Forgiving and Forgiveness – An Open Apology

Dear gentle DefCon Reader,

Below is the entire text of an “internal” e-mail that I sent to Team DefCon on April 9th: 

Steve Camp has seemingly been reading my mind as of late, that or else the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me in a manner very similar to Campi.  For example I found much to say “amen” to in his apparent reconciliation with Mark Driscoll, (although I must say that Steve has evidently found much more common ground with Driscoll than I ever would have thought possible), and now he’s posted another piece that has given me pause and caused me to take inventory of the consistency of the Biblical integrity and spiritual motivation which informs my own blogging.  The result?  I’m weighed in the scales and found wanting.
 
At any rate I stand convicted, yet again, that my blogging- especially my comments – are far too often virtually graceless, needlessly vitriolic, and in many cases born of plain old fashioned sinful pride.  In short my heart has been stung with the conviction that my rhetoric is neither sufficiently nor consistently Christ-honoring.
 
I want confess this to you men and let you know that I’ve repented of my error, and I ask each of you to forgive me if I’ve offended you with my overly harsh polemics.  Don’t get me wrong here, I see no Biblical justification for getting warm and fuzzy with the enemies of the Gospel - I don’t believe we should allow them any quarter whatsoever - yet at the same time I see no Biblical justification for not patiently extending grace to those who are deceived, and in the light of scripture I am persuaded that I should not be devouring co-laborers in Christ over matters of peripheral, secondary importance.
 
I plan to draft and post an open apology to DefCon’s readership along these same lines.
 
Soli Deo Gloria,
CD

I’m sharing this information because I am persuaded by the scriptures that the Lord requires more spiritual consistency from His representatives than I have been demonstrating, particularly in the areas of charity, grace, patience, mercy, and forgiveness.  This being said please understand that I am in no way promoting a “sloppy agape“, nor am I suggesting that any believer compromise one iota as they “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints” – Jude 1:3.  Let it be known that doctrinal error in general is pernicious and spiritually dangerous – both undermining the faith and robbing God of His glory – and in particular error in the areas of soteriology and Christology can be absolutely soul-damning (Gal 1:6-9).  In view of this truth the the gravity and importance of discerning, correcting, and rebuking the error and flat-out apostasy so prevalent within the broader professing church cannot be overstated, yet such work can be – and in my estimation too often is – conducted with a peevish, scolding, and un-Christlike spirit which, according to my understanding of the scriptures, dishonors the Lord and therefore is in and of itself sinful.

At this point don’t expect me to pile-on and “name names” of others within the blogosphere who I may think may be guilty of the aforementioned sin as I am not writing for any other purpose than to confess my own guilt-consciousness in this area, to repent of it, and to pray that the Lord would increase as I decrease.

All too often a believer’s testimony to God’s majestic and glorious truth is diluted by a weak-kneed, lily-livered, vacillating, fear-of-man resulting in a refusal to take a bold stand on virtually any subject for fear of “offending” someone.  Of course this type of thinking is itself offensive to the Lord, because we know that the cross is an offense and a stumbling-block by God’s own perfect and wise design.  The message of Christ offends the reprobate, but it is the power of God unto salvation for the elect, and therefore believers are to proclaim the full, uncompromised Gospel with clarity and boldness.

But equally true is the fact that a believer’s testimony is often weakened by a graceless, loveless, scornful, petty unforgiveness that refuses to demonstrate Christ’s sacrificial love.  Because of this – and much to the shame of those of us guilty of this offense – we castigate, devour, grieve, and even reject genuine brothers and sisters in the faith simply because they disagree with us on certain non-essential and peripheral doctrinal matters of ecclesiology, eschatology, missiology, and pneumatology.

Let me be clear:  There are essentials of the faith.

There are, as some say, “hills to die on“.

There are situations where strong and uncompromising rebuke are both right and necessary.

And there are non-essentials, and hills not worth dying on, and situations which call for graceful, gentle, loving, and patient correction.  May the Spirit of Wisdom grant us the ability to discern the difference.

A prayer:  Lord help your people who are called by Your Holy Name reflect Your glory and magnify Your name above all the earth.

The following quotes are taken from John MacArthur’s Bible Commentary Series on the book of 2 Corinthians: 

“We live in a culture that views forgiveness not as a virtue, but as a sign of weakness.  Our heroes are the vengeful, who challenge their enemies to give them an opportunity to strike; those who proudly see themselves as their enemies’ “worst nightmare.”  Some even argue that forgiveness is unhealthy.  Self-help books boldly assert that people should cultivate self-esteem and blame others for causing their problems.  The victim mentality reigns supreme, and as a result of these and other perspectives, vengeance and retaliation are exalted, not the noble and Christ-like values of forgiveness and restoration.  But the price of refusing to forgive is high.  Unforgiveness produces hatred, bitterness, animosity, anger and retribution.  It not only clogs up the arteries but also the courts with thousands of vengeful lawsuits. Refusing to forgive imprisons people in their past.  Unforgiving people keep their pain alive by constantly picking at the open wound and keeping it from healing.  Bitterness takes root in their hearts and defiles them (Heb. 12:15).  Anger rages out of control and negative emotions run unchecked.  Life is filled with turmoil and strife instead of joy and peace.  On the other hand, forgiveness frees people from the past.  It is liberating, exhilarating, and healthy.  Forgiveness relieves tension, brings peace and joy, and restores relationships.

Forgiveness reflects the character of God.  Unforgiveness is therefore ungodly.  That means unforgiveness is no less an offense to God than fornication or drunkenness, even though it is sometimes deemed more acceptable.  Certainly it is more frequently found in the open among the people of God than the sins we typically regard as heinous.  But Scripture is clear that God despises an unforgiving spirit.  As God’s children, we are to mirror His character.  At salvation we are given a new nature that bears God’s spiritual likeness (Eph. 4:24).  So forgiveness is an integral part of the Christian’s new nature.  An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms.  When you see a professing Christian who stubbornly refuses to relinquish a grudge, there’s good reason to question the genuineness of that person’s faith.”

I’d like to close this missive by extending an open and sincere apology to DefCon’s readership, past and present, and by asking for your forgiveness if at any time I have grieved you through the demonstration a graceless, loveless, scornful, petty, peevish, scolding or otherwise un-Christlike spirit. 

Mark 11:25:  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Colossians 3:12-13:  As saints of God, then, holy and dearly loved, let your behaviour be marked by pity and mercy, kind feeling, a low opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, and a power of undergoing all things; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5:  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Matthew 18:21-22:  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Ephesians 4:32:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Romans 12:19-21:  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

James 1:20:  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Luke 23:32:  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.