Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Grace Needed for Heartfelt Forgiveness

by Eldon DeBoer

I posted this before, but decided to present it again under a new title. This teaching is so very crucial. My prayer is that it will truly be a help to you.

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?''

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22

Peter probably thought he was being very generous when he asked this question about forgiveness. Certainly forgiving “up to seven times” goes beyond what God requires of us. Louis Barbieri, Jr., notes that “the traditional Rabbinic teaching was that an offended person needed to forgive a brother only three times” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 62). In what follows in Matthew 18, Peter’s lack of understanding becomes obvious in the story that Jesus told about the king and his two servants. Apparently Peter did not realize the application of God’s forgiveness to forgiving others. It seems that he did not have much appreciation for the truth that the Lord had forgiven him a huge debt of sin. He did not apply the foundational truth that we all need to understand in order to forgive from the heart.

When Jesus told Peter that we should keep on forgiving up to 490 times, he was not saying that we should keep a ledger of the sins against us. The expression, “up to seventy times seven,” emphasizes that we should keep on forgiving and not keep track of the number of times someone sins against us.

The words of Jesus at the conclusion of the parable powerfully communicate the importance of forgiving from the heart. If we do not forgive from our hearts, we can count on being tortured. We should not be surprised when we experience emotional torture within because we have refused to forgive someone. The emotional torture from refusing to forgive can result in serious spiritual and psychological problems.

Jesus taught that refusing to forgive is itself a sin and breaks fellowship with God (Matthew 6:14-15). When a believer refuses to forgive, God will not forgive him until it is confessed as sin (1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:1-5). This is forgiveness for fellowship with God in this life. Every believer remains forgiven in Christ forever whether he or she forgives or not (Ephesians 1:7). The importance of forgiving others and the sin of refusing to forgive in Matthew 6 and 18 has to do with continuing in fellowship in a meaningful relationship with Jesus here and now in this life.

What does it mean to forgive someone?

When we forgive someone we put away the person’s sin against us. The word translated forgive (aphiemi) means to put away. When we forgive, as far as we are concerned, the person is no longer guilty of his sin against us. This is what Jesus did when He was being crucified (Luke 23:34). He put away their sin of crucifying Him and therefore they would not receive immediate judgment from God for that sin.

After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, He told them, “Loose him and let him go” (John 11:44, NKJV). “Let . . . go” is the translation of aphiemi. This provides a fitting analogy that addresses attention to what we do for people when we forgive them. When we forgive someone we no longer keep the person in bondage to the guilt of their sin. As far as we are concerned the person is not guilty. We let him go and he thereby is set free from his guilt against us. This does not mean that an individual should never be held accountable for his sin against us. At times justice must be applied. This will be addressed at another time.

Peter’s lack of understanding concerning God’s standards for forgiving one another is not unusual among believers. Many believers do not understand the application of this truth. But what is it that believers need to grasp in order to forgive from the heart? The parable Jesus told provides the answer.

Heart-felt Forgiveness Flows from Being Forgiven a Huge Debt

In this parable the king of the servant who has incurred a huge debt is God the Father Himself. There are a number of views concerning what a talent would be worth in today’s currency, but according to one source the amount equaled about 15 years wages. If you earned an average of $30,000 a year multiplied times 15, times 10,000, your debt would be $4,500,000,000. The main point of the Lord’s illustration is that since God has forgiven us so very much, we are to forgive others from our hearts. If you appreciate the huge debt of sin that God has forgiven you, you will keep on forgiving others who sin against you. This is precisely what the servant did not do. His lack of appreciation for how much his lord had forgiven him was expressed in his refusal to forgive a fellow servant of a far lesser debt of sin. Consequently, he was handed over to the torturers (cp. Hebrews 12:4-15).

Our sins are ultimately against our holy heavenly Father.

The two servants in the story Jesus told are both representative of believers in Christ Jesus. The wicked servant who refused to forgive had incurred a debt beyond his ability to repay. When we sin against our holy God, we should understand that we are unable to pay back the debt we owe due to our sins. We do not have the ability to repay our Lord for sins committed against Him. Our sins are too great. All the Father asks is that we go to him and admit our need of His forgiveness. God always treats us in grace and forgives us because our debt has been paid through the suffering and death of Christ Jesus. The wicked servant had been forgiven by his lord. But when he refused to forgive a fellow servant, he was turned over to the torturers because of his sin of refusing to forgive. We should keep in mind that ultimately our sins are sins against our holy God and only His forgiveness removes the sin and the guilt. David understood this and expressed his indebtedness to God. After he had confessed his sin of adultery against Uriah and Bathsheba, he said to the Lord,

Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight

That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. (Psalm 51:4)

David was well aware that he was worthy of death. And he knew that God could take His Spirit from him (Psalm 51:11). (While this cannot happen to a believer today in the Church Age, it could happen to believers in the Old Testament. Believers today fully receive the Spirit when they believe in Jesus and He continues to indwell them no matter how sinful they might become.) When we sin against the Lord God we should understand that all sins, whether seemingly significant or insignificant to us, are offenses against our holy heavenly Father and are huge in His sight.

Yet some sins cause more damage than others. It could be that the wicked servant is an illustration of a believer who has received forgiveness for a sin that has caused a great deal of damage to others. Whatever the case, the teaching is clear. Believers should maintain forgiving hearts because the holy God has forgiven them a huge debt of sin.

Sins and offenses against you

When someone does something that hurts you, there are times when the person who has offended you may not even be aware of the hurt that has been caused. Then, to the other extreme, there are sins that obviously are motivated by maliciousness. There are offenses that are perceived to be damaging which may not even be sinful at all. Sometimes we can be too sensitive about what others do to us. Whatever the case, when we feel that someone has hurt us, God calls us to forgive them. When we have disagreements with others or complaints against others for whatever reason, the Lord says,

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:12-13)

May we forgive from the heart because we appreciate that we have been forgiven a huge debt of sin by our holy God and thereby be free of the emotional torture that results from refusing to forgive.

Emotional Torture: A Result of Refusing to Forgive

Matthew 18:35; Ephesians 4:29-5:2; Colossians 3:1-16

Jesus warned those who do not forgive from the heart that they would be turned over to the torturers (Matthew 18:35). The heavenly Father will bring severe discipline upon those who refuse to forgive (Hebrews 12:3-15). Often this discipline from the Father includes emotional torture.

The Lord calls us to forgive as He has forgiven us in Christ.

Since God has forgiven us a huge debt of sin we are to forgive others. This is an important part of the Spirit of the Lord’s concern as He moved the Apostle Paul to write Ephesians. Having proclaimed the truth of the everlasting spiritual blessing of our forgiveness in Christ (Ephesians 1:7), Paul emphasizes the importance of forgiving one another:

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgiving one another is what accompanies being kind and tenderhearted. If believers prominently keep in mind the forgiveness that was bought and paid for by Jesus (Ephesians 5:1-2), they should keep on maintaining a forgiving heart. Notice that Paul points to God’s forgiveness as the basis for our forgiveness. The word translated forgive in this passage emphasizes grace in forgiveness (charizomai). We communicate kindness and tenderheartedness as we keep on forgiving others.

Our emotional vulnerability when angry

The fact that we should guard against not letting go of justified anger or righteous wrath before we go to bed is clear from what we are told in Ephesians 4:26-27:

"'Be angry (orgizo) and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath(parorgismos) nor give place to the devil" (note the root word orge found in parorgismos).

We should never go to sleep filled with anger, even though our anger may be justified because of the hurt and injury that someone caused. May we look to the Lord for the grace to put our righteous wrath to rest against those who have sinned against us or, possibly, others as well. This warning is accompanied by the real danger that even righteous wrath might turn to bitterness and sinful anger and that this may be used by the devil and his cohorts to bring us into spiritual bondage.

We understand from personal experience that often our emotions cause us to lose the ability to think clearly. When sinful emotions take over we are “in the dark” spiritually. God tells us we should be alert to this and we must draw upon His grace to overcome these harmful emotions.

Put away the emotions that torture you because you refuse to forgive.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Ephesians 4:31

At times, when we are reminded of the hurt that someone caused, bitterness and sinful anger apparently may overcome us. These emotions are often the torture that comes to us when we refuse to forgive. They are a huge part of the torture designed by God to get our attention. What are we to do about these sinful emotions? We are told to put them away or put them off (cf. Colossians 3:8). In Ephesians 4:31 “put away” translates airo which is also used in another place to explain how Christ Jesus came to taken away our sins (1 John 3:5).

When we do not put away someone’s sin against us by forgiving them, the Spirit of God is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The fact that we are commanded to “put away” these sinful emotions tells us that by God’s grace, by the ministry of the Spirit through the new man, we can do something about them. We need not be enslaved to them. With God’s enabling grace, we can put a stop to these evil feelings.

Bitterness (pikria, Acts 8:23; Romans 3:14: Hebrews 12:15)) is the emotion that results when we dwell on how someone has hurt us and begin to think about revenge. We become self-centered and filled with self-pity. We can only think about ourselves or how we might vindicate ourselves. Wrath (thumos, Luke 4:28; Acts 19:28) and anger (orge, 1 Timothy 2:8; James 1:19-20) are expressed as we “clamor” for attention and speak evil of the offender. We begin to plan malicious acts against our offenders.

This was not true of Stephen (Acts 7). Stephen demonstrated the grace of God as he was being stoned to death. His final words were words of forgiveness and love for those who took his life. It seems that this left a marked impression on a young man named Saul. Saul came to faith in Jesus as his Messiah and Savior a short time later and became the Apostle Paul who wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Paul knew about forgiveness and deeply appreciated the forgiveness of God. He had experienced the grace of God’s forgiveness. As the “chief of sinners” who had persecuted believers in Christ, Paul became well aware of his need for God’s forgiveness (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

How do we put away the sinful emotions that torture us?

God commands us to put away the sinful emotions that torture us. By the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit working through the new man we can put away our sinful emotions. When the Holy Spirit convicts you about your sinful emotions confess them as sin. Then prayerfully consider the question, “Have I committed some sin that caused these sinful emotions?” Oftentimes it is the sin of refusing to forgive that has caused these emotions to surface. When the Spirit brings to your attention that refusing to forgive is the sin that is at the root of these emotional responses, then that sin must be confessed as well. Receive the forgiveness granted to you by God through Christ by admitting you have sinned (1 John 1:7, 9). Then remind yourself of the huge debt of sin that God has forgiven you in Christ. Ponder the wonder of His love and grace that He has expressed to you.

Putting these sinful emotions away is not easy. We may find that it is very difficult to completely let go of the offense against us. We forgive and let go and then we pick it up again in our thoughts. We find ourselves hanging on to it and we rework it in our minds over and over again. Very soon afterwards we are filled with bitterness and sinful anger. Hopefully we do not descend to the point of clamoring for attention by talking about it with others. May we stop short of seeking revenge. May we not carry out injurious plans for personal vindication (cf. Romans 12:14-21).

Thankfully, when we confess these sins and receive cleansing from God once again, we return to the high road of forgiveness in God’s plan for us. Our thoughts should then turn to Jesus and we should once again ponder the great debt of sin that we have been forgiven because of Jesus’ sacrifice in our place. Do we deserve to be forgiven? No. Does the person who has sinned against us deserve to be forgiven. No. Yet, God’s plan for our lives is that we forgive as He forgave. When we do forgive because we have been forgiven in Christ and maintain forgiveness from the heart, God will free us from the emotional torture of bitterness and anger. When we apply God’s Word by His Spirit, He gives us peace.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:15-16

Forgive and illustrate the grace of God.

We illustrate the grace and love of God when we forgive others. This is crucially important in the ministry of a church. By forgiving one another and putting up with each other, believers may powerfully communicate the love and grace of God shown them in Christ Jesus.

The chapter break is unfortunate at the close of Ephesians 4 because the following verses emphasize the importance of being like God in forgiveness and in the demonstration of love by Jesus Christ’s death.

Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2

When we maintain hearts of forgiveness we demonstrate to others that we truly are followers of God. When we keep on forgiving we shine forth the light of the truth of Christ and are behaving in a way that is consistent with whom we are in Christ. We have received total and complete everlasting forgiveness in Christ. We are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). When we keep on forgiving we are walking as children of light. We are behaving wisely by the power of the Spirit of God (5:15-21).

By the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit through the new man created in the image of Christ (Colossians 3:10), we may overcome the emotional torment caused by refusing to forgive. We may express the love and grace to others that God has given us in Christ Jesus.

A summary of God’s provisions for maintaining a heart of forgiveness:

1. Remember that in and through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven you a huge debt of sin. Keep in mind that no one can offend you or sin against you to the degree that you have sinned against God (Matthew 18:27).

2. Ponder and dwell on the wondrous love and forgiveness God has granted to you through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:9-2:2).

Think about the awful cost of your deliverance by the Son of God Himself. Keep your eyes on Jesus (Ephesians 4:29-5:2; Colossians 3:1-16; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Hebrews 12:1-3).

3. Recognize that you cannot maintain a heart of forgiveness for the right reasons in your own strength (John 15:5).

4. Keep in mind the Lord’s command to not take your righteous wrath to bed (Ephesians 4:25-27).

5. Be on the alert for signs of sinful anger and bitterness (Matthew 18:35). Remain sensitive to the convicting work of the Spirit from the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 4:30-31; Colossians 3:8-10; Hebrews 12:15).

6. Confess to the Lord the sin of an unforgiving spirit when the Holy Spirit causes you to realize that this is the reason for the emotional torture of bitterness and anger (1 John 1:9; cp. Matthew 6:14-15; Psalm 32:1-6).

7. Cry out to God for the grace to keep on maintaining a heart of forgiveness so that your life will be a testimony to His love and grace (John 13:35; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Your questions and comments are appreciated ( eldondeboer@yahoo.com ).


Sunday, November 27, 2011

Grace Needed to "In Everything Give Thanks!"

" . . . in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Once again Thanksgiving Day has come and gone but God's Word tells us to "in everything give thanks!" Honestly, I can't do that on my own. Stuff happens and my thankful heart is gone. But by God's grace and His Spirit's work in me, He helps me realize that I am not thinking correctly once again. I confess the sin (1 John 1:9) and recover and God in His grace helps me to "in everything give thanks" again.

How is this possible? Lots and lots of reasons. But here are just a few. I know and claim the promises in God's Word. For example, "All things work together for good to those who love God . . ." (Romans 8:28). We love God because "He first loved us" (1 John 4:7-19). And His "commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3) because we know how much He loves us when we look to Jesus and renew our appreciation for what He went through for us. God always has our best interests in mind for us.

I have a fond memory of a teaching my father shared when I was just a kid. He pointed out that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 does not say "for everything give thanks." It says, "in everything give thanks." We can't and shouldn't give thanks for everything. We can't be thankful for such things like the lady that sprayed pepper spray in the eyes of others while shopping on black Friday because she did not want them to get what she wanted. (Ugh!) We cannot and should not be thankful for any evil deed brought upon others by sinners like ourselves. (Yes, I have been one of those sinners and have been guilty of hurting others. God, help me!) But in the midst of all that happens all around us we can have a heart of thankfulness because we know that there will be an end to all the evil that takes place. Jesus Christ's death won the victory over the devil and all the corruption that goes on and on (1 John 3:8b; Hebrews 2:14-15). But there will be a final end to it one glad day because Jesus has already won the victory as proven by His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).

So keep trusting the Lord and and His Word and "in everything give thanks!" God will give you the grace to do so by His Spirit working through the new person in you that He created in the image of Christ (see earlier post, "God's Grace Operating Assets").

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Got Anything Better to Do?

by Eldon DeBoer

Maybe you attempted to read through the passages given in my last post and found it mind boggling. Yes, there is a lot of information in those texts. But isn't it worth the effort? Got anything better to do than ponder what God's Word teaches about His grace?

Don't misunderstand. Our lives are filled with many activities that are important and I am not encouraging a monastery mentality. But may I encourage you to set aside some time every day to ponder God's grace message?

Think about the opening phrase in Titus 2:11. "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men . . ." (NASB). God's grace appeared in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth when He stepped into history. Soon we will be celebrating His entrance to earth once again. The signs of Christmas are upon us.

What an awesome truth to contemplate. Somehow God united Himself with the flesh and bones and human spirit that He created. In doing so He set aside the full expression of who He is and what He does as God. And He did this so that He could serve us. He did this to serve the creatures He created. He did this so that one day He could suffer and die in our place and pay the penalty for our sin and thereby bring about our deliverance, our salvation from sin and death. He did this so one day all evil in our experience will come to an end and we will enjoy Him fully forever.

Ah, yes! "The grace of God has appeared!"

So I'll ask again. Got anything better to do than to pause and ponder the grace message?



Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Grace Message

What matters is what the Text says!

Acts 20:32. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word [logos, which may be translated “message”] of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified [set apart as holy].

Titus
2:11. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12. teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13. looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14. who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
15. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

2 Corinthians
3:5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
6. who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,
8. how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
9. For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.


3:17. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

5:14. For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15. and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19. that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
6:1. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Galatians
2:20. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

2 Peter
17. You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
18. but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

1 John
7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
19. We love Him because He first loved us.


The Foundation and Good News of the Grace Message
The foundation of the grace message is the truth of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (
John 1:1, 14-18). The good news of the grace message is that the Lord Jesus loved us so much that He chose to give His life on the cross of Calvary so that we could enjoy Him, His heaven and new earth forever, and have a meaningful personal relationship with Him now as well.

While the grace message is found in the Old Testament, the grace message may be understood and grasped especially from the New Testament. The writings of the Bible were uniquely inspired by God and the New Testament was written by the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ to churches and individuals in the first century A.D.


The Application of the Grace Message in a Christian’s Life
The grace message of Christ Jesus for the Christian grace-way of life is built on the truth of the gospel, which is that deliverance from sin and death and everlasting life is received only when an individual personally believes that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:30-31). Life with God forever is received as a gift from the Lord Jesus through faith in Him and by faith in Him alone. Good works do not earn the gift or retain it. Sinful thoughts or actions do not remove a believer from his relationship with or position in Christ. “Having been justified by faith we have peace with God,” and nothing and no one “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 5:1; 8:38). Therefore the believer is free to serve the Lord Jesus out of a heart of love and thankfulness for the truly free gifts that God has given because of His love and grace. He or she need not live in fear of losing her salvation or fear from thinking that maybe she did not receive life at all because of her struggle with bad behavior. The truth of the grace message should be set in sharp contrast to teachings that bring about slavery by focussing upon keeping a certain set of rules or traditions in order to retain an eternal relationship with God (Galatians 3:2-6; 5:1).

The application of the grace message of Christ Jesus is a life lived in response to His love and grace. Those who have believed in Jesus should please and honor Him out of gratitude for what He has done for them and in appreciation for what He continues to do and will do for them (Colossians 2:6-7). Believers in Christ Jesus are called to keep on growing “in the grace and knowledge” of their Savior (2 Peter 3:18).


The true grace message of God instructs and builds up the believer, liberating him to serve the Lord in the freedom of faith and love (Galatians 5:1-6). This message of grace should be set in contrast to the false teachings that tragically cause enslavement, fear, doubt and uncertainty in the life of the believer in Christ Jesus.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

God's Grace Operating Assets

by Eldon DeBoer

God, by His grace, has provided all that you need to live out the truth in your life. He has provided grace operating assets. When you first believed in Christ Jesus, you received the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came to indwell you (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) so that you could understand and truly grasp His Word and so that you could apply it in your life (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). Application of God's Word is also by the Spirit in that He desires to fill you--powerfully influence you--so that you can live out the truth, walking in the light of His Word (Ephesians 5:8-21). You therefore have the responsibility to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16; NASB). So that you can make the very most of the time that the Lord gives you here on earth He makes available to you the grace operating assets of the Spirit.

There is another grace operating asset without which you could not get to first base in applying truth that will count for eternity. It is the gift of a new nature which you also received when you first believed in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new nature, or new “man” (anthropos) within you, was created by God in the likeness of Christ Himself. God tells us through the inspired hand of the Apostle Paul to “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness . . . who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of [Christ] who created him” (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10).

Within the contexts of Ephesian 4:24 and Colossians 3:10 is an explanation of how our old sin natures, the old “man” within us that we are born with (Ephesians 4:1-3), are in serious conflict with the Spirit's ministry and the function of the new man, the new person within that is like Christ. In our old sinful selves we cannot operate in the way God wants us to operate. Apart from the Spirit working through the new man we could not function spiritually in the way God wants us to function.

Study these passages carefully and ask God to give you understanding. Send me an email and ask specific questions about these Scriptures (eldondeboer@yahoo.com).

Thank God for His grace operating assets of the ministry of His Spirit and the new person created in the very likeness of Christ!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

God's Grace in Forgiveness

by Eldon DeBoer

There are many things about the grace message that enthrall me. But there is a key application of the grace of God that I experience repeatedly that stands near the pinnacle of this awesome message. It is the application of the knowledge of God's grace in forgiveness.

We are forgiven forever when we first place our faith in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7). Being forgiven forever is a part of our eternal standing in Christ. It is a part of being identified with Him in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-5). We are sealed in Christ when we believe in Him and this is a permanent seal accomplished by the Spirit of God that includes being forgiven in eternity (Ephesians 1:13-14).

But what I am addressing in this article is being forgiven for sins we continue to commit that cause us to be in spiritual darkness in our experience with God here and now. While I am forgiven of all sins in Christ, God's Word teaches that I should confess my sins each and every time the Spirit makes me aware that I have missed a mark that He has set for me to live by.

If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

God said He was looking for a leader, a king, who would be a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:22). In other words, God was looking for a man to lead His people who wanted to be like Himself more than anything else. You probably know who that man turned out to be. Yes, it was David; a shepherd boy who became king of Israel. Was David, the man after God's own heart, perfect? Far from it. He clearly understood how desperately he needed the grace of God in forgiveness. He emphasized this when he wrote Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 after he recovered from a sin that brought a great deal of pain into the lives of many people (2 Samuel 11 & 12). Yet, long after he had died, he was still remembered as someone whose heart was “devoted” to God (1 Kings 11:4; Acts 13:22). How encouraging it is to know that God forgives and that we can recover like David did and be useful to our Lord and Savior once again.

The truth that God forgives us again and again because of Jesus Christ's suffering in our place is a reality that should deeply grip our hearts when we pause to think about what it means. No matter how often we fall to a sinful weakness, be it a wrong thought or behavior, the Lord Jesus forgives us again. And again! Through confession we recover from being in spiritual darkness and re-enter the light and joy of fellowship with God.

. . . these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:4-7).

The Apostle Paul wrote of His struggle with sin after being a believer in Christ for a number of years and how he hated it (Romans 7:15-24). He found himself thinking and doing what he knew what was wrong over and over. But when He came to himself by the ministry of the Spirit in His life, He exclaimed,

Oh wretched man that I am! who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25).

Yes, Christ Jesus “sets us free” again and again from our spiritual deadness and uselessness to God when we sin as believers. It is thought that what Paul had in mind by the phrase “the body of this death” was the practice in his day of chaining a cadaver to a person who had been guilty of an offense that warranted the death penalty. Gangrene would set in and the guilty person would experience a horrible, drawn-out, painful death.

Who will release us from the horrible influence of our sins? Our spiritual deadness and uselessness to God while we are living in the dark because of sin? Christ Jesus sets us free from the “body of this death” again and again. He forgives us every time we admit that we have sinned against Him. And because of our appreciation for His suffering in our place to provide for this forgiveness, because of His love and grace, we should cry out to Him for His help to stop succumbing to the sin. But in our frailty when we fall to that weakness again, that sin that we hate, He forgives us again. And we then can enjoy fellowship with Him once more and live in His light and the light of His Word, the light of His teachings from the Bible.

Because of the work of Christ Jesus, God forgives us forever and He forgives us again and again when we confess our sin, when we simply admit to Him that we have done wrong. That's grace!!!