“…this is the Lord’s
declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing t and never again
remember their sin.” -
Jeremiah 31:34
The
primary Greek verb translated “forgive” (aphiemi)
means “to send away” or “to release.” It
refers to the actual removal of a debt and the form or process of canceling the
debt and consequences (Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:3). The other verb is (charizomai). This term
focuses more on the quality of the removal (Eph. 4:32). So tighter, in reference to sin, forgiveness
means, “to pardon” implying the heart motivation as well as the method.
Forgiveness has also rightly been descried as a promise of pardon, because when
God forgives, He promises that He will never hold our sins against us as seen
in Jeremiah 31:34. We also need to
understand that God’s forgiveness to us is a model for us to forgive one
another. We need to understand that we
need God’s forgiveness both before salvation and after salvation. Forgiveness prior to can be understood as
judicial forgiveness, because God acts as a judge, declaring us righteous
forever and delivering us form eternal condemnation (Romans 4:3-8; Colossians
2:13-14). Forgiveness after salvation
can be called parental forgiveness, because God is now our loving Father who
wants to free us from hindrances to our relationship that unconfessed sin
brings (Matthew 6:12; Hebrews 12:5-11; 1 John 1:9).
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