A sermon on forgiveness – the Bible and forgiveness

1) There are seven special words used throughout the Bible to express the forgiveness.
2) Today we want to look at just one word for forgiveness, and it is a New Testament word.
3) The word that is the basis for our study means “to send away” or “to let go.”
4) This word occurs as both a noun and a verb in the New Testament; we will start with it as a noun.
5) Our first passage, as you will see on the sheet, is Mt. 26:28.
a) He gave His life on the cross for the “remission” of sins.
b) Remission is one of the special words used to describe forgiveness (send away).
6) A good illustration of what this forgiveness is may be found in Lk. 4:18.
a) The text says, “He sent me to proclaim release from the captives.”
b) Release is the word for “forgiveness.”
7) We have seen people who were held captive and released.
8) God is very serious about communicating this point.
9) One of our accounts of the great commission is found in Lk. 24:47.
a) Jesus said heaven had a message for people. He said this message was for all people.
b) What were all nations to hear? There is “remission (the sending away) of sins.”
10) If we want to be completely freed from our sins, how does the process work?
11) Our answer is found in Acts 2:38.
a) “Forgiveness” (the word we have been studying) is also used in this passage.
b) In Acts 2 it was the Day of Pentecost and Peter the apostle was preaching.
c) Faith alone will not cut away a person’s sins.
12) Peter said in Acts 2:38 the people needed to “repent.”
13) Repentance is necessary (Lk. 13:3), but repentance does not take away the sins of a non-Christian.
14) Peter said, “be baptized unto (for, in order to receive) the forgiveness of sins.
a) If we want God to send away our sins, we must be baptized.
b) Without baptism, we retain every single sin.
15) Over the years many have mocked the importance of baptism.
16) Baptism allows us to contact the benefits of Christ’s blood and then our sins are sent away.
17) It is therefore not surprising that after baptism people were “added to the church” (Acts 2:41, 47).
18) Holy people (those with their sins forgiven) were put into the church.
19) The religious doctrines of men say put unholy people into the church and then baptize them.
20) Men have gotten the divine plan backwards.
21) Heb. 9:22 says without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.

LET’S NOW TURN OUR ATTENTION TO PLACES THAT USE THIS SAME WORD, ONLY IT OCCURS AS A VERB.

a) Mt. 6:12 is the first passage we want to cite in this regard.
b) To forgive means to send away; to get rid of something.
c) When we forgive someone, the matter is put in the trash and burned. The ashes are buried.
2) Mt. 18:21f, verse 35 – read
3) The word we are looking at is also found in Luke’s gospel, Lk. 23:34.
4) God is “faithful and just” to forgive us of our sins (1 Jn. 1:9).
5) Part of our being faithful and just is extending forgiveness to others.
6) Have we done that?

Find the truth about God and become a New Testament Christian. Find out more about New Testament Christianity by running some Internet searches for “church of Christ” and “churches of Christ.” You may also want to visit http://www.abiblecommentary.com for Bible study information.

Remember, in order to be saved and enjoy all God’s blessings (not the least of which is salvation), a person must have faith (Jn. 8:24), be willing to repent (Lk. 13:3), and after confessing Christ as Lord, the final step is water baptism (Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 3:20-21). Bible baptism is by immersion only (“burial,” Rom. 6:4), and once it is done, heaven puts that person “into Christ” (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3). After proper baptism a person has their sins forgiven (Acts 2:38).

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