GREAT BIBLE WORDS
FORGIVE –FORGIVENESS
Ephesians 1:7
Ephesians 1:7
Introduction:
One of the most tender and emotion-stirring words of the Bible is the word forgiveness. It is truly an amazing word. Our sins, dark and filthy, deserve nothing less than eternal punishment. Yet God forgives us our sins by His amazing grace.
I. THE WORDS FORGIVENESS AND REMISSION ARE THE SAME GREEK WORD
A. A sending away, Matthew 9:2, “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
1. The perfect example in the Old Testament, Leviticus 16:8-9, 15, 20-22, “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.”
a. This sacrifice satisfied God for a year, Hebrews 10:3-4, “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
b. Jesus’ death is the final sacrifice which completely satisfied God’s, demands, Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
2. Our sins are take away as far as the east is from the west, Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
B. A passing by, Romans 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
1. Thus we have redemption by His grace, Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
2. We are justified from all things, Acts 13:38-39, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
II. THE EXTENT OF OUR FORGIVENESS
A. The Remission of the punishment due, Luke 5:20, And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”
1. Even the thought of the heart is forgiven, Acts 8:22, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”
2. Debts are forgiven, Matthew 18:27, “Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.”
B. The Complete removal of the cause of the offense, Leviticus 4:20, 26, “And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. 26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.”
1. The sin is covered, 1 Peter 4:8, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
2. He shall hide a multitude of sin, James 5:20, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
3. Blessed is the man whose sins are covered [atoned for], Romans 4:7-8, “Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
a. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, Psalm 51:9, “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.”
b. Whose sins are covered, Psalm 85:2, Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin.’
c. Whom the Lord will not impute sin, 1 Peter 2:24, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
CONCLUSION