Diving Deep in the Sea of God’s Sovereignty, Part 11

Diving Deep in the Sea of God’s Sovereignty, Part 11

Recap and Summary

As we are overflowing with praise and thanks, O precious and holy God, we rest in your absolute sovereignty over our lives. And rejoice to hear you say,

“Your times are in my hand.” (Psalm 31:15)

Sometimes we need to plunge our minds into the ocean of God’s sovereignty. We need to feel the weight of it, like deep and heavy water pressing in against every pore, the deeper we go. A billion rivers of providence pour into this ocean. And God himself gathers up all his countless deeds — from eternity to eternity — and pours them into the currents of his infallible revelation. He speaks, and explains, and promises, and makes his awesome, sovereign providence the place we feel most reverent, most secure, most free.

Sometimes we need to be reminded by God himself that there are no limits to his rule. We need to hear from him that he is sovereign over the whole world, and everything that happens in it. We need his own reminder that he is never helpless, never frustrated, never at a loss. We need his assurance that he reigns over ISIS, terrorism, Syria, Russia, China, India, Nigeria, France, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America — every nation, every people, every language, every tribe, every chief, president, king, premier, prime minister, politician, great or small.

Sometimes we need to hear specific statements from God himself about his own authority. We need God’s own words. It is the very words of God that have unusual power to settle our nerves, and make us stable, wise, and courageous.

Vague generalizations about the power of God do not have the same effect as the very voice of God telling us specifically how strong he is, how pervasive his power, how universal his authority, how unlimited his sovereignty. And that our times are in his hands.

Let’s turn what the Bible says about God into what God says about God — which is what the Bible really is — God speaking about God.

We praise you, O God, that all authority in the universe belongs to you.

“There is no authority except from me, and those that exist have been instituted by me.” (Romans 13:1)

“You, Pilate, would have no authority over my Son at all unless it had been given you from me.” (John 19:11)

We stand in awe, O God, that in your freedom you do all that you please and all that you plan.

“Whatever I please, I do, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” (Psalm 135:6)

“I work all things according to the counsel of my will.” (Ephesians 1:11)

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:9–10)

We marvel, O God, that you share this total authority and rule completely with your Son.

“I have given all authority in heaven and on earth to my Son, Jesus.” (Matthew 28:18)

“I love my Son and have given all things into his hand.” (John 3:35)

“I have given my Son authority over all flesh.” (John 17:2)

“I have put all things in subjection under my Son’s feet — all things except myself.” (1 Corinthians 15:27)

“I raised my Son from the dead and seated him at my right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. . . . I put all things under his feet.” (Ephesians 1:20–22)

“I welcomed my Son into heaven. He is at my right hand, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” (1 Peter 3:22)

We submit with reverence to you, O God, because, through your Son, you remove and install the rulers of the world.

“Wisdom and might belong to me. I change times and seasons; I remove kings and set up kings.” (Daniel 2:20–21)

“I loose the bonds of kings and bind a waistcloth on their hips.” (Job 12:18)

“I sent my angel and struck Herod down, because he did not give me glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.” (Acts 12:23)

Indeed, O God, you not only raise rulers and put them down; you govern all their deeds in every age.

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in my hand, says the LORD; I turn it wherever I will.” (Proverbs 21:1)

“I will put an end to the wealth of Egypt, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. . . . I will break the yoke of Egypt, and her proud might shall come to an end. . . . I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh.” (Ezekiel 30:10, 18, 24)

“I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.” (Jeremiah 27:6–7)

“As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand. I will break the Assyrian in my land; and his yoke shall depart from my people.” (Isaiah 14:24–25)

“I will make the nations the inheritance of my Son, and the ends of the earth will be his possession. He shall break them with a rod of iron.” (Psalm 2:8–9)

We acknowledge with wonder, O God, that no plan of man succeeds but those which you, in unfathomable wisdom, permit.

“I bring the counsel of the nations to nothing; I frustrate the plans of the peoples.” (Psalm 33:10)

“No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against me.” (Proverbs 21:30)

And how mighty and wise you are, O God, that no man, no nation, force of nature can thwart your holy plans.

“No purpose of mine can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)

“I do according to my will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay my hand or say to me, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35)

“There is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 43:13)

So, we bow, as dust in the scales, O God, and confess with joy, that we are as nothing compared to your greatness.

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales. . . . All the nations are as nothing before me, they are accounted as less than nothing and emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:15, 17)

“I sit above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. I stretch out the heavens like a curtain, and spread them like a tent to dwell in. I bring princes to nothing, and make the rulers of the earth as emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:22–23)

The joy of our hope, O God, is that you magnify your greatness by lifting up the low, and putting down the proud.

“Who but me can say to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man’? I show no partiality to princes, nor regard the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of my hands.” (Job 34:18–19)

“I shatter the mighty without investigation and set others in their place.” (Job 34:24)

“I look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand.” (Job 40:12)

“I the LORD kill and bring to life; I bring down to Sheol and raise up. I make poor and make rich; I bring low and I exalt.” (1 Samuel 2:6–7)

“I have scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; I have brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” (Luke 1:51–52)

And so it will be forever, O God. You rule over all, with an everlasting rule, for the sake of the lowly who trust your Son.

“I live forever, for my dominion is an everlasting dominion, and my kingdom endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:34)

“My dominion shall not pass away, and my kingdom shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14)

“My Son will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:33)

Therefore, overflowing with praise and thanks, O precious and holy God, we rest in your absolute sovereignty over our lives. And rejoice to hear you say,

“Your times are in my hand.” (Psalm 31:15)

Deep Truths To Ponder, Part 1

Yours They Were - BEFORE

I love what Mary did when God revealed to her weighty things about Himself to her.  “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).   

Here is what Mary did:   First, she took note of important deep things and put them in a safe place — her heart. Second, her thoughts “conferred” about them. That is she discussed it with people whom she trusted. That’s what “ponder” means, and what the Greek word for “ponder” implies.

So here are a few things we need to ponder:

Let’s start with Jesus’s prayer in John 17.

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me. . . . I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:6, 9)

Here are two stupendous statements. One is that God gave the disciples to Jesus. The other is that before he gave them to Jesus, they were ALREADY HIS. Now store that in a safe place for a moment.

There are at least three other ways that Jesus talks about people belonging to the Father BEFORE the Father gives them to him.

“You do not believe because you are not of my sheep”(John 10:26).

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” (John 8:47).

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).

Each of these three phrases — “of my sheep,” “of God,” and “of the truth” — describes people BEFORE  the Father gives them to Jesus.

People are “of my sheep” or not, BEFORE they believe, because Jesus says that not being “of his sheep” is WHY they “do not believe” (John 10:26).

People are “of God” BEFORE they truly “hear the words of God,” because Jesus says that not being “of God” is WHY people do not hear the words of God (John 8:47).

And people are “of the truth” BEFORE  they “listen to my voice,” because Jesus says that being “of the truth” is WHY  they listen (John 18:37).

So, these are three ways of describing the disciples’ belonging to the Father(or not) before he gives them to Jesus (John 17:6).

And this also applies to ALL born-again Christians.  Let that sink in!

End of Part 1

A Word To Christians

After watching what took place over the Kavanaugh’s hearings, it is tempting to be angry at liberal Democrats.  Or, you may be angry at Republicans.  But remember what the Word says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but. . .spiritual forces in high places” (Eph. 6:12). 

Let me share good example from the Bible.  Jesus often told His disciples that He must go to the cross.  This was the Father’s purpose and plan for bringing His Son into the world.  Peter took Jesus aside, rebuked Jesus and said, “God forbid it, Lord!  This shall never happen to You” (Matt. 16:22).  Jesus’ response is enlightening.  He said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (v. 23).

Did Jesus call Peter, Satan?  No. Jesus called Satan, Satan. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit behind’s Peter’s remarks to Jesus. The Lord went straight to the source. He saw that what prompted Peter to say what he did was the influence of Satan himself.

This is what the Bible means when it says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. It would be so easy to look at Democrats with disgust. But as Christians, we must remember that there is an evil spirit at work here (both among Democrats and Republicans) and we should be confronting and exposing it in prayer using the Word of God.

Now remember this:  Liberalism is an idea. You cannot destroy an idea with a bullet.  You cannot destroy an idea with something tangible and physical. The way to expose a bad idea and confront it head on is with a better idea. And a better idea is the gospel of Christ.

So it is true with the spiritual. Don’t think about all the bad things you want to happen to your enemies because they say and do things that you do not approve of. Go after the spirit behind the bad ideas of your enemies and confront it with spiritual weapons – prayer and the power of the Word.

Now this does not mean that people who allow demons to influence them with bad ideas are not responsible. They most certainly will be held accountable.  People are not forced to embrace bad ideas, they choose to and they want to for their own self purpose.

But never forget to attack the source of the bad ideas and bad behavior. Attack the supply. When you do this, God will come to your aid and fight for you, and in the process, using your prayers, will push back the forces of hell and save those who are at its gates.

Sins of the Flesh and Sins of the Spirit

If I were to ask you, “What was King David’s greatest sin?”  How would you respond?  You may respond by saying that his greatest sin was committing adultery with Bathsheba and then having her husband killed in battle in order to cover up his sin. Most certainly both adultery and murder along with deceit would be high on the list.

But actually, David committed another sin that had even greater consequences. Because of David’s adultery with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11), four person’s died – Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband), the baby that was born as a result of the adultery, Amnon (David’s son who raped his half sister, Tamar - 2 Sam. 13), and Absalom (David’s other son). These were tragic results stemming from David’s adultery with Bathsheba.

But checked this out: David’s other sin which was the numbering the people against the will of God (1 Chron. 21), which stemmed from pride, cost the life of 70,000 of his own people (v. 14)!  In fact, once David knew that he had done wrong, he confessed, “I have sinned greatly” (v. 8). 

Listen carefully.  How was it that God punished David for his sin of numbering the people greater than his sin of adultery and murder?

There are two types of sins we often commit:

1.   Sins of the flesh – adultery, murder, drunkenness, stealing, etc.

2.   Sins of the spirit – pride, envy, bitterness, rebellion, etc.

God laid a greater punishment on David’s sin of the spirit than He did on David’s sin of the flesh.

Now in our churches, where do we often place more emphasis on – the sins of the flesh or of the spirit?  We go after and looked down upon those who commit sins of the flesh because such sins are external. But we look the other way over sins of the spirit because such sins are internal.

Sins of the flesh are visible manifestations of sins of the spirit. Don’t just deal with the sins of the flesh and ignore the root cause – sins of the spirit. In God’s eyes, sins of the flesh reveal the spiritual and moral condition of the heart.  And while man’s look on the outward appearance, God examines the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

There Are No Atheists in Hell

Where do atheists go when they die?  You say, “They go to hell.”  Not true. Why do I say this?  Everyone who goes to hell believes in God.

The rich man in Luke 16 was an unbeliever.  The Bible does not call him an atheist, but he very well may have been. He wanted nothing to do with God.  Certainly, he lived his life as an atheist.

When he died and landed in hell, while being in torment, he saw Abraham and called out to him as “father” (v. 24), which conveys a spiritual awakening.  He also prayed (v. 25-30).  Atheists do not pray. The rich man then prays for Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to bear witness to his five brothers (vv. 27-28).  Bear witness of what? Bear witness that there is a God who is out there in which all are accountable to. He didn’t want his brothers to come to the same place he was in – i.e. hell.  

When Moses told the rich man that his brothers have the Scriptures – i.e. Moses and the prophets (v. 29), the rich man never said, “I don’t believe in the Scriptures.”   While in hell, he is a believer. In fact, he wanted someone to come to visit his brothers from the dead to warn them that hell is a real place (v. 30).  But Abraham said that the Scriptures were sufficient (v. 31).

Moreover, the rich man who lived as an atheist or unbeliever now believes in “repentance.”  He tells Abraham, “if someone goes to visit my brothers from the dead (i.e. sending Lazarus), they will repent” (v. 30).

There are no atheists in hell.  Atheists exist only here on earth, but when they die, they will become believers. By saying “believers,” I do not mean “saved” believers. In hell, there will be no opportunity to turn Jesus in saving faith for salvation. But nevertheless those in hell are “believers” in the existence and authority of God.

Finally, the Bible teaches that when history has come to a close, this is what will occur before the throne of God:  Therefore, God elevated Jesus to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father – Philip. 2:9-11.

Notice the passage says, “Every knee will bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth (afterlife).  Even in hell, those who are there will have to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. (cf. Col. 1:20, where the phrase, “under the earth” is missing so as not to mislead anyone into thinking that in the end, everyone will be saved, including the devil himself). 

Conclusion:  There are no atheists in hell. There are no atheists in heaven. The only place that is hospitable to atheists is earth.  But life on earth is temporary.  Life afterwards will be eternal.  Some have chosen to live a temporary life of atheism on earth, not knowing that they will spend eternity in hell as a believer in God.

So where do atheist go when they die? They go to hell as believers in the existence and authority of God. In hell there are no atheists.  Everyone there knows for certain that God exist, and He is “God and Father of all, through all, and in all” (Eph. 4:6).

One Spiritual Lesson I Find From Hurricane Lane

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. . .” – Psalm 16:4

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them” – Jonah 2:8

Here’s a thought.  It may not appear popular, but that’s okay.  All I want to do is to help people to ponder, examine and search for the truth, and with God’s help, to see for themselves what may or may not be.

First of all, nothing happens by chance. God does not operate on the basis of accidents or chance. He controls all the details of world events, storms, and the lives of people.  “Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His Word” (Psalm 148:8).

All of us here in Hawaii and a good portion of the world have been watching the eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano with its many fissures.  It is not uncommon to hear from our local news stations and even interviews from some of the residents who live on the Big Island how the eruption is the result of the goddess, Pele.  We hear, Pele is doing this, or Pele does not like this, or Pele wants to make this happen. . .etc.

Maybe, just maybe, Hurricane Lane is God’s way of saying, “There is no Pele. I control the seas, the winds, the storms and even all volcanic eruptions.  I would rather you blame Me for the volcanic eruptions and therefore acknowledge my existence, then to blame some other god that does not exist and ignore My Presence all-together.”   The bible says that “He (God) looks on the earth, and it trembles: he touches the hills, and they smoke” (Psalm 104:32).  Elsewhere, “Oh that you (God) would rend the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might flow down at your presence” (Isa. 64:1-3).

Meteorologists are baffled and amazed as to the behavior of hurricane Lane.   This hurricane kept the experts wondering for days as to what it was going to do.

The Island of Hawaii got hit the hardest by hurricane Lane. Oahu will experience some rain and a little wind – that’s it.

Now this is not to say more spiritual mature people live on Oahu than and on the Big Island.  No, never.  But it is to say that when you live on the Big Island or on any island for that matter, and the people attribute God’s activity with a demon and verbalize and promote idolatry as a explanation and expression for what is going on, then the real Creator, Builder and Sustainer will step in, and powerfully, mercifully (because things could always be more worse than it is) and hopefully, help people to see what Nebuchadnezzar had learned the hard way: “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.

His rule is everlasting,

    and his kingdom is eternal.³⁵ All the people of the earth    are nothing compared to him.He does as he pleases    among the angels of heaven    and among the people of the earth.No one can stop him or say to him,    ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’ (Dan. 4:34-35).

Can We Know Who The Antichrist Is?

I find it interesting that both Judas (John 17:12) and the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3) are called “son of perdition (or destruction)” and that Jesus called Judas a “devil” (John 6:70-71).

Remember during the scene in the Upper Room (John 13:21-30), Jesus told His disciples point blank – “one of you will betray Me” (v. 21).  Wanting to know who it was, the disciples began to ask one another, “who is it?” (v. 22).  Peter gestured to John to ask Jesus who it was that was going to betray Him (vv. 23-25).  Jesus gave a direct clear-cut answer: “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.”  So when he dipped the morsel, Jesus gave it to Judas (v. 26).  Satan therefore entered into Judas (v. 27). But verse 28 tells us that “no one knew” what was going on.

In other words, Jesus kept Judas’ identity and hidden agenda a secret until after he had fulfilled his million. Why? Because if the rest of the disciples knew, they would probably do all they could to stop him.  But Jesus did not want Judas to be stopped. Jesus wanted Judas to fulfill his destiny – betray the Son of Man so He could start walking the road to Calvary.  

Judas was living, breathing, working and eating with the disciples of Jesus and not one of them knew or understood that he would turn into a betrayer or antichrist.

So it is today. I believe in our midst, we have the man of sin, the son of perdition, the Antichrist living, working, eating and breathing among us. We do not know who he is because Jesus is keeping his identity and intentions a secret. There is a veil placed by God over the eyes of the church and the world regarding the identity of this global leader.

It won’t be until after the Rapture of the church and sometime during the start of the Tribulation Period (2 Thess. 2:6-9), God will lift the veil and the world will get its first revelation of Satan’s ultimate betrayer of God.

Therefore, I find it stupefying that Satan’s ultimate global leader is someone whom is possibly living, serving, working and teaching among us.  And at the same time, we cannot know who this person is until his mission is well underway.

God doesn’t want anyone to kill or harm this “son of perdition.” He has a job to do. He has a destiny to fulfill. God will take extreme measures to keep this man’s identity a secret, thus protecting his life, until he begins his journey to hell. 

Keep in mind that everyone (saved and unsaved) are indestructible in the watchful protection of God until He removes His protective restraints. 

Why Do I Post So Much About Politics?

“Pastor Rich, for a pastor, you sure write and post a lot about politics and government.  More than other pastors I know.  Why is that?”

Good question.  In case you were wondering why, I would like to explain the reasoning behind my political postings. 

First, I do not post a lot about politics because I think it is more important than the gospel of Christ. It is by far not. Nothing is more important for the human race than a clear presentation of the gospel of Christ – God loves you and has given His Son to take your place on the cross for your sins. And if you surrender your life to Him, and believe in Him and what He has done for you, then you will be saved and have eternal life.  Nothing is more important than the gospel. 

But in saying this, politics does play an important role.  Here’s how:  First, politics is often shaped and developed by three main human institutions:  Academia, Hollywood and the Media.  Liberals have a monopoly on these three institutions and they know it. They get their marching orders from these and formulate policies, ideas, laws and principles that affect the lives of others and shape the course of government and therefore, this nation.

People can ignore politics and go on with their lives pretending all is fine, but whether they know or understand it or not, they’re being used, shaped and controlled by ideologies – both from the right and the left.

In the end, during the time of the Tribulation Period, under the leadership of a political charismatic world leader, his government will do the following:  Put people (Christians especially) to death who do not go along with his ideologies (Rev. 6:9-10; 7:13-14), put Jews (those identified with the nation Israel) to death (Rev. 11:7-10; 12:13-17); force everyone to receive the descriptive mark on their hands or foreheads in order to buy and sell (Rev. 13:11-18;), and if they choose not to, they will be put to death (v. 15); capture and swallow up other nations so as to have a one world government controlled by the antichrist himself (Rev. 14:8); demand that the beast (the antichrist who will be in some way an incarnation of Satan) be worshiped, or put to death, thus incurring eternal damnation from God (Rev. 14:9-11).

When this all occurs, two institutions will be totally corrupted.  Religions (Rev. 17) and governments (Rev. 18).  Demon controlled religion by the political government of the beast will also be used to put Christians to death (Rev. 17:4-7).   Then there is the political system of the beast (Rev. 18) which will have a global affect.   We’re told: “Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).  Well, you cannot come out unless you are already in.  And then you need to know what you are coming out of.  This is why burying your head in the sand approach to politics is not a wise thing to do. Bad governments, immoral politics, false religions, all operated and are founded by haters of God who will affect the church is a big way.  We cannot afford to be ignorant of such things.

So why do I post a lot about politics and social concerns?  Because the enemy of the church, Satan himself will use such things to weaken the church and cause her to be ineffective as well as spiritually polluted.  It is, therefore, important to keep ourselves aware of such things as we move closer to the Tribulation Period, so we know how to do battle against ungodly political forces.

When Is The Right Time To Forgive?

A core fundamental blessing of being a Christian is to be forgiven by God.  All true Christians have been blessed to be forgiven by God. The Lord, likewise, wants us to pass on the blessing to others.  So when is the right time to forgive another brother or sister?

The first thing we need to understand is that biblical forgiveness falls into two parts:  Private and Public.

Private Forgiveness

When Jesus was crucified on the cross for committing no crime at all, but simply being hated as the Son of God He claimed to be, He spoke privately these words:  “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). 

This was Jesus’ private prayer to His Father.  Jesus was not asking the Father to forgive in a salvific sense, i.e. save them no matter what the conditions of their hearts are, even if they don’t repent. No. Jesus was asking His Father to spare their lives physically, for some of them may come around later and see the folly of what they had done and turn to Christ in repentance and forgiveness.  After all, this is precisely what occurred with a centurion soldier (Luke 23:47-48). 

Another Scriptural example of private forgiveness is seen in the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2:22-23:  “He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. ²³ He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

Jesus privately forgave His accusers, leaving the results and circumstances in the hands of His Father, who judges all matters fairly.

Private forgiveness is between the heart of the person wronged or offended and God. Private forgiveness is not a prayer that requests that the offender be removed from all responsibility and justice. It is not a prayer to undue the offender’s need to repent. It is a prayer that helps the offended from becoming bitter with God and others.

Private forgiveness is something ALL Christians must engage in whenever they are wrongly offended, accused or mistreated.  But remember this: Biblical forgiveness always requires at least three parties:

Party 1 – God

Party 2 – The Offended

Party 3 – The Offender

Private forgiveness actively occurs only between Parties 1 and 2. Party 3 is given over to God for His righteous evaluation and justice.

Public Forgiveness

Now private forgiveness is always VERTICAL (between God and the one mistreated).  Public forgiveness is more HORIZONAL (between the one mistreated and the one who is the offender).

A good example of this is found in 1 Corinthians 5.  The Corinthian church had a moral problem. The church was tolerating a man who was sleeping with his stepmother (v. 1).  Paul states that they had become arrogant and had not mourned this sin which was being tolerated in the church.

Let’s stop here and talk about “toleration.” So many Christians say to me, “Pastor Rich, we should not judge.  We should be forgiving and loving to the offender.  After all, God forgave and loved us for our sins.”

And I politely say, “No.  We are not to tolerate sin and call it love and forgiveness.  It is far from it. God did love us “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8), but His love for us did not grant unto us His forgiveness and acceptance until we first repented from our sins” (Acts 2:38). 

Two things we must learn to rightly separate:

First, love and acceptance – to love someone does not mean that you always have to accept him.  “For God so loved the world. . .” (John 3:16), but does that mean He accepts the world? No, love is an act of giving, but not always an act of accepting. 

Second, tolerance and forgiveness – When you are tolerant of someone, it does not mean you are exercising biblical forgiveness.  Paul told the Corinthians that their tolerance of this man who was sleeping with his stepmom was evidence of their arrogance, not forgiveness. 

Furthermore, by being people who are ready to forgive others who repent does not mean that are going to tolerate bad behavior. If I tolerate bad behavior and call it forgiveness, I am simply being arrogant.

So what was Paul’s counsel to this church? Verse 13:  “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”   Again in verse 11: “Do not associate with a so-called brother who is living an immoral life. . .” Verse 9 – Do not associate with immoral people.”

Why the removal?   Here it is – verse 6:  “Do you not know that a little leaven (toleration of sin) leavens the whole lump of dough?”  In other words, now get this – The issue is not you being tolerate of someone else’s sin, but you ought to be protective of the spiritual welfare of others who can possibly become contaminated by your toleration of the leaven (sin).  So Paul begins verse 6 by saying, “Your boasting (in that you are tolerating sin) is not good.”  The Corinthians were tolerating this man’s sin and calling it true forgiveness. Paul said, “No, it’s not forgiveness.  It is boasting. It is pride.  It is wrong.”

In fact, Paul was so passionate about the removal of this man from the assembly, he said in verse 5: “I have decided to deliver such a person unto Satan for the destruction of his flesh. . .”   That’s how serious Paul was.  Did you notice any signs of “tolerance?”

2 Corinthians 2

After Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, he got word that there were still some things that needed to be addressed.   So he wrote a second letter.  This was within a few months time frame.

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul brings up the matter of the man who was sleeping with his stepmother that he had discussed months ago in 1 Corinthians 5. Paul received word that the offender had REPENTED.  His sin had caused much sorrow to the church (v. 4).  So the church took Paul’s advice and carried out the discipline which was “inflicted by the majority” (v. 6). 

But here’s what happened.  The discipline of moving the offender from the church worked! He repented. But when he did repent, the church still afflicted punishment on him. They said, “You’re not coming back.  We’re still not going to associate with you.” Paul said, “Enough! Forgive and comfort him” (v. 7).  And “reaffirmed your love for him” (v. 8).

In verse 10, Paul tells the Corinthians, “I have already forgiven the offender.” Apparently, when Paul encouraged the Corinthians to put the wicked person out from the church, Paul’s authority was attacked. The offender did not want to leave the church quietly but must have made a fuss. He probably tried to split the church, pitting Paul against the Corinthians. When the offender repented, of both his incest and his attack on Paul, the apostle said, “I have already forgiven him for what his attack on me, and you should also do the same for his sin in the church causing you much sorrow.”

Then Paul closes with these words: “In order that no advantage is taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (v. 11).

What are Satan’s schemes? He has an arsenal at his disposal. But in this context, Satan’s schemes are:

1.   To try to get believers to accept that once you have done something awful, you cannot be forgiven and restored.  You are done, you are a has-been, you are failure for life.

2.   To try to get believers to over-emphasize the punishment and to under-emphasize forgiveness.

3.   To try to get the church to operate under extreme law with no regard for love.

4.   To tolerate sin and think of it as being forgiving

5.   To think that love and discipline are mutually exclusive.

6.   To permanently damage relationships among believers

7.   To break the bond between church leaders and the members of the church.

Conclusion:  Forgiveness is an incredibly important ingredient for Christians to display. There is private forgiveness that is done between the offended and God and public forgiveness that is done between the offended and the perpetrator.

Forgiveness is given by the one mistreated only when repentance by the offender has been done. Forgiveness on this basis should be swift. A reaffirmation of love and acceptance ought to be granted by those offended to the repented offender. In this case, the matter is dropped and never to be revisited again, unless it happens to appear again.

Tolerance of sin is not displaying forgiveness, but arrogance. The issue is not on being tolerant, but on preserving the spiritual well-being of others.