Articles
If You Do Not Forgive - Mark 11
If You Do NOT Forgive - Mark 11
I know that most of us are very familiar with the episode in which Jesus is questioned about ‘what authority’ He did things by (Mark 11:27f). Less emphasized are the two verses preceding this.
“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:25-26 NASB).
How DO we handle the situation when one has sinned against us? Not just offended our sense of pride or irritated us, but actually sinned against us? Here is my understanding of my responsibility towards such a one.
- Go to him. (cp. Matt. 18:15)
- Go to him SEEKING and DESIRING that he does right (and NOT in a hateful, angry, ‘seeking revenge’ type attitude).
- Tell him his fault - alone (between the two of you) (Matt. 18:15)
- Encourage repentance, showing your willingness and desire to forgive him.
- If he repents, forgive him (Luke 17:3-4).
- If he doesn’t, then take two or three with you, repeating the previous steps along with them. (Matt. 18:16)
- If he STILL refuses to repent, then withdraw your fellowship from him, yet count him NOT as an enemy but as a brother who needs to repent. (Matt. 18:17; 2 Thess. 3:15).
- If at anytime in the future he repents, forgive him.
Many people fail at the first point. Perhaps we just enjoy being angry at them? Perhaps we are just not done being angry at them? Many would prefer to gossip about this man rather than go to him and resolve the problem. Whatever the reason, at that point WE have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
More often we fail at point four. We confront the person but their demeanor is hard and hateful. We show ourselves to be argumentative and confrontational, seeking ‘to win the argument’ and show ‘ourselves to be right’. We are rather to be seeking this person’s salvation. As God came to us in love, so we should approach those who have sinned against us with love. As God came desiring our repentance, so we should go desiring their repentance. As God came wanting to forgive and restore our fellowship with Him, so we should want to forgive and restore our fellowship with those who have sinned.
Eph 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Hugh DeLong
As a side note, notice how this relates to the idea of being saved by ‘faith only’. Here is an action that is demanded of us. Here is something in addition to our believing in Jesus. Here is a condition that God has stated about our being forgiven by Him. WITHOUT doing this God has revealed He won't forgive OUR sins. Such forgiveness is still by the graciousness and kindness of God. We still don’t deserve our own forgiveness. True, some ancient copies of Mark did not include verse 26, but same teaching IS found in Matt 6:15; 18:35. There are also other such conditions that God has put concerning our being forgiven. Confession of Jesus as Lord is ‘unto salvation’ (Rom. 10:9-10). Repentance and remission of sins was tied together by Jesus in Luke 24:44. Jesus also said that ‘unless one repents he shall also perish’ (Luke 13:3). Baptism in the name of Jesus is to be done ‘unto the remission of sins’ (Acts 2:38). Paul taught that in being baptized, God forgives and makes alive (Col. 2:12-14). Such conditions do not nullify grace nor do they constitute ‘earning salvation’. They ARE however conditions that God has revealed.
