God's Forgiveness

Just before Jesus gives the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35, Peter comes to Him and asks how often he should forgive a sinning brother. ...

God's forgiveness of us is directly tied to our forgiveness of those who have sinned against us! We must reciprocate God's forgiveness by forgiving others.

It is commonly thought that we pay no price for forgiveness, yet Scripture shows that God gives us significant responsibilities to be a part of His family.

Sometimes God's sense of justice seems unusual or strange to us, giving us many questions to ponder about fairness. Justice and fairness are not identical.

Reflecting on Father's Day, Richard Ritenbaugh observes that, historically, America has not respected fathers, often depicting them as irresponsible and doltish like Homer Simpson. Significant biblical examples of fatherhood, including the patriarchs, all . . .

God has 'soft' virtues, which most churches proclaim loudly and often, and 'hard' ones, which get little attention. God has having a range of character traits.

To dramatize the perennial harlotry of Israel and the incredible love God exhibits toward His people, He commands Hosea to marry a harlot, Gomer.

Because we are all sinners, we have earned only death; justification is not earned, but must come through faith and believing God as did our father Abraham.

Martin Collins, assessing Paul's admonition that God's people be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1-2), acknowledges that God possesses three non-transmittable attributes: omnipotence (being all-powerful), omnipresence (existing everywhere at once), and omni. . .

Because we would die from exposure to God's glory, the name of God, reflecting His characteristics, is the only way we can approach God.

Some may doubt that God is in control, but God's sovereignty over His creation is complete. The course of world events are moving according to His will.

Scripture takes a very stern view of sin because it is failure to live up to God's standard and destroys relationships, especially our relationship with God.

Many use Colossians 2:14 to 'prove' God's law is done away, but is this really what Paul means? Examining the whole counsel of God reveals Paul's intent.

Offenses and sins against us are unfortunately common. Jesus teaches us how to deal with them in this parable, focusing on our attitude of forgiveness because of being forgiven ourselves.

Austin Del Castillo maintains that the reason we are here is to learn our part in God's plan to reconcile the whole of mankind to Himself. We need to get to know God in order that we feel like Him, think like Him, and act like Him. Without Jesus Christ's a. . .

Forgiveness is not a feeling that washes over us, but a conscious choice. It does not mean that the offense will never come to mind, nor that all the pain vanishes.

The Bible is full of commands to forgive and examples of forgiveness, and none of them stipulates that we wait for the sinner to repent before we forgive.

It is impossible to become perfect without having mercy or compassion. Jesus' command to become perfect includes showing compassion to our enemies.

Mercy is an important dimension of God's character, displayed by our compassion on and forgiveness of those over whom we have power.

When Jesus declared His purpose to the Jews in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19), the theme of His comments focused on liberty so that humanity can be reconciled and at-one with God. Austin Del Castillo posits that we human beings tend to work at cross-purposes to G. . .

Why does it mean to observe the Passover in a worthy manner? It is not about works. It begins with realizing the depth of our sin, yet our focus must go beyond this.

Jesus contrasts the enormity of what we are forgiven to what we forgive others. Our forgiveness is directly connected with our forgiveness of our brother.

Martin Collins, citing Ephesians 4:29-32, warns against corrupt, bitter, and wrathful communication, a practice which may grieve or attenuate God's Spirit. We have the tendency to nurse or harbor grievances and bitterness, souring our outlook on everything. . .

Sin and human nature affect everyone in society—from king to commoner—but God has covered sin from every angle in the sacrifice of His Son, fulfilling Leviticus 4-5.

In this sermon focusing on meekness and forgiveness, John Ritenbaugh indicates that when we are sinned against, our ego gets extremely strong and our emotions get muddled, making it difficult to give forgiveness. Because God is the Creator of everything, o. . .

When God calls us and redeems us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we suddenly come under obligation—a debt we cannot pay but overshadows all we do.

In this message on the definition of grace, John Ritenbaugh insists that God has never acted unjustly to any one of us, even one time. It is utterly impossible for Him to do so. Through the parables, we learn that our forgiveness by God is directly linked . . .

God put up with the foibles of Abraham, Samson, David, Job, and others, allowing them time to repent and build character. We need to develop this godly trait.

The healing of the paralytic is a remarkable event. Significantly, Jesus honors the faith of the paralytic's friends who lowered him through the roof.

Justification does not 'do away' with the law; it brings us into alignment with it, imputing the righteousness of Christ and giving access to God for sanctification.

Jesus' perfect offering of Himself for us fulfilled the sin offering of Leviticus 4. Our acceptance of His offering for atonement puts us under obligation.

The focus of our self-examination should not be self-centered or comparing ourselves with others, but on the awesome significance of His sacrifice.

Biblically, patience is far more than simple endurance or longsuffering. The patience that God has shown man gives us an example of what true, godly patience is.

Although God never intended the Old Covenant to endure eternally, the spiritual law (shared by both the old and new covenants) lasts forever.

God has imputed righteousness to us as His Children because we are in Christ. Our state before God is unleavened provided we maintain this relationship.

We live in a time when people have acquired a weak sense of obligation to family, society, or nation. Because sin cannot be undone, all are debtors to God.

Forgiveness is only the beginning of the grace process, enabling us to grow to the stature of Christ. Paradoxically, grace puts us under obligation to obey.