forgiveness
Forgiving is Not Excusing
Forgiveness is not excusing! Nor is it pretending. To forgive is to move on, not to think about the offense anymore. You don’t excuse him, endorse her, or embrace them. You just route thoughts about them through heaven. Revenge is God’s job. By the way, how can we grace-recipients do anything less? Dare we ask God for grace when we refuse to give it? It’s a huge issue in the Bible. Jesus was tough on sinners who refused to forgive other sinners. In the final sum, we give grace because we’ve been given grace. In the story Jesus tells in Matthew 18:32, the master calls the servant in. “You wicked servant, he said, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” It’s a good question. We’ve been...
“I forgave the man who was co – responsible for my sister’s death.”
Suddenly they are face to face. Corrie ten Boom and the camp guard. Corrie has just given a speech on the theme of forgiveness. As the people leave, he comes walking forward. Then Corrie sees who this man is. This man is partly responsible for the death of her sister. He extends his hand to her: “What a beautiful message, fräulein.” Corrie freezes. Now what? How could Corrie ten Boom forgive? Let’s go back in time for a moment. Corrie ten Boom and her family live in Haarlem. Her father Casper owns a watch store in the heart of Haarlem, and Corrie becomes the first qualified female watchmaker in the Netherlands. When World War II breaks out, their house above the watch store becomes a transit house. A temporary shelter for Jews and members of the resistance. More than 800 people found...
What is Redemption? (Ephesians 1:7-8)
Christians love to sing and talk about redemption and forgiveness, but strangely, few Christians really know what the Bible teaches about these two topics. We look at both terms in this study of Ephesians 1:7-8. Though we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, this does not mean that the blood of Jesus was used to pay God for our sins. God does not need to be paid off. He is not the mafia who demands payment for protection. Instead, the redemption of Jesus shows us how to live free from sin, which is what the forgiveness of God shows us as well. Listen to this study on Ephesians 1:7-8 to learn more. Current Event: Critical Race Theory We’re discussing some of the content in the best-selling book, FaultLines, by Voddie Baucham Jr. In this book, Dr. Baucham discusses Critical Race Theory and sh...
You are in Heavenly Places RIGHT NOW (Ephesians 1:3)
Does God forgive suicide? Spoiler alert: YES! And what is Paul referring to in Ephesians 1:3 when he writes about heavenly places? Is that heaven or something else? These are a few of the questions that get addressed in this episode of the Redeeming God Podcast. Will God Forgive Suicide? I received a tragic email from a reader recently. Here is what she wrote: My brother recently took his own life due to depression. The last sentence of his letter that he left behind, he stated that he hopes to see us in God’s kingdom if it is in God’s will. As I’m reflecting back, my brother believes in God and believes in Heaven. He knows that what he is doing isn’t the right way to escape his emotions, but he’s going to do it anyways. While at the same time, he’s hoping that God will have mercy on his s...
God is Not Just
I’m back! 2020 was a rough year, and 2021 will likely be difficult as well, but I am going to try to get back into blogging and podcasting. In this first episode of 2021, I explain the new format for my podcast, and discuss three things: My thoughts on the response of some Christian pastors and authors on the January 6, 2021 election protest in Washington DC Mailbag: How to know you have eternal life and did not commit the unforgivable sin. Why God is not just, the Bible does not talk about justice, and how we can respond to injustice. Is God a God of love AND justice? Nope. On the topic of justice, here is a brief summary of what I say in the podcast, and also what I will be teaching in my soon-to-be-released Gospel Dictionary lesson on justice: “Justice” is not in the Bible. Indeed, the ...
What does the Book of Acts teach about Forgiveness?
This study on forgiveness looks at the topic of forgiveness in the Book of Acts. Forgiveness is a key theme in Acts, and we see how Peter and Paul teach about Acts as the spread the gospel message throughout the world. Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group. The Book of Acts is a book of transitions. It shows the transition from the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of the Apostles, and how the Apostles continued to carry on the ministry of Jesus, following His instructions to take it to the end of the world. The Apostles begin in Jerusalem, and then take the ...
What is the unforgivable sin in Matthew 12:31-32
Matthew 12:31-32 teaches about forgiveness and the unforgivable sin. What is this sin? How is it committed? And how can you know you have not committed it? These are the sorts of questions I attempt to answer in this study of Matthew 12:31-32. Note that this study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group. The Unpardonable Sin in Matthew 12:31-32 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Hol...
