There is a big difference between forgiveness of sins and forgiveness. Now, this might sound obvious; but it isn't.
To forgive someone means that you forgive them a specific act or words spoken against you; however, to forgive someone for committing a sin against you or against a family member, you can't do that. Nobody can forgive sins, except for the Creator, and the way He forgives sins is through His Son.
Eashoa (Jesus) commanded His disciples to forgive each other. In this way, He said to them, the Father will forgive you. Eashoa had not yet died on the Cross and "taken away man's sins." That's something different, something that would come later. What Eashoa meant by forgiving each other, was that His disciples would be forgiven some dereliction of duty, if they forgave their companion something that he did or said against them. The forgiveness did not entail the forgiveness of a sin in exchange for a similar sin that they had committed. The forgiveness was a state of grace that was to be vouchsafed them when they forgave someone's shortcomings or failure to commit a duty towards them. So it wasn't like being forgiven for killing someone if they forgave someone for killing them; that doesn't make sense. Or even it wasn't like being forgiven for stealing something from someone if they forgave him for stealing something from them. This is not how forgiveness of sins works. Now, you might have said that's obvious; but it wasn't, was it?
So one is forgiven for failures of performing what is expected of them, if they forgive others in similar manner. Otherwise, sins cannot be forgiven, they are set aside, they're passed over. They remain as sins until the Lord forgives them Himself. True repentance is expected for sins to be forgiven; but the human being is a sinner by nature (the flesh continues to commit sin) and continues to sin even after the sins atoned for have been forgiven. Jesus said that everyday has its own evils. People continue to commit sin as long as they are in this world, even though after they have committed themselves to the Lord, they will sin less frequently and less seriously. "Go and sin no more," is a reference to a particular sin, not all sins, as in the case of Mary Magdalene, she was not to continue prostitution. The fact that she was still vulnerable to other sins was obvious.
When Eashoa died on the Cross, He forgave all the sins of those who had not recognized Him before He came to the world, and He forgave all the sins of those who broke the Law of the Prophets. Eashoa did not forgive all sins forever; that's not what He said He would do. Again, you might say, that's obvious; but it isn't, is it? Eashoa died for all sinners to have a chance of forgiveness, but they wouldn't all repent and ask for forgiveness. Only the few would do it; out of many thousands only a few would repent and be forgiven.
Eashoa died for those who would be forgiving toward others and those who would ask for forgiveness for their sins. Eashoa did not die for the sake of those who would continue to commit the same sins. He neither destroyed all sin, nor did He destroy Satan. They would all continue as long as there was a world, this world that we know in the flesh.
But after Eashoa went back to Heaven, He would sit from the Right of the Father (in other words, He would exercise power and judgment -- as all power and judgment were given to Him.) Therefore, His death and resurrection proffered to us the hope of the Kingdom through our faith, the faith that ensures we can persist to resist sin through grace, and to continue to forgive one another and be charitable toward each other.
Dec. 10, 2011
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