New Testament Forgiveness - 3
The cornerstone verse for New Testament forgiveness of others is 1 John 5:16. This verse says:
If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask and God will give him life for those that sin not unto death. (RV)
This singular verse does away with much modern preaching on forgiveness which relies on the martyrdom-complex that I mentioned before. John, in his letter, is writing to Christians and says that the Christian is to approach God about a brother sinning a sin. The Christian may approach God since he has been reborn and is declared righteous before God through Jesus Christ. In this sense, the Christian is directed to become an intercessor or mediator for the one sinning who obviously is not right fellowship with the Father. Since the Christian’s righteousness is not by or of himself, but by and of Jesus, he does not have to look upon his own efforts to forgive. Consequently, his approach to the Father in this instance is entirely selfless.
John says, “he shall ask.” What exactly does he ask? Scripture provides with the answers and examples to this question. While hanging on the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father about the acts done to Him. He did not employ our modern (and unscriptural) concepts of forgiveness and say to God:
Father, you see where I am? You see what they have done to me? But, I forgive. I know I must forgive or I won’t be forgiven and then I won’t go to heaven.
No, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Even on the cross, Jesus acted as an intercessor and mediator between God and those crucifying Him. He asked, in effect, “God please do not lay this to their charge.” He asked that the Father not reckon against them the acts committed against His Righteous One.
We see the same in Acts 7. Stephen was a disciple who had been appointed to assist in distributing food to the widows of the Church. Though he was not an apostle, certain Jews instigated an action against him and brought him before the Jewish council. They set up false witnesses against him who said that he had committed blasphemy. In the chapter, Stephen gives one of the most thorough defenses of the gospel found in the Word. At this defense, the Jews became enraged against him and dragged him outside of the city to stone him. While they were yet stoning him, Stephen knelt down and said:
Lord, do not hold this sin against them. (Acts 7:60)
In actuality, he performed 1 John 5:16. As a believer, he did not say, “I forgive them,” but instead he entered God’s throne room and sought mercy on their behalf. Paul also prayed in this manner when all had forsaken him.
At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. (2 Timothy 4:16, KJV)
We see, then, that scriptural New Testament forgiveness does not entail the “I forgive them” moniker, but involves the true use of our righteousness in Christ in obtaining mercy for others.
At the end of 1 John 5:16, John says, “and God will give him life for those that sin not unto death.” Interestingly, in this part of the verse, God actually gives “life” to the interceding one. This is one of the most tremendous facts about New Testament forgiveness. If the Christian actually uses his own righteousness in Christ to obtain forgiveness for the one sinning against him, he cannot help but look upon the sinner with the love of God. That love is not psychological, but is borne of the spirit. As we see in the stories of Jesus and Stephen, it is one of the most beautiful things that the Christian can do. We must dare to do it ourselves.
Have you considered the possible connection between Stephen asking that God not hold the people who stoned him to death responsible for their acts and the subsequent salvation of Paul?
David, thanks for the comment.
I did look at that, but haven’t gone any further with it.
I am trying to find out some foundational informatipon by gett answers to the follownig questions,but I havent had much sucess.
1. When was Stephen born?
2. Did he ever come into contact with Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry?
3. How old was Stephen when he died?
I have found some information to indicate that Paul might have been about 30 years old when Stephen was stoned and that this happened circa 37 AD.
4. When was Paul born?
I’ve seen a few references online that said he was born 10 AD.
5. How old was Paul when Stephen was stoned to death?
6. How old was Paul when he was born-again?
7. How old was Paul when he died?
I looked at The Works of Flavius Josephus Translated by William Whiston and Commentary on the Bible by Adam Clarke, commentary on Acts 28:31, but neither are much help.
The Dictionary of the Bible by Dr. William Smith, article “Paul.”
“This epistle, [2 Timothy ] surely no unworthy utterance at such an age and in such an hour even of a St. Paul, brings us, it may well be presumed, close to the end of his life. For what remains, we have the concurrent testimony of ecclesiastical antiquity, that he was beheaded at Rome, about the same time that St. Peter was crucified there. The earliest allusion to the death of St. Paul is in that sentence from Clemens Romanus, … which just fails of giving us any particulars upon which we can conclusively rely. The next authorities are those quoted by Eusebius in his H. E. ii. 25. Dionysius, bishop of Corinth (A. D. 170), says that Peter and Paul went to Italy and taught there together, and suffered martyrdom about the same time. This, like most of the statements relating to the death of St. Paul, is mixed up with the tradition, with which we are not here immediately concerned, of the work of St. Peter at Rome. Caius of Rome, supposed to be writing within the 2d century, names the grave of St. Peter on the Vatican, and that of St. Paul on the Ostian way. Eusebius himself entirely adopts the tradition that St. Paul was beheaded under Nero at Rome. Amongst other early testimonies, we have that of Tertullian, who says (De Praescr. Haeret. 36) that at Rome “Petrus passioni Dominicae adaequatur, Paulus Johannis [the Baptist] exitu coronatur;” and that of Jerome (Cat. Sc. Paulus), “Hic ergo 14 to Neronis anno (eodem die quo Petrus) Romae pro Christo capite truncatus sepultusque est, in via Ostiensi.” It would be useless to enumerate further testimonies of what is undisputed” .
I have also heard that Paul was freed from prison and resumed his work as missionary, he was rearrested and headed about 67 AD when Nero was killing the Christians, but I find no verification of this.
Do you have any information which might help answer the presiding questions.
Peter,
I have a challenge for you.
You said, “At the end of 1 John 5:16, John says, “and God will give him life for those that sin not unto death.” Interestingly, in this part of the verse, God actually gives “life” to the interceding one.”
You based this in the RV Bible.
1 John 5:16 (RV) If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask and God will give him life for those that sin not unto death.
…buy the NASB, which you like, clearly says that God is giving life to the sinner, not the intercessor.
1 John 5:16 (NASB) If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, (A)he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death (B)There is a sin leading to death; (C)I do not say that he should make request for this.
Comments please…
Peter,
When Stephen and Paul asked the Father, in the person of Christ, not to lay the sins of their persecutors to their charge, what did they mean?
The father has already committed all judgment to the Son, Yes?
The Father has already forgiven all sinners even if they haven’t availed themselves of his forgiveness by accepting Christ as their Savior, Yes?
So I guess what I’m wondering is what play the devil has in this. Is he the one leveling the charges of sin. If so, does that mean that unless someone intercedes for the Father’s mercy the sinner, like Stephen’s and Paul’s persecutors, then they might never be saved? This would mean that a person’s sins are an obstacle to their own salvation, until someone asks the Father, in the person of Christ, to have mercy on them and not lay their sin to their charge. This is when the Father would draw them, convict them, etc. …and in Paul’s case, Jesus really went all out to get his attention because of the extraordinary faith Stephen had in the Father’s love, even for his murders. I think it is a good thing for Paul that Stephen’s extraordinary faith brought about extraordinary results.
I think this is they way we are to pray for the salvation of all sinners.
I am working on a chapter in my book which talks about this very issue. I have spent many weeks connecting the dots on this subject. I will be glad when I have them all connected.
Comments please. David
David, thanks for the comment (and challenge). You’ve picked up on an ambiguity in the Greek. Rotherham puts it this way, “If one should see his brother committing a sin, Not unto death, He shall ask, and He will grant unto him life …” While I use the NASB as my main Bible, it is more in the line of the lesser of evils than a favorite.
I base my interpretation upon the John’s context and use of “life.”
As for your second comment, you might take a look at “Revenge is mine, saith the Lord.”
Peter,
I assume that “Revenge is mine, saith the Lord” is a book. I just tied to find it on Amazon and I also Googled it, but no I did not find it.
Where do I get it from? David
David, I was referring to Romans 12.18-20.
lol, you had recommended other books to me, so I just assumed you were giving me another recommendation. David