I will get straight to the point.
Forgiveness is not Biblical!
To truly grasp the profound meaning of forgiveness, it is essential to understand the role of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work.
Because: Can God finally forgive us since Jesus Christ died?
Was forgiveness possible only sporadically before that time?
I want to show you that forgiveness is not Biblical at all.
In love, there is no forgiveness because in love there is never any guilt.
In love, there is no need for forgiveness because in love guilt doesn’t exists.
Instead of forgiveness, the gospel is about liberation.
The Greek word translated as forgiveness in the New Testament is the word αφεσις.
(aphesis Strong #859)
The literal meaning of this word is telling; it means departure or deliverance.
A story that provides us with a rich understanding of this meaning is recorded in the book of Exodus.
The exodus from Egypt is the perfect story to give us deep insight into the true meaning of forgiveness.
In the Bible, Egypt serves as a symbolic image of the slavery of sin.
The people of God are you.
Pharaoh is an image of Satan, the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He is an image of the thoughts from the flesh and all that derives from it.
Pharaoh uses the people of God as slaves to build his own kingdom.
The thoughts from the flesh use you to chase after an earthly kingdom.
Romans 6:17-18 (BSB)
But thanks be to God
that, though you once were slaves to sin,
you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed.
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Do you see that?
God did not forgive us from Egypt; He liberated us from Egypt.
He did not forgive you of sin; He liberated you from sin.
The form of teaching this text speaks of is Jesus Christ.
You started to listen to what He teaches you.
This teaching does not forgive you of sin; it liberates you from sin.
Forgiveness of sin does not exist in love, only liberation from sin.
Forgiveness of sin does not exist in love, only liberation from sin.
Here lies a crucial distinction.
Forgiveness of sin would suggest that there is guilt that needs to be pardoned.
But in God’s love, there is no guilt.
Instead, God offers us liberation from sin.
THAT is grace!
And you will see and understand that grace when you get to know Jesus Christ and understand why He died on the cross.
To get to know Christ, you must eat of Him.
You get to know Him by taking Him in.
In the natural, you eat and drink with your mouth.
In the spiritual, you eat and drink with your ears – spiritual ears – so you can hear what the Spirit is saying to you.
Because:
Matthew 4:4 (BSB)
Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
To understand the death of Jesus Christ, we must drink His blood with spiritual ears.
Jesus first explained this to His disciples.
He raised a glass of wine and said:
Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sin.
No, He didn’t say that!
He said:
Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for many for the liberation from sin.
God did not forgive us from Egypt; He liberated us from Egypt!
The death of Jesus Christ goes far beyond simply forgiving debts; it liberates us from the inner burden of sin and shame that separates us from God.
It makes us aware of God’s unconditional love and removes the barriers between us and Him.
Hebrews 9:13-14 (NKJ short)
For if the blood of bulls and goats sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience!
The blood of Christ cleanses your conscience, freeing you from sin.
The blood of Christ shows you that you have no guilt because you are loved.
Love is a person (1 John 4:8), and love bears all things, love endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Let me give you an example
Imagine that I started a business with a good friend of mine.
One day, he thinks I cheated him and becomes extremely angry.
In his anger, he yells at me, goes outside, and kicks the side mirror of my car.
When he gets home and calms down on his couch, he reevaluates everything and realizes I didn’t cheat him at all.
Immediately, he regrets getting so angry and damaging my car’s mirror.
We’ve always been good friends, and normally, he would just walk in through the back door.
But now, he hesitates to come to my place.
And even though, as good friends, he would usually walk right in, he decides to ring the doorbell.
When I answer the door, he says, “I’m sorry for getting so angry at you and damaging your car. Can you please forgive me?”
Because I love him, I don’t need to forgive him because, in my eyes, he bears no fault.
I don’t need to forgive him; I need to free him from the idea that he owes me something.
This way, I liberate him from his sin and from the burden of guilt and shame that he carries, preventing him from coming to me in all boldness.
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJ)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace!
Because we have a clean conscience through the blood of Christ, which tells us that we have no guilt before God.
THAT is repentance.
Repentance is renewing your mind.
It means that you have come to know God’s love and, as a result, have started thinking differently about Him.
By repenting, by renewing your thinking, you are transformed, from an old heaven and an old earth to a new heaven and a new earth.
This is what Paul wants to make clear in Romans 12.
Romans 12:2 (NKJ)
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Do not be conformed to this world
the old heaven and the old earth
but be transformed
reformed, into a new heaven and a new earth
How?
by the renewing of your mind.
You are renewed by thinking differently.
You are renewed by leaving your old thinking behind.
Because God did not crucify Jesus on the cross; man did!
And God did not abandon man; man abandoned God!
God did EVERYTHING to show His love to us.
He wants to liberate you from the burden of guilt and shame.
He wants to free you from the slavery of sin.
The liberation we experience through Christ transforms us into a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (BSB)
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation:
the old has passed away,
→ the old heaven and the old earth where you did not yet know God’s love.
behold, the new has come.
→ the new heaven and the new earth, where you have started thinking differently and see that you are free
All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
Do you see that?
We have the same ministry that was given to Jesus.
that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ,
not counting men’s trespasses against them!
The ministry of reconciliation involves sharing the liberating message of God’s love and grace, so others can also experience the freedom from sin and shame.
Let’s translate the word “Aphesis” only as “liberation” from now on.
And let’s remove the word “forgiveness” from our vocabulary.
Instead of focusing solely on forgiving debt, the gospel invites us to understand the depths of God’s love and liberation.
Through the death Jesus Christ, we are not merely forgiven; we are freed from the burden of sin and shame and purified by God’s love.
Let us focus on spreading this liberating message so that others can also experience the redemption and renewal found only in Christ.
