Forgiveness

This post is in response to a conversation I had yesterday.  I suppose everyone, if you have lived long enough, has been wronged by someone.  I know that I’ve been on both sides of that divide more times than I can imagine.  Today, I want to look at a transgression and to work through the theology of forgiveness.

Let us say that your home was violated and many of your belongings were liberated from your possession.  Among those items, most of which were replaceable, was one item that had particular sentimental value besides having enough absolute value that it was stolen.  For the loss of this one item you were heartbroken.  After some time, your emotions changed to anger and distrust.  You did not have an object for your emotions, no accused upon whom you could heap blame, but you were just angry in general.

In this first example, you have sinned against God.  You have placed an idol above your love of God.  Under the standard of the Law, you have failed in perfection.  You have done nothing wrong, in fact you are the victim of a crime, in the world of man.  But at the same time, in the Kingdom of God, you have sinned.

Now suppose that a young vagrant is arrested for the crime.  One of your blankets and some cash is found in his possession.  Now you have an object of your emotional rage.  You hate this man.  He denies his culpability in the crime and says that he found the blanket and some clothes by the side of the road.  He needed the blanket and so he kept it, but he sold the clothes to a second hand store to get the cash.  You don’t believe him.  You hate him.

In this second example, you have sinned against God.  You have committed murder.  According to Jesus’ interpretation of the Law, and He wrote it, so He is allowed to explain it to us, hateful thoughts are just the same as murder.  Now you have violated another commandment.  You have not actually done anything to the man, according to the law of man.  But according to the Law of God, you have committed murder.

The police realize that the man in question actually spent the night in the drunk tank at the local jail on the night that your house was robbed.  He could not possibly have committed the crime.  In fact, his whole story checks out and he is released from custody, uncharged and vindicated.  The police return your blanket and the cash from the sale of your clothes to you.  As you stare at the items, you realize that you have not forgiven the man.  You find that you cannot release your hatred towards this man, partly because you have no other place to put your anger.  You grab your blanket and the cash and storm home.  You have just wronged your neighbor.  You had identified a person who had a greater need of those things, and you took them from him.

In this third example, you have sinned against God and your neighbor.  In addition to all of the above, you have now added direct transgressions against your neighbor.  Consider this line from the prayer of confession.  We confess that we have sinned by thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  You left undone the Love for your neighbor.

Summarizing the events, your house was robbed.  You have done absolutely nothing wrong from beginning to end according to the law of man.  You have done nothing but sin against God from beginning to end according to the Law of God.  Right now, you are not exactly on top of your game.  What should you do?

First of all, notice where your pile of debt resides.  What is required is repentance.  Whether you agree with every theological point of your pastor and church, this person is by office the representative of Christ’s church in this world.  Go to church.  Take the confession of sins seriously.  Whether it is done individually or corporately, this repentance is sorely needed.  Afterwards, the priest or pastor will say a prayer of absolution.  I wish sometimes we could ask him to slow down so we can savor every word of that prayer.  By office, you can believe that you have received absolution for your sins.  This is vitally important.  Although we as reformed Christians believe that our sin is completely covered by the justification that occurred through Jesus Christ, we remain in this world under the curse of Adam.  This process of repentance, absolution and reconciliation that occurs every Lord’s Day is crucial in maintaining our spiritual growth and sanctification throughout our lives.  Listen to this portion of the service clearly and carefully.  Receive the Grace of God through the Holy Spirit.

Now that you are feeling right with God again, you might go looking for the vagrant.  You might plan to give him the blanket and the cash, two blankets and twice the cash.  Perhaps you might want to feed him.  You might try to clothe him.  You might want to get him plugged into civil aid services.  You may know of a job.  The trouble is that you can’t find him.  Now what?

You take your donations to the local aid center.  You notice a sign that asks for volunteers.  You volunteer.  You learn about what aid is really needed and you learn how to give it.  This isn’t at a church sponsored aid mission.  Who says you have to help your neighbor through the church?  Who says the church is responsible for developing programs for aid?  The church doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to be effective.  The church membership can be very effective through secular missions.  So, you volunteer.

Six months later, a man, who has been avoiding your town, wanders into a soup kitchen.  By chance you are there working.  He doesn’t recognize you, but he is very edgy.  After all, besides being homeless and hungry, he’s had a very bad experience in your town in the not too distant past.  Now is your chance.  You walk over to him….

Who knows?  Perhaps even God smiled that day.

--Ogre--