There are certain theological words that, despite being common among Christians, are so persistently misunderstood by our non-Christian neighbors that a lot of explanation—and, usually, correction—is necessary. Think of words like “redeem” or “glorify” or “Trinity.” If you don’t go to church, you don’t use those words… unless you’re talking about church people.
But another set of words gets even trickier. These are the words that most people use, but that Christians use differently from the rest of the world. The problem here is that when people hear them, they think they know the meaning, even if their understanding is miles away from the biblical idea. (I’m looking at you, “sin,” “holy,” and “repent.”)
Forgiveness is one of those tricky words. The word seems simple enough, but I’m convinced that most people in our society don’t think of forgiveness in biblical terms, especially in the context of “God forgives me.” Most people tend to combine “forgive” with “excuse” or (even worse) “ignore,” which makes for a nasty mixture.
Psalm 32 gives us a litmus test for true forgiveness, which shows us how distinct it is from all competing ideas. According to the psalmist, those who find forgiveness are changed by it. Once we are truly forgiven, we find that our love for God and our compassion for others begin to grow. Read more
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