I am very moved by the testimony coming from some of the Charleston church victims’ families. My heart is bound with them because they wear the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and they are suffering. However, I think it’s very important for Christians to uphold a biblical – not a conventional view of forgiveness at a time like this. Offering forgiveness to the unrepentant is not biblical. Contrary to popular thinking (and a lot of mainline Evangelical thinking) the Bible does not teach unconditional forgiveness. The Bible teaches repentance. Ephesians 4:32 says that we are to forgive one another “as God in Christ forgave you.” In other words, only those who repent and have saving faith in Jesus Christ are forgiven. When we offer forgiveness to the unrepentant, as I see some hurting and well-meaning Christians doing right now, we are in danger of cheapening the grace of God.
Of course, this topic cannot be sufficiently addressed in a tiny post. If you truly want to learn more about what the Bible has to say on this, I recommend “Unpacking Forgiveness” by Chris Brauns. Chris has written one of the most important books on this topic. As he explains, “Unpacking Forgiveness” presents “the beauty of God’s grace and the necessity of forgiveness. But it will also teach the reader that forgiveness must take place in a way that is consistent with justice. We must move beyond a ‘feel-good doctrine of automatic forgiveness.’ Christians must always have a willingness to forgive or an attitude of forgiveness. But this does not mean that forgiveness always takes place.“
On a personal note, I will tell you that getting hold of the biblical truths laid out in this book, marked a spiritual turning point for me. I cringe whenever I read anything I’ve written a long time ago but in 2009, I wrote a review of “Unpacking Forgiveness” on my blog. Click here to read.
It’s a difficult concept to wrestle with, especially given the tragedy and forgiveness in Charleston are both still so fresh, but technically you’re right–offering forgiveness to the unrepentant is not biblical. Nevertheless, it’s heartwarming to see such powerful demonstrations of Christian love and grace making headlines instead of the usual news stream of hate and death. Nice post. You lovingly interjected biblical truth into the conversation but tempered with compassion for those suffering from this terrible massacre.
Pastor Braun’s book was a huge help to me regarding forgiveness. I also like how Paul Tripp distinguished 2 aspects of forgiveness – vertical and horizontal. Towards God, we chose not to seek revenge and leave the outcome in His hands. Towards the offender, we earnestly urge him to repent because he is not right with God. So the motivation is not our satisfaction but the state of his soul. But forgiveness in the horizontal plane will not happen unless the offender repents.
But like you, I am moved by the compassion of the family towards this young man. This could not be done apart from Christ.
I’m not on board with Braun’s definition of forgiveness, which he states as:
““Forgiveness is a commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person, although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated.”
His definition of forgiveness includes reconciliation, which is categorically not correct. One can unilaterally forgive another by grace (which, btw, is defined as “unmerited favor”). This is how God forgave us through Christ (Eph 2). But reconciliation is another matter and requires both parties (Matt 18).
I’m sure Braun’s book is helpful to a lot of people, but his view of forgiveness is not consistent with reformed theology.
God bless those wonderful brothers and sisters in Charleston. I do hope we in the church will learn something from their example!
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. With respect to your comments on reconciliation, I would argue that reconciliation is the very heart of the Gospel. The Bible never speaks of God forgiving someone apart from being reconciled with them. My guess is you have not read the book in which case, I would encourage you to do so. You will see his argument more fully developed. As for this position not being consistent with Reformed Theology, I am aware. I love and embrace Reformed Theology. It put me on solid ground. But the Reformers didn’t always have it right. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. God bless you – and our brothers and sisters in Charleston.
DL, I agree that forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same. But, forgiveness really cannot be offered if the offender does not accept the forgiveness. Matthew 18 is a good example.
15 “If your brother sins against you,a go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’b 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
(Mt 18:15–17)
If the person refuses to listen, what is the outcome? Excommunication. Forgiveness, true forgiveness, can only happen when there is true repentance. A person can truly repent, and there can be true forgiveness, but even then it might take time for true reconciliation to take place.
Just my 2 cents!
Soli Deo Gloria
Steve