It’s not what people use it to mean. Forgiveness isn’t for the offender, but for the offended. Indeed this is a huge subject. Definition first:
Forgive in Hebrew:
– Original: נשׂא
– Transliteration: Nasa’
– Phonetic: naw-saw’
– Definition:
1. to lift, bear up, carry, take
In Greek:
– Original: ἀφίημι
– Transliteration: Aphiemi
– Phonetic: af-ee’-ay-mee
– Definition:
1. to send away
a. to bid going away or depart
Very interesting. To forgive is to carry away, to bid going away. Here’s how this applies. Let’s start with this verse:
Proverbs 18:8 (KJV)
The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
…are as wounds… this is so true that every child is almost taught “sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt” and that is a big fat lie. It’s a failed attempt to make a negative situation a positive. But here we have the word of God that says otherwise. They ARE as wounds. Furthermore, it’s not just a momentary hurt but those wounds go down into the innermost parts of the belly! What does that mean? It goes to the heart. The heart is more than the pump that circulates the blood, it is where we keep the records of our events. The mind is used to analyze events in our lives, but it’s the conclusions that are kept in our bodies, in every cell, rightly or wrongly judged. When David asked to search his heart Psa 139:23-24, this is what he was talking about. Our judgments of events in our lives are stored and will affect us if we do not send it away – forgive. Those feelings will rot out where ever they were stored. Here’s an example:
There was a friend of mine that had chronic sinus infections and spent thousands trying to discover the problem. Nothing. Then one day I asked her, “Did anything happen to you as a child?” She hung up the phone. Three hours later she called back and explained a horrible childhood with an unbelievably brutal mother. I told her she needed to forgive her mother. She hung up again. Three days later she called back trying to justify her hate of her mother. After a few hours of deep discussion she relented but said it was still impossible to forgive her because she had already died. I told what I said above: forgiveness is for the offended not the offender. She hung up civilly this time saying she had to think about it.
Days went by. She called back and said she cried and cried but she forgave her mother. A few more days went by and she called back saying her sinus infection had gone! That was 5 years ago and she’s been free ever since.
Mark 11:26 (KJV)
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
1 John 2:12 (KJV)
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
How can these two verses not be a contradiction? One is conditional and the other isn’t. So which is it? (These are rhetorical questions, I’ll answer them.) Indeed, as Christians, our sins are completely forgiven, and we have access to abundant grace. So, did Jesus lie? God forbid! So it means only one thing: His words are not understood (surprise!).
God’s grace is sufficient, 2 Cor 12:9 So what is grace? Unmerited favor. Salvation means freedom from stress – all, not just the change of destination after death. But you can look that one up. So… why if we have this wonderful superabundant grace are there still illnesses in the body of Christ? Time for more understanding:
Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)
The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?
So we saw before the wounds go down to the innermost part of the belly. The word heart here means the inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding, the inner part, midst. Belly also means the seat of mental faculties. This is very interesting because remember your first love, where did it hurt? In the belly right? All the feelings go there. When someone is deeply upset they don’t want to eat. If these where just mental issues alone, why does it affect the belly like the word of God says? Because it’s true.
Here’s Youngs Literal of the verse above:
Jeremiah 17:9 (YLT)
Crooked [is] the heart above all things, And it [is] incurable–who doth know it?
When events are buried inside us, we don’t even recognize their reaction to other events as being connected. Have you ever totally lost it and not know why, or how that could happen to you? That’s a buried, festering, feeling in response to an event. It requires the Holy Spirit in meditation of His word to weed that out and send it away – forgive. This is why the question is asked, who can know it? Only God can because we’ve buried it! But once He tells you about it, you must then act on that information and send away the hurt. This is what they do for PTSD soldiers. They get them to acknowledge and release the pain, walk through and get rid of those feelings. This is what doctors do for children who cannot express themselves, they have them draw out the traumatic event. If you ignore those feelings it will only manifest itself as an illness 20, 30, 50 years later, because you don’t use what God gives you – grace. That grace will give you the power to overcome all those negative feelings. And because you deal with those transgression against you – send away, forgive -, God can heal (forgive, send away) your transgressions – meaning He now has YOUR permission to deal with your issues.
Here’s why that verse is translated so.
John 20:19-23 (KJV)
Then the same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them [his] hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace [be] unto you: as [my] Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; [and] whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained.
So Jesus shows up, say “Peace” tells them He sends them like His Father did to Him, gives them the Holy Spirit and then talks about “remit”. Hallelujah! It’s the same word for SEND AWAY translated elsewhere as forgive!
Here’s the Message’s translation:
John 20:22-23 (MSG) Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”
He’s saying, if you don’t send away the sins of others – from where? YOU! – then what are you going to do with them seeing they’re going to reside in your BELLY!!!
If you forgive, then God can heal you. Where’s that in the bible you say?
Galatians 2:21 (KJV)
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
The word frustrate means to do away with, to set aside, disregard, to thwart the efficacy of anything, nullify, make void, frustrate! Here you go, if you reject the grace of God you’re NULLIFYING it! And if you nullify you’re canceling it out. So now you can understand the meaning of:
Mark 11:26 (KJV)
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
If you do not send away (because you reject, nullify the grace given to you), neither can your Father send away yours because YOU won’t release them!! It’s all cause and effect!
That’s what forgiveness is! I die daily. I renew my mind. I send away, not cover up, those negative, festering feelings. This is the meaning of 2 Cor 10:5!
Once you get rid of them, the way to maintain it is Phil 4:8!
I hope this LONG (yet very short) study of forgiveness helps someone! Praise God!
John 8:32 (KJV)
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.