When you hear the term "great
commission" in the context of the Bible, what do you think of?
The first four books of the New Testament are narratives written
about the life of Jesus. Jesus gave his followers specific
instructions about continuing his ministry when he left the earth.
Christ's Great Commission is described similarly by Matthew 28, Mark
16, and Luke 24. Most people focus on evangelizing and discipleship
to categorize the activities described by the Great Commission. "Go
and make disciples of all nations, ... teaching ..." (Matthew
28:19-20).
John's gospel narrative is very
different from the other three in many ways, and particularly in
describing the Great Commission. John records this, "Again
Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am
sending you.” And with that he breathed on them
and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins,
their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not
forgiven” John 20:21-23. His view of evangelism and discipleship
takes on an inside out perspective.
In contrast to the other three, John
describes the Great Commission as a lifestyle of modeling
forgiveness. Understanding and practicing forgiveness is central to
the Christian faith, however, too few Christians make it a central
part of their lives. In my book Escaping the Pain of Offense:
Empowered to Forgive from the Heart, I discuss some of the
consequences of this deficiency including relational conflict, mental
health problems, and lower quality of life. For many, instead of
fulfilling the Great Commission of representing Christ's forgiveness
to the world, they fall to what I would call the Great Omission
neglecting the role of forgiveness in their faith.
A common omission is failing to allow
God to be the Lord and final Judge of people and circumstances in our
lives. In becoming a Christian, the conversion experience includes
recognizing the need for a Savior (Jesus) and receiving God's
forgiveness into a new birth. At that point forgiveness is not
finished, but it only begins. The forgiveness received from God by a
believer (at conversion) is now to be given to others. The initial
surrendering to God grows into an on-going relationship that involves
deeper surrender and should involve greater capacity to forgive and
be forgiven. That is the subject matter of my book (title mentioned
above).
One of the simplest definitions of
forgiveness I've discovered is surrendering to God the right to
judge. Offense is a common part of life. At one point or another,
we all offend, and we all become offended. In a particular incident,
we may find ourselves on one side of an offense or the other, the
guilty, or the guilty's object. When we are on the guilty side of an
offense, desiring to be forgiven may come to our thoughts more
quickly than when we are offended with our thoughts first turning to
trying to find someone else to blame. Sometimes guilt is
difficult to ascribe to one party or another. Pre-judgments,
mis-judgments, and critical-judgments make it even harder, but
surrender is always an essential element of forgiveness.
Surrendering your right to judge doesn't mean you are
surrendering your rights for justice to be served. God is a perfect
Judge, executing perfect justice and perfect mercy simultaneously
(see chapter 3 of my book for an explanation). When you surrender to
God the final rights of judgment, it puts your heart in a condition
to focus on a hopeful future instead of a hopeless past. For both
the offender and the one offended, a journey of redemption is
possible.
For a Christian, forgiveness is not an
option but a mandate. Another theme I unpack in my book is the
difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. In many cases,
forgiveness sets the stage for reconciliation. The New Testament
Apostle Paul describes the Christian life as a "ministry of
reconciliation." He says, "And he {Jesus} died for all,
that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him
who died for them and was raised again. ... Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone,
the new is here! All this is from God, who
reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world
to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And
he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We
are therefore Christ’s ambassadors ..." 2 Corinthians
5:15-20). First, let me comment on the phrase "the old is gone,
the new is here." Some interpret this to mean Jesus has
accomplished forgiveness of sins, and therefore the practice of
forgiveness is no longer necessary. Yes, Jesus has completed the
work of forgiveness by dying on the Cross and being resurrected to
dwell with the Father. No, it does not mean our part is done.
Surrendering our hearts to Jesus at a conversion experience is only
the beginning of the journey in forgiveness. Jesus uses the
illustration of occupying a house to show how our life with Him
progresses. In buying a house we receive the legal title and deed,
but we still may have to paint, hang curtains, move furniture, and
make it a home. Even after habitation, some rooms may need work and
remain "projects" for some time. So too, in our hearts,
our understanding and practice of forgiveness must continue on a path
of cooperation with God to make our being a more inhabitable dwelling
for his presence, and useful tool in His hand for the ministry of
reconciliation.
A second thing to note is that, "he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation." Both
being reconciled to God through Jesus, and being reconciled to one
another as human beings reinforces John's perspective of the Great
Commission. If Christ followers aren't modeling forgiveness and
reconciliation, who will? The symbol of the cross gives us a picture
of the vertical and horizontal connection of relationships. As we
receive God's forgiveness to restore our relationship with Him
(vertically reconciled), He empowers us to forgive and reconcile with
fellow human beings (horizontal reconciliation), and help some find
their own relationship with God restored and freed to help others as
well. This is the eternal purpose and perspective for our lifespan
on earth.
Guilt for sin has traditionally been
recognized as the main thing standing in the way of this
reconciliation. I have recently come to view shame as an even
greater hindrance. Guilt and shame are two different problems.
While guilt links a person to their behavior, shame attacks the
person for who they are. Guilt focuses on the "doing,"
while shame focuses on the "being." Guilt says, "I
did a bad thing." Shame says, "I am bad." Guilty
actions can be amended with restitution, but pronouncing shame
condemns irreparably. Whether true guilt is present or not, many
shaming the self results in self-condemnation,
self-bitterness, and self-rejection. Shame creates condemning
judgments, magnifies feelings of low self-worth, and separates our
heart and mind from God as the master Designer of our being and the
loving Father relationship he desires for us.
God never shames his sons and
daughters. When you feel shame it is not from God. Shame tells you
that you are not worthy of receiving God's forgiveness (as an
offender). When you are on the other side of forgiveness as the one
offended, shame tells you the offender is not worthy of your
forgiveness or God's forgiveness. This shaming often disguises
itself in some form of critical judgment. When you are tempted to
think of someone else as a jerk, loser, or good-for-nothing, you must
surrender to God the right to judge that person or situation and
repent for any wrongful actions you may have already taken. Our bad
reactions toward other people are often rooted in the shame residing
in our own inner person. Reconciling our relationship with Father
God must include identifying the shame we carry by allowing God to
show us where it may be hidden, and surrendering it into His care.
God is looking for followers who will
allow the Son Jesus to carry the offenses of this world for them.
Our world is a broken place to live. We cannot escape offense, but
we can escape the pain of offense. The distinguishing mark of
a Christian in this world should be to view offense as an opportunity
for God's love to pierce the power of offense, and allow His Son
Jesus to redeem the offenses one by one in our lives. Forgiveness is
God's idea and plan to accomplish his purpose for his people. Facing
offense head on may cause some temporary pain. Allowing yourself to
feel the pain, affords you an opportunity to experience God in a more
meaningful way. That can never be a bad thing. We must practice
receiving God's love in greater measure so we can give his gift of
love to others as part of the great commission. We must grow in our
capacity to receive God's love and become the person he intends for
us to be. His love grows in our hearts when our judgments are
surrendered to him.
It's time the Church deals with her
offenses. The brokenness offense causes is evident all around us.
Why can't we admit offense for what it is? Have we adopted a
"religiously correct" speech similar to "political
correctness." I like to think of what would happen if instead
of using the term "church split" we would call it a
"garbage heap of unresolved offenses." Much of what we
call "disunity," is in reality a lack of willingness to
work through offenses. Granted, there are many other real problems
contributing to our proneness to offense such as unhealthy
perspectives of conflict, lack of communication, and lack of trust
and trustworthiness. But the greatest impact to be made on our
corporate offenses is for each individual to examine his own heart in
honesty and humility before God to expose and correct offense as the
great commission mandates. This also fulfills the vision of the
ancient Psalmist who wrote, "Great peace have they which love
thy law: and nothing shall offend them" Psalm 119:16; KJV9. We
all want peace of mind and heart, but it comes with conditions.
These are not overbearing, but conditions for which our loving Father
stands with open arms ready to receive our participation.
When someone offends you, you must be
careful not to confuse their guilt with shaming the person (or
persons). Condemning judgment toward God, yourself, or other people
must be recognized as a chief enemy of forgiveness and
reconciliation. Think of someone you believe has judged or offended
you. Are you willing to release judgment of the person(s) who has
done you wrong? Whether intentionally or unintentionally on the
other person's part, the grip of the pain is in your power to
release. Are you willing to surrender it to God right now for his
judgment? I guarantee this will be the most freeing thing you can
do. I can make this guarantee because I practice this regularly, and
I help many other people do the same. In doing so you are fulfilling
the Great Commission and helping to prepare others for finding their
guilt and shame surrendered to God.
I leave you with an exhortation to
stop what you are doing right now amf read Psalm 32. May your 2016
be filled with Psalm 32 blessings!
(click here to read Psalm 32)
Note: For more on how to understand
and practice forgiveness see some of my other articles posted on the
blog site. I welcome your feedback and an opportunity to discuss
this topic further with your study or prayer group. Please contact
me to talk in person or via media technology.
Ed, you discussed some very good points that we all must remember and practice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to reply. God is good.
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