SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis • Glendale Baptist Church • Houston, Texas

1. SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis • Glendale Baptist Church • Houston, Texas quicknotes.org • 2007

2. THE MEANING OF FORGIVENESS

3. Words often give clues to meaning, and the biblical words for forgiveness are no exception.

4. Each word contributes a clue, a part of the total meaning.

5. Forgiveness is a beautiful word in any language.

6. Clue #1 Leave the Sin Behind.

7. One of the Greek words for forgiveness is aphiemi (ajfivhmi), a verb of separation often used of leaving something behind and going away.

8. The woman at the well, for instance, left her waterpot and went back to the village (John 4:28).

9. The disciples left their nets and boats to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:20, 22).

10. Jesus said,"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:29 NIV).

11. APPLICATION

12. To forgive, then, is to leave the sin behind.Separate from it. Walk away—mentally. Put distance between you and the offense.Put it out of your mind and refuse to think about it any more.

13. Clue #2 Remove the memory of the sin from your mind.

14. The Hebrew words for forgiveness are picturesque:nasa’ (aDcÎn), another verb of separation, means to lift up a thing, carry it away, and put it somewhere else.

15. A lion or bear, for example, may lift up a lamb with its mouth and carry it off from the flock to eat elsewhere (1 Sam. 17:34–35).

16. APPLICATION

17. Forgiveness, as pictured by this word, is taking hold of an offense, picking it up with the hands of your soul, and carrying it far away.

18. To forgive is to take something close, carry it far away, and leave it there.

19. Clue #3 Hide the sin from sight.

20. Two verbs, hDsD;k(kasah, 'cover') andrRÚpI;k(kipper, 'cover over'), are used in Hebrew of covering one thing with another.

21. Tamar, Judah's father-in-law, for instance, covered (kasah) her face with a veil (Genesis 38:14, 15).

22. Noah covered (kipper) the seams of the ark with pitch inside and out to make them waterproof (Genesis 6:14).

23. PRINCIPLE:Usually what's covered is hidden from sight—from your sight as well as from the sight of others.But what's uncovered lies in plain sight for all to see and continually reminds you of its presence.

24. APPLICATION

25. Forgiveness, then, is mentally covering sins so you don't see them and aren't continually reminded of them.Once covered, leave them covered. Out of sight, out of mind.

26. Covering something, however, doesn't remove it; it's still there—but hidden.Keep this in mind as we look at the next clue.

27. Clue #4 Remove the sin from sight.

28. Jeremiah used the Hebrew verbhDjDm(mahah, 'wipe,' 'wipe out') when he prayed,"Do not cover their iniquity or wipe their sin from Thy sight" (Jeremiah 18:23).

29. Elsewhere it's used of(1) wiping tears from the face (Isaiah 25:8),(2) food from the mouth (Proverbs 30:20),(3) ink from a scroll (Exodus 32:32-33), and(4) God wiping every living thing from the face of the earth (Genesis 7:23).

30. In these verses, wiping removes from sight—completely.Tears wiped from your cheeks are gone!

31. Unlike kipper, which covers but doesn't remove, mahah totally removes the memory of sin.

32. APPLICATION

33. Sins committed against you should be wiped away so no one ever sees or hears about them again.

34. Clue #5 Overlook the sin.

35. A fifth word for forgiveness is the Hebrew verbrAbDo(‘abar, 'pass over' = 'overlook,' 'forgive'), as in Proverbs 19:11 and Micah 7:18.

36. A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger,And it is his glory to overlook a transgression (Proverbs 19:11).Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquityAnd passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?He does not retain His anger forever,Because He delights in unchanging love(Micah 7:18).

37. It's used, for example, of a razor passing over someone's head (Numbers 6:5) and floodwaters passing over the land (Isaiah 8:8).The main idea is moving without stopping.

38. APPLICATION

39. In terms of this word, forgiveness involves overlooking sins committed against you.

40. Don't dwell on them for long. Let your mind pass over them.

41. Clue #6 Set the offender free from his debt.

42. The Greek verb apoluo (ajpoluvw, 'set free,' 'release,' 'pardon') is used of(1) setting a prisoner free (Matthew 27:15; Acts 28:18),

43. (2) releasing a debtor (Matthew 18:27), and(3) freeing people from diseases (Luke 13:12).

44. APPLICATION

45. Forgiving, then, is not keeping those who wrong you indebted to you.

46. Free them.Don't keep them in mental bondage.Don't persist in making them feel guilty.

47. Forgive them, and they owe you nothing.

48. Clue #7 Treat the offender in grace.

49. Forgiveness is an act of giving—an act of grace.

50. In English, the word forgive means 'to give very much’(give coupled with the prefix for- which means 'excessively,' 'very much').