppressive empire.

While Jesus said that he laid his life down—no one took it from him, (John 10:17, 18) he didn’t like the idea of dying on a cross and asked his Father for another way (Matthew 26:36-44). If anyone were to have a spiritual ecstasy over the cross, you’d think it would be Jesus but no, he was miserable at Gethsemane, miserable when he was beaten and miserable on the cross. It was “for the joy set before him [that he] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”(Hebrews 12:2) The cross was neither the object nor the end; Jesus endured the cross for what was on the other side! Yes, Jesus did say that we are to “take up [our] cross” (Matthew 10:38) as parts of the popular song that has the line “O the wonderful cross” say--to deny our sin nature and to rejoice when we’re persecuted for his name. But chances are that if you’re thinking the cross is wonderful--you’re not really carrying it.

“If We Could Understand God, He Wouldn’t Be God.”

“If We Could Understand God, He Wouldn’t Be God.”

God IS. Nothing we do or don't do determines God's being or character. The Bible is choc-full of admonitions to "Get wisdom, get understanding, though it cost you everything you have."(Proverbs 4:7) The Good News is a revelation--a revealing of God, not a hiding. The point at which people get confused is they think that any understanding of God must come from their own brains’ reckoning (they also forget that God created our brains) rather than from the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

“Spiritual Healing is the Ultimate Healing”

“Even though he didn’t receive physical healing (and died), he got the ultimate healing—a spiritual one.”

If a person is a follower of Jesus, we can rejoice that when he dies, it’s not the end and his spirit will continue in Jesus’ presence though his body was not healed. (Take your questions about why he wasn’t healed to Jesus and his word—not to the “traditions of men” or your imagination.) However, the idea that the physical body (and thereby physical healing) is less important or unimportant, that only the spiritual counts, doesn’t come from the Bible but from Gnosticism, which taught that material things are evil and only the spiritual is valuable. Paul warned Timothy about such teachings. (1 Timothy 6:20, 21)

“Death is the Ultimate Healing”

“Death is the Ultimate Healing”

If a person has died, (sorry to have to put it so bluntly) his body is not healed; it is dead until the last day when it will be renewed.

The Bible does not portray death as healing— Jesus never said, Ah because this person has died, she has received the ultimate healing. In fact, Jesus raised every dead person he encountered! The Bible does say that death is an enemy—the last one for Jesus to destroy. (1 Corinthians 15:26) While death is not our friend, Jesus removes the sting of death by receiving his followers’ spirits on the other side of it.

Hezekiah’s Second Round of Life

“It would have been better if Hezekiah had gone on and died and not asked to be healed since his son, the extremely wicked King Manasseh was born during Hezekiah’s extra fifteen years.”

God told Hezekiah his time was up at the age of only thirty-nine (2 Kings 20:1) but Hezekiah cried out to the Lord to remember his faithfulness and heal him (v.3). The Lord heard his prayers and tears (vs. 4-6) and healed him—he even gave him a sign (vs. 8-11).

From a very narrow view, I can see how some might thing that it would have been better if Manasseh, a king who led the Israelites into horrendous idolatry (even sacrificing his son in the fire, 2 Kings 21:6) had died instead of being healed, but God has a broader view. First of all, to say that Hezekiah should not have been healed is to say that his faithfulness (to God) or his prayers should not have influenced God. Next, it is to say that God made a bad decision in healing him.

Though Manasseh’s son Amon was also evil (21:20) Amon’s son Josiah was a righteous king who restored the Book of the Law and renewed the covenant. Then we fast forward to the gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and in reading Jesus’ human genealogy (Matthew 1), we find not only Hezekiah (v.10) but the troublesome Manasseh and the righteous Josiah!

So while this was not Jesus’ direct bloodline but Joseph’s, though not his birth father, Joseph was the man selected by God to raise Jesus to manhood here on earth. God used Joseph’s lineage to place Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the City of David in fulfillment of prophecy. (Micah 6:2; Matthew 2:6) Without Hezekiah’s extra fifteen years there would have been no Joseph.

To sum it up, God made the right decision in honoring Hezekiah’s faithfulness and healing him. Yes, his son Manasseh was very evil but that was his personal rebellious choice (and that of the Israelites in following him). God still had a plan for good King Josiah, the faithful Joseph who watched over Jesus as he was born and grew, and the fulfillment of prophecy concerning Jesus. He also had a plan for all who would follow Jesus—to rescue them from the dominion of darkness and bring them into the kingdom of light and eternal life! (Colossians 1:12,13)

“The Antichrist”

“In the last days, The Antichrist will rise to world power.”

The Bible makes no mention of a “capital-a”, one person, Antichrist but many “antichrists” who had gone out from the first century church (yes, I checked the Greek). The term comes from John’s epistles in which he warns of the “Many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2 John 7) Certainly there are also many today who persist in unbelief and those who “deny that Jesus is the Christ” (1 John 2:22) and/or “who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” (2 John 7)—these have the same spirit of antichrist.

But these are the criteria, not as many believe today--having influence or being a persuasive speaker. This misinterpretation of the Scriptures has led to slanderous accusations of nearly any man who has been an international leader, whether political or religious, in last 100 years or so. If you’re a follower of Jesus going around fearfully pointing a finger at such men just because they have influence or a good speaking style—you need to stop it! You will have to answer one day for every careless word. (Matthew 12:36)

Instead, make sure that you aren’t one of the ones who “runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ…” and that you don’t welcome the one who “does not bring this teaching”. (2 John 9,10) The Church is all too willing to welcome false teachers these days. Don’t be distracted by non-Biblical paranoia—just make sure you’re obeying Jesus’ teachings and urge others to do the same.

Rebuilding The Temple

“The Jerusalem Temple must be rebuilt before Jesus comes back.”

The Bible doesn’t say this. There are some people who, in past 150 or so years have built a template of eschatology through which they interpret the Bible. They project Ezekiel’s vision of rebuilding the Temple thousands of years into the future (as in any year now) but in fact, “Ezekiel’s” Temple was already rebuilt after the Babylonian exile. (Ezekiel chapters 40-43; see also the books of Ezra and Nehemiah)

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, there is no longer a need for the Temple and its sacrificial system. (Hebrews 10:1; Ephesians 2:14) Instead, those who follow Jesus are “God's temple” and “God's Spirit lives in you”. (I Corinthians 3:16see also Acts 17:24,I Cor. 3:17, 6:19)

Peace as an Indicator of God’s Will

“You can tell if you are in God’s will by the ‘indicator of peace’—if you are in God’s will you will have peace, if you’re not, your peace will lift.”

If this were true, Jesus would have been out of God’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane and in his suffering on the cross. His was not a picture of peace (the kind referred to in this saying) but of agony, even questioning, though he gained what might be called resolve.

Using the peace as indicator formula has enabled Christians to come up with some outrageous self-permissions such as “It’s okay if I have a room mate of the opposite sex because we aren’t doing anything,”(yet) or “I have peace about leaving my husband because God wants me to be happy.” Remember the adage from the 1960’s? “If it feels good, do it.” The human mind can manufacture all sorts of things to justify what it wants—or lie about it.

No, the best indicator of God’s will is what the Holy Spirit has already spoken in the Bible (especially the New Covenant). You may think that it doesn’t cover everything for contemporary living—dig a little deeper, make sure you’re asking the right questions (the most basic ones)—you might be surprised how much is there.

“Miracles are Rare.”

“Miracles don’t happen everyday or they would be called ‘everydays’ instead of miracles.”
The problem here starts with word usage and the definition of that word. “Miracle” comes through French from the Latin “miraculum", which literally means, a wonder or wonderful thing, but Daniel Webster (Webster’s 1828) went on to define, “in theology, an event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature, a supernatural event.”

Therefore, when we think of “miracles” it’s easy to think that God wouldn’t “violate” his own laws except for very special occasions. (It’s curious that the same people who used to teach that miracles don’t happen anymore—dispensationalists, now admit that they do happen but only rarely and usually only to pastors. Nevertheless, that is some progress!)

However, when we look at the literal Greek translation, we find different words, “powerful deeds”. Strange isn’t it, to translate from Greek to Latin to French to English instead of directly from Greek to English?

Does the Lord God still do powerful deeds through and around his people today? Absolutely! Reports of healings, rescue from danger and even raising of the dead come in regularly from many parts of the globe. My husband and I have experienced and/or witnessed quite a few of these powerful deeds ourselves. Just open your eyes and believe the power of the Lord!

I tell you the truth; anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:12-14

“No One Ever Learns Anything in the Good Times”

Keith Greene,the Christian singer and songwriter, in his journal, put it well, (something like) “If the only way I can learn is through bad times, then that’s the only kind of times I’ll ever have.” Similar to the teaching that God makes us sick/allows us to be sick to “teach us something”, this one indicates that the only way to really learn anything or become close to God is to have horrible or tragic events come into their lives. Therefore, if you follow this line of thinking through, studying the living Word of God (the Bible), listening to Bible teachings, spending time in prayer and observing Creation would all be a waste of time or at best, second-rate.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14,15 emphasis added

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9,10

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 emphasis added
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

…since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:19,20 emphasis added

The idea that the only way to really learn is through bad things sounds an awful lot like what the Serpent said to Eve…You know Eve, being surrounded here by God’s Creation, walking closely with God himself, hanging on his every word is fine, but if you want real knowledge, real wisdom, you need to know evil (the knowledge of good and evil). She should have said, “Forget it! I have God to teach me! Be gone!” I guarantee that her life did not get better or her relationship closer to God by the presence of evil (bad times) in her life! The only thing she learned from the knowledge of evil is that she didn’t want it afterall!

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:1-6 emphasis added

To the woman he (God) said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:16-19

Don’t go looking for wisdom and learning “in all the wrong places”, be like Mary and “sit at his feet”. (Luke 10:39)

Note: I’m aware that the New Testament has much to say about God’s use of suffering to discipline his children and to build our character. However, ALL of these verses are in the context of persecution for Jesus’ name’s sake--not general difficulties, tragedies or sicknesses.

“Even Though He Doesn’t Cause It, God Allows Sickness So He Can Teach Us Something.”

I know of no New Testament scripture (since we “followers of Jesus” are people of the New Covenant) that even hints at this. The only one that is remotely close is John 9:3, the account of Jesus saying of the man born blind, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Jesus immediately healed him. The work of God in this man’s life was his healing, not the blindness!

Jesus said that the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy but he (Jesus) came to give abundant life—not a lesson from sickness! (John 10:10)

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. I John 3:8

No, God permits sickness and other things that are of the devil to come into our lives so that we can fight it! That’s what the “full armor of God” is for. (Ephesians 6:11-18) That’s what the “gifts of the Spirit” are for.
(1 Corinthians 12:7:11)

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4,5

When sickness comes your way, don’t embrace it—fight it!

Note: Of course, no teacher wants to let a “teachable moment” get by without using it for teaching. God certainly makes use of every opportunity, but why not be open to his teaching while you’re in health?!