Recently, I was asked a rather interesting and thought-provoking question: What is the nature of forgiveness? Initially, I searched my mind for the definition of the word “forgiveness” in the Biblical sense, but that was not what the person was truly asking. The biblical word forgiveness is “ἀφίημι,” or aphiēmi (af-ee’-ay-mee), which means to give up a debt or to abandon one’s pursuit entirely. That means that when Jesus says our sins have been forgiven, they have been entirely removed from our being, and their consequences no longer apply to our lives. But again, that is not actually the answer to the question presented.
The “nature of” something is the characteristics of the thing itself, not the definition. So the question truly is, what are the characteristics of forgiveness? I would venture to say that an even more truthful formulation of this question is, what are the characteristics of God’s forgiveness? My answer to that would be in one word...radical. You see, the word radical is defined as “relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something.” There is nothing more fundamentally changing to our human nature than the forgiveness that Christ offers. When Jesus is on the cross, he proclaims forgiveness over all those who had wronged him (which was a long list), claiming that it was their ignorance that nailed him to that dark edifice. One could even say that his utterance of aphiēmi (forgiveness) of that moment was also towards all those in the future who would crucify him in their hearts or reject him with their souls. To hang in the balance of utter suffering and call out words of mercy is one of the characteristics, or nature, of God’s forgiveness.
The forgiveness of the Bible is a challenge like no other for the human race; it calls upon the recipient of forgiveness to be like Christ in the dispensing of the grace they have received. That nature is to look upon those who abuse, misuse, and falsely accuse us with mercy and a desire towards their reclamation by God, a desire for them to turn from their ways and receive the mercy of Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I can think of several people whom I would have a very hard time extending this attitude towards. And yet Christ did the same thing for you and me.
