Jesus Came To Bring Life, Not Condemnation!
John 3:16-17
(KJV) - For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Motivated by his love for the world, God’s purpose
in sending his Son has always been salvation, not condemnation. If it weren’t
for God’s love, we (sinners) would have been wiped out a long time ago.
Rebellion would have separated us from God forever. Make no mistake, God’s love
and compassion for the sinner is the driving force that “holds back” condemnation.
God’s nature is to “forgive” those who are lost in sin; not to “hold” their sins against them.
Those who hold grudges against people, refusing to let go of their animosity
and forgive, are not expressing the love of God. They are instead expressing
hatred, which is the nature of Satan, the accuser,
the condemner, Revelation 12:10 (KJV)
Jesus states upfront the laws that govern spiritual
life in God’s kingdom. Although we may want to ignore these laws, trying to
avoid any of God’s spiritual laws is a sin, which can bring dreadful
consequences. Forgiveness is one of those unavoidable spiritual laws. Our
refusal to forgive others is a sin so serious; it can actually bar us from
receiving God’s forgiveness for our own sins. Not only that, but it can cut off
our life with God altogether. Jesus tells us what is necessary to stay in tune
with the spiritual laws of God’s kingdom.
Mark 11:25
(NIV) - And when you stand
praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father
in heaven may forgive you your sins.
What does this passage mean in terms we can understand?
Simply that our Father in heaven is not at liberty to forgive us our sins, as
long as we are talking and acting like the devil; holding other people’s sins against them. If you will recall, Satan
was cast out of heaven for his accusations against the brethren. Breaking
spiritual law cost him a place in heaven.
Revelation
12:10 (KJV) - And I heard a loud voice
saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
Holding people in bondage through constant accusations,
is a sin born out of hate. It is a serious offense against God’s character and
holiness. Why? Without the removal of guilt
caused by sin, none of us would ever be able to live up to our potential in
Christ. We would always feel rejected, put-down and unworthy of God’s love and
forgiveness, which is exactly how Satan wants us to feel. He wants us to feel
like the scum of the earth, so we will stay away from God. By no means does he
want us rushing to God with a repentant heart, ready to be cleansed of
wrongdoing. Forgiveness allows us the freedom to grow, to experience God’s
love, and to reach the potential God created in us.
Bottom line: There can be no life, no
growth, and no spiritual relationship with God without receiving His
forgiveness. Since there is no spiritual life with God apart from forgiveness,
an unforgiving, accusing spirit is one who is still living in death and
condemnation.
John 3:18
(KJV) - He that believeth on him
is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Forgiveness characterizes those who seek the life
that Jesus came to bring. To emphasize our great need, 1) to fully accept the
forgiveness of God, and 2) to freely extend that forgiveness to others, Jesus
tells the parable of the unforgiving servant.
Matthew
18:23-35 (NIV) - Therefore, the kingdom of
heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he
began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to
him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and
his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
The servant fell on his
knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But
when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe
me!’ he demanded.
His fellow servant fell to
his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he
refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could
pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly
distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
Then the master called the
servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because
you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I
had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured,
until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat
each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
After reading this parable, we notice right away the
great contrast between the debts of the two servants. The first servant owed
his master 10,000 talents, which represented a huge debt. Faced with the near
impossibility of paying the debt, he fell on his knees and begged for an
extension of time. At this point in the parable we can easily picture the
compassionate forgiveness of God, to a pleading sinner who owes him a debt that
could never be paid back. Having compassion on the servant, the king cancelled
the entire debt and let him go free. This action represents the bright side of
the parable, which reveals God’s love and forgiving nature.
But then comes the dark side of the parable, when
the forgiven servant’s true character comes out! While leaving the king’s
presence with his huge debt cancelled, he met up with one of his fellow servants who owed him
a pittance in comparison. It wouldn’t have amounted to more than a few dollars,
maybe twenty dollars at most. Nevertheless, grabbing his servant by the throat,
he demanded payment! The servant, who had just been forgiven such a huge
amount, heard the exact same pleading he had given before the king, but he had
absolutely no compassion on his fellow servant. So, when this servant
requested time to repay the small debt, he had the man thrown into prison. The
servant’s unforgiving attitude didn’t set well with his fellow servants. They
were so offended by his misdeeds they went and told the king what had
happened.
When the king called the servant in, he faced him
with severe chastisement. He called him a wicked servant. The wicked servant’s
unwillingness to forgive his fellow servant was “proof positive” that he had
not actually received God’s forgiveness in his heart. If God’s forgiveness
(given by grace) is truly received in a man’s heart, it will create a
forgiving spirit. It has to, out of necessity, if it is born out of God’s
grace.
Jesus concludes the parable by pointing to the
offense of the unforgiving servant, contrasted with that of a just and holy
God. When God’s gift of grace is openly scorned, justice is certain. Jesus
teaches the hard lesson of forgiveness to
those who would scoff at God’s spiritual laws. It comes with a warning! Unless you
can forgive your brother from your heart, you cannot expect your heavenly
Father to forgive you.
Matthew
6:14-15 (NIV) - For if you forgive men
when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if
you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
In summary: Jesus came to bring life,
not condemnation! To receive that life and extend it to others, it must be
born out of a heart of love and forgiveness, not hate and condemnation. “He that believeth on him is not
condemned...”(John 3:18, KJV).
We haven’t truly believed and crossed over from death to life, until the well
being of our brothers and sisters is as important to us, as it is to our
Heavenly Father.
I John 3:14
(KJV) - We know that we have
passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abideth in death.
Questions for
Personal or Group Study:
1. What is the driving force that motivates God to
“hold back” his condemnation of sinners? See:
John 3:16-17.
2. If Satan were cast out of heaven for his constant
accusations against the believers, what right would we have to live in God’s
Kingdom if we were to do the same thing (bad mouth the believers)? If we are to
serve a Holy God, how are we to treat others? See: Galatians 6:10
3. What spiritual law must we follow when we stand
praying, if we want to stay in tune with the spiritual life of God’s kingdom? See: Mark 11:25
4. How does the removal of guilt give us the
freedom to grow spiritually and reach the potential God created in us? See: Romans 8:1-2
5. What spiritual law does Jesus tell us we are
violating when we hold things against anyone? See: Mark 11:25
6. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, what is the bright side of the parable? What
is the dark side of the parable? See:
Matthew 18:23-35.
7. What is the end result when God’s gift of
forgiveness is openly scorned? See:
Matthew 6:14-15 and also James 2:12-13
8. How do we know when we have truly crossed over
from death to life? See: I John 3:14