Forgiveness
by Kent
(All verses rendered in the Free Bible Version)
Forgiven—that elusive state of existence that denotes all is well between us and heaven. Much of the Christian life is spent chasing after this sensation, similar to the addict pursuing an opiate, which pacifies all of life’s stresses. When we are all forgiven up, the grass seems greener, the sky seems bluer, the air smells cleaner, and our beliefs seem truer. If only this high would last indefinitely. If only we could journey through life without ever feeling the condemnation of God weighing on our shoulders. If only…
The Bible has much to say about forgiveness. Before getting started with this consideration, though, it seems appropriate to spend a moment on semantics. What is the meaning behind this word, both in our modern culture, and in the minds of Old and New Testament writers? Are we talking about the same ideas? Are those ideas grounded in reality, are they out-of-reach dreams, or merely tradition? Are there any false premises at the foundation of our beliefs about forgiveness?
Dictionary.com
Forgive:
· to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
· to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
· to grant pardon to (a person). Synonyms: acquit, absolve
· to cease to feel resentment against.
· to forgive one’s enemies.
· to cancel an indebtedness or liability of.
· to forgive the interest owed on a loan.
Pardon:
· kind indulgence, as in forgiveness of an offense or discourtesy or in tolerance of a distraction or inconvenience.
· a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
· the document by which such remission is declared.
· forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
Remission:
· pardon; forgiveness, as of sins or offenses.
· the relinquishment of a payment, obligation, etc.
· a temporary or permanent decrease or subsidence of manifestations of a disease.
· a period during which such a decrease or subsidence occurs.
The highlighted definitions above seem to be at the center of our modern thinking about forgiveness by an individual. An offense has occurred. Feelings of those involved have been put at odds with each other. Lines of opinion and separation have been drawn. Then when forgiveness occurs, those opposing feelings have been resolved, and those lines have been erased. An example might be when we say something hurtful about a friend, the friend takes offense, we journey on for a while with this tension in the relationship. We eventually make amends, asking the friend for forgiveness, and travel on. We’ve all been through this process more times than we would care to admit and thoroughly understand its workings. Is this the way that forgiveness works with God?
Most of the Christian world believes in a God who knows our very thoughts, and who can peek into the future, knowing how things will play out before they occur. If humans had this ability amongst each other, wouldn’t that change everything about the forgiveness cycle mentioned above? Nobody could ever take offense, for there would never be anything to be surprised about. Moreover, holding a grudge would be completely incompatible with this state of existence, for nothing would ever change in one’s understanding upon which to formulate the grudge. Despite these insurmountable roadblocks, we tend to travel through life viewing God’s forgiveness of us as we view forgiveness being granted by a friend that we have wronged.
Does God hold a grudge? He knows us inside out, as David emphatically declares in Psalm 139. David also asserts in Psalm 51:5 that we humans are morally broken from conception. And despite all this, John makes it abundantly clear with the most popular verse in the Bible (John 3:16) that God loves us—beyond measure! So how did we get to the place in our understanding of forgiveness being where God is against us when we do something wrong, that His goodwill is withdrawn, that his punishing anger is stoked, and that we are on a straight path to perdition unless we take the prescribed action to dissolve this tension? Have we made God into our own image with this kind of thinking?
Listed in the endnotes are the places in the Bible where we get forgiveness, or something related, when translated into English. In the Old Testament Hebrew, we encounter abar (to go, or pass over), kabas (to wash), kaphar (to cover, pacify, to make at-one-ment), kasah (to cover, conceal), machah (to rub or wipe off), naqah (to make or declare free, or innocent), naquh (to declare innocent, cut off), nasa (to lift up or away), natsal (to snatch or take away), rapha (to heal, repair), ratsah (to be pleasing, accepted), salach (to send away, let go), sallach (sending away, letting go), shalak (to cause to go), shamat (to cause to release), taher (to cleanse, declare clean), and zakar (to remember, imprint). The vast majority of the occurrences are with nasa and salach, having 22 and 49 respectively. In the New Testament Greek, we get anechomai (to hold self back or up), apoluo (to loose away), aphesis (sending away, letting go), aphiemi (to send or let off or away), charizomai (to be gracious to), exaleipho (to smear out), hilaskomai (to appease, propitiate), hilasmos (what appeases, propitiates), hilasterion (place of propitiatiation), krateo (to lay fast hold of), and paresis (a sending over, passing by). Aphesis/aphiemi occur the most, tallying 62 times.
It’s quite evident that when we genuinely ask God for forgiveness, we are acknowledging that we have goofed up, that we have missed the mark of healthy thinking and/or behavior, and that we are wanting to move on in life. David expresses this when he says, “Create a pure mind in me, God, and make me trustworthy again. Don’t expel me from your presence; don’t take away your Holy Spirit from me. Give me back the happiness of your salvation; help me to have a willing nature.” (Psalm 51:10-12) In verses 1, 2, & 9 of Psalm 51, is David asking God to develop a case of amnesia, to simply forget what the onlooking universe has witnessed? How is that possible for an omniscient being? Is David asking God to change His opinion of him? Malachi tells us in 3:6 that God does not change. How is changing an opinion even possible for God, who knows all? These are often our desires when we ask for forgiveness. We want the entire universe to unsee what they’ve seen, to forget completely about what we’ve done.
All too often, our requests for forgiveness are disingenuous, whereby we simply want heaven’s record book entry of our offense to be erased. With the countless beings throughout the universe possessing perfect memories of all they’ve observed, isn’t this expecting a little too much? Why would a heavenly record book even be needed in the first place? If forgiveness involves amnesia, and the sins of many people are forgiven, massive chunks of history would be blank, not unlike redacted documents with nearly everything blackened out so that what is left becomes useless for lack of context. Is this going to be the amazing story told by the 144,000 about how God has brought closure to the Great Cosmic Conflict: “I can’t seem to remember anything about it.”
What about the Book of Life, mentioned several times in Revelation? Those whose names are written in it will be in the hereafter, and those whose names are missing won’t. When we ask for forgiveness, does the recording angel enter our name? When we miss the mark, is our name erased or scratched out? I’ve met many adults who go through life trying to stay “all forgiven up,” so that if life were to unexpectedly end, their name would be on the books. Where is the joy in a life that is preoccupied with keeping one’s name on the books? Where is the focus in all of this? We become like that on which we focus. In this case, if our focus is on staying “all forgiven up,” we would be morphing into an exacting, fault-finding person, for that’s where our focus would be.
Hilasterion, that word that Paul uses in Romans 3:25, is used only here in the New Testament, and is seldom used in secular Greek from which to gain definition by its context. Its usage in the Greek Septuagint rendering of the Old Testament has it associated with the lid on the Ark of the Covenant, sometimes called The Mercy Seat. This location in the Old Testament sanctuary service was believed to be the place of reconciliation, where wrongs were made right. This metaphoric connection between a place and a process doesn’t give us precise definition of the word, hence a varying array of English translations of this passage.
There are two more related words found in the endnotes (hilaskomai and hilasmos), that occur in the Bible only 1 time and twice, respectively. From an AI Overview, the Greek root hilas (specifically the related forms hilaos and hilaskomai) carries the core meaning of grace, favor, or propitiation. Here’s a breakdown of its nuances:
Hilaskomai (ἱλάσκομαι): This verb signifies:
· To render oneself propitious (favorable).
· To appease or conciliate.
· To become placated or appeased.
· To be gracious or merciful.
· To make propitiation for (sin).
· To atone for (sin).
Hilasmos (ἱλασμός): This noun refers to:
· An appeasing or propitiating.
· The means of appeasing or a propitiation.
· Atoning sacrifice or expiation.
Hileos (ἵλεως): This term means:
· Gracious or gentle.
· Favorable or well-disposed (describing gods or men).
Just as with the infrequently occurring hilasterion, you can see how the theological understanding of salvation by the translators can bias how these 3 passages are rendered in English. Comparing a variety of translations bears this out.
From the lexicon definitions in the endnotes, I’m led to see the Old and New Testament writers talking about forgiveness as being where our reaction to a committed wrong is being brushed aside, moving on in life, keeping our focus where it should be—on God’s gracious, other-centered way of existence. We can never go back in time to change history. Beating ourselves up in shame from our shortcomings does nothing good. God is not holding a grudge. He is forgiveness personified. But forgiveness never takes place until we realize this truth about His no-faultfinding character. Forgiveness is when something changes in our thinking, not in God’s thinking. Only when our thinking has changed do we gain peace.
Is this painting a picture of a laissez-faire god, who simply observes, never taking action about anything? Some seem to think so, because they struggle to reconcile their ideas of law, and falling short of the mark, with their understanding of forgiveness from a God of love.
When we goof up and fall short of loving others, God is deeply concerned, because acting selfishly changes us into being even more selfish. To say it using more traditional words, God hates sin because it harms His children. Yet many well-meaning Christians progress through life feeling that sin/selfishness causes us no real harm, in and of itself, and that it necessarily must be punished by God, who takes offense at our shortcomings. If sin pays its own wage, as Paul emphatically declares to the church at Rome (6:23), it is self-punishing. To think otherwise is to feel that an oncologist has to inflict a penalty for smoking upon every lung cancer patient. This is nonsense. Lung cancer is the penalty. Similarly, nobody gets off Scot-free when acting selfish. It changes us, turning us inward, turning us away from the Source of Life. If left untreated by the Divine Physician, death will eventually result.
In summary, true forgiveness is the realization that there is nothing we ourselves can do to lessen our sense of shame over making selfish choices, and that this shame will be our undoing if left to run its natural course. True forgiveness is realizing that God loves us infinitely—regardless—and that He does not hold a grudge. To realize forgiveness is to humbly acknowledge our mistake, asking God to help us with brushing aside our recollection of selfish thoughts and actions from the front-center position in our consciousness, and to empower us to journey on with our focus of the other-centered character of Jesus, who serves as the full revelation of Father, Son, & Spirit.
ENDNOTES
In the Old Testament Hebrew
abar (to go, or pass over)
2 Samuel 12:13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has forgiven your sins. You’re not going to die,” Nathan replied.
2 Samuel 24:10 Afterwards, David felt really bad for ordering the census. He said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin by doing this. Please take away the guilt of your servant, for I have been very stupid.”
1 Chronicles 21:8 Then David said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin by doing this. Please take away the guilt of your servant, for I have been very stupid.”
Proverbs 19:11 If you have good sense you’ll be slow to get angry; you gain respect by forgiving wrongs.
kabas (to wash)
Psalms 51:2 Wash away all my guilt; cleanse me from my sin.
kalupto (to cover, hide)
James 5:20 let them know that whoever rescues a sinner from the error of their ways will save them from death, and will gain forgiveness for many sins.
kaphar (to cover, pacify, to make at-one-ment)
Genesis 32:20 You must also tell him, ‘Your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob said to himself, “Maybe by sending these gifts on ahead Esau won’t be angry with me and when I meet him he’ll be kind to me.”
Exodus 32:30 The following day Moses spoke to the people, saying, “You have sinned very badly. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can get him to forgive your sin.”
Numbers 5:8 However, if that person doesn’t have a relative who can be paid the compensation, it belongs to the Lord and shall be given to the priest, together with a sacrificial ram by which the guilty person is set right.
Deuteronomy 21:8 Lord, please forgive your people Israel who you rescued, and do not hold them guilty of shedding of innocent blood. In this way the guilt for shedding blood will be forgiven.”
2 Chronicles 30:18 Most of the people, many of those from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves. Yet they ate the Passover meal even though this was not what the Law required, for Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord forgive everyone
Psalms 65:3 Even though we’re drowning in our sins and our disobedience, you forgive us.
Psalm 78:38 But being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
Psalms 79:9 Help us, God of our salvation, because of your wonderful character! Save us and forgive us our sins because that’s the kind of person you are!
Proverbs 16:6 (FBV) Sin is forgiven through trustworthy love and faithfulness; by honoring the Lord people are saved from evil.
Isaiah 22:14 The Lord Almighty has made this clear to me: “I will not forgive this sin till your dying day, says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.”
Jeremiah 18:23 But Lord, you know about all their plots to try and kill me. Don’t forgive their wickedness; don’t wipe away their sin. Bring them down! Deal with them when you’re angry!
Ezekiel 16:63 so that you will remember and be ashamed, and won’t ever defend your disgraceful behavior when I forgive you for everything you’ve done, declares the Lord God.”
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks have been allotted to your people and your holy city to deal with the rebellion, to put an end to sin, to forgive wrongdoing, to bring in everlasting goodness, to confirm the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
kasah (to cover, conceal)
Proverbs 17:9 If you forgive a wrong you encourage friendship, but if you keep talking about it you’ll
Nehemiah 4:5 Don’t forgive their guilt or blot out their sins, for they have made you angry in front of the builders.”
machah (to rub or wipe off)
Psalms 51:1 God, please be gracious to me, because of your trustworthy love, because of your infinite kindness please wipe away my sins.
naqah (to make or declare free, or innocent)
Psalms 19:12 Who’s aware of their own mistakes? Don’t punish me for these faults I’m unaware of.
naquh (to declare innocent, cut off)
Exodus 20:7 You must not use the name of the Lord your God in a wrong way, for the Lord will not forgive anyone who uses his name in a wrong way.
Deuteronomy 5:11 You must not use the name of the Lord your God in a wrong way, for the Lord will not forgive anyone who uses his name in a wrong way.
Job 10:14 to watch me, and if I sinned, then you would not forgive my wrongs.
nasa (to lift up or away)
Genesis 50:17 ‘This is what you are to tell Joseph: Forgive your brothers their sins, the bad things they did to you, treating you in such a nasty way.’ Now please forgive us our sins, we who are servants of the God of your father.” When Joseph received their message, he cried.
Exodus 10:17 So please forgive my sin just this one time and plead with the Lord your God, asking him to at least take away this deathly plague from me.”
Exodus 23:21 Make sure you pay attention to him and do what he says. Don’t oppose him, because he won’t forgive rebellion, for he carries my authority.
Exodus 32:32 But now, if you will, forgive their sin. Otherwise just blot me out of the scroll in which you keep your records.”
Exodus 34:7 I go on showing my trustworthy love to thousands, forgiving guilt, rebellion, and sin. But I will definitely not clear the wicked—the impact of sin will affect not only the parents, but also their children and grandchildren, up until the third and fourth generation.”
Numbers 14:18 The Lord is slow to become angry and is full of trustworthy love, forgiving sin and rebellion. However, he will not allow the guilty to go unpunished, bringing the consequences of the parents’ sin on their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Numbers 14:19 Please forgive the sin of these people since your trustworthy love is so great, in the same way that you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
Joshua 24:19 Joshua told the people, “Remember that the Lord is a holy and jealous God. You won’t be able to worship him, and he won’t forgive your rebellion and sins
1 Samuel 15:25 So please forgive my sin and come back with me, so I can worship the Lord.”
1 Samuel 25:28 Please forgive any offense that I, your servant, have committed, for the Lord is sure to set up a dynasty for you that will last for a long time, because you, sir, fight the battles of the Lord. Wickedness should not be found in you as long as you live.
Job 7:21 If so why don’t you pardon my sins, and take away my guilt? Right now I’m going to lie down in the dust, and though you will look for me, I will be gone.”
Psalms 25:18 See all my troubles and trials. Please forgive my sins.
Psalm 32:1 How happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Psalms 32:5 Then I confessed my sins to you. I did not hide the wrongs I had done. I said to myself, “I will confess my disobedience to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sins. Selah.
Psalms 85:2 You took away your people’s guilt; you forgave all their sins. Selah.
Psalms 99:8 Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they did wrong.
Isaiah 2:9 These people will be brought down and humiliated—Lord, don’t forgive them!
Hosea 1:6 Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. The Lord told Hosea, “Call her Lo-ruhamah, because I will no longer love the house of Israel and certainly not forgive them.
Hosea 14:2 Take words like these with you and come back to the Lord, saying to him, “Please take away all our guilt, accept what is good, and we will repay you with praise from our lips.
Micah 7:18 ‘Who is a God like you who forgives sin and passes over the rebellion of those who are left of his special people? You do not remain angry forever because you delight in showing faithful love. ‘
natsal (to snatch or take away)
Psalms 51:14 God, please forgive me for the blood I have shed, God of my salvation, and I will sing for joy of your goodness.
rapha (to heal, repair)
Hosea 14:4 I will heal their unfaithfulness; I will love them freely, for I’m not angry with them any longer.
ratsah (to be pleasing, accepted)
Isaiah 40:2 “Speak lovingly to the people of Jerusalem, telling them that their hard times are over, that their sins have been forgiven, and that the Lord has paid them twice over for their sins.”
salach (to send away, let go)
Exodus 34:9 He said, “Lord, if it’s true that you’re happy with me, please accompany us. Admittedly this is a rebellious people, but please forgive our guilt and sin. Accept us as specially belonging to you.”
Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31, 35 He shall offer this bull in the same way he did for the sin offering. This is how the priest will make them right, and they will be forgiven… He shall burn all its fat on the altar like the fat of the peace offerings. In this way the priest will make the man’s sin right, and he will be forgiven… He shall remove all its fat like the fat of the peace offerings and burn it on the altar and it will be accepted by the Lord. In this way the priest will make the man’s sin right, and he will be forgiven… He shall remove all its fat like the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings and burn it on the altar to be accepted by the Lord. In this way the priest will make the man’s sin right, and he will be forgiven.”
Leviticus 5:10, 13, 16, 18 The priest must then prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulations. In this way the priest will make you right for your sin, and you will be forgiven… This is how the priest will make right any of these sins you have committed, and you will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, just like the grain offering.”… As regards any holy requirement you failed to contribute, you must pay compensation by adding a fifth of its value to it and then give it to the priest, who will make it right for you with the ram as a guilt offering, and you will be forgiven… You must take to the priest a ram without defects of the appropriate value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make right for you the wrong you did in ignorance, and you will be forgiven.
Leviticus 6:7 This is how the priest will make you right before the Lord, and you will be forgiven whatever sins you may have done that you are guilty of.”
Leviticus 19:22 The priest will set things right for him before the Lord using the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.
Numbers 14:19-20 Please forgive the sin of these people since your trustworthy love is so great, in the same way that you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now.” “I have forgiven them as you asked,” the Lord replied.
Numbers 15:25, 26, 28 In this way the priest is to make the whole congregation of Israel right with the Lord so that they can be forgiven, because the sin was unintentional and they have presented the Lord with a burnt offering and a sin offering, offered before the Lord for their unintentional sin… Then the whole congregation of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven, because the people sinned unintentionally… The priest will make the person who sinned unintentionally right before the Lord on their behalf. Once they have been made right, they will be forgiven.
Numbers 30:5, 8, 12 But if her father disallows them as soon as he finds out, then none of her promises or pledges remain valid. The Lord will release her from keeping them because her father has disallowed them… But if her husband disallows them when he finds out about it, then none of her promises or oaths remain valid and the Lord will release her from keeping them… But if her husband disallows them as soon as he finds out about it, then none of her promises or oaths remain valid. The Lord will release her from keeping them because her husband has disallowed them.
Deuteronomy 29:20 The Lord would never want to pardon them. In fact, his passionate anger will burn against them, and every curse written in this book will fall on them. The Lord will erase their name from the earth,
1 Kings 8:30 and may you hear the request of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Please hear from heaven where you live. May you hear and forgive.
1 Kings 8:34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their forefathers.
1 Kings 8:36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the good way so that they can walk in it, and send rain on the earth that you have given to your people as their possession.
1 Kings 8:39 then hear from heaven, the place where you live, and forgive. Give according to the way they live their lives, for you know what people are really like inside, and you alone know the true character of people.
1 Kings 8:50 Forgive your people who have sinned against you, all the rebellious acts they have committed against you. Please make those who have captured them show mercy to them.
2 Kings 5:18 In addition, may the Lord forgive me for doing this: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and I assist him, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive me for doing so.”
2 Kings 24:4 filling Jerusalem with their blood. The Lord was not willing to forgive this.
2 Chronicles 6:21 and hear the request of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Please hear from heaven where you live. May you hear and forgive.
2 Chronicles 6:25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave them and their forefathers.
2 Chronicles 6:27 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way so that they can follow it, and please send rain on the land that you have given to your people to own.
2 Chronicles 6:30 then hear from heaven, the place where you live, and forgive. Give according to the way they live their lives, for you know what people are really like inside, and you alone know the true character of people.
2 Chronicles 6:39 then hear from heaven, the place where you live, and respond and support their cause. Forgive your people who have sinned against you.
2 Chronicles 7:14 and if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and return to me, and turn away from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.
Psalms 25:11 Lord, because of your nature, forgive my many sins.
Psalm 86:5 For you, Lord, are good; you are forgiving and full of trustworthy love for all who come to you.
Psalms 103:3 He forgives my sins, and he heals all my diseases.
Psalms 130:4 But you are forgiving so that we might respect you.
Isaiah 55:7 Wicked people should change their ways and get rid of even the thought of doing something wrong. They should turn to the Lord so he can be merciful to them. Come back to our God, because he’s generous with his forgiveness.
Jeremiah 5:1,7 Go everywhere through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and pay attention! Search all through her city squares to see if you can find even just one person who does what’s right, anyone who is faithful, and I’ll forgive the city… Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and believe in gods that are not gods. I gave them everything they need, yet they went and committed adultery, gathering together at prostitutes’ houses.
Jeremiah 31:34 No one will need to teach a neighbor or their brother, telling them, “You ought to know the Lord.” For everyone will know me, from the smallest to the greatest. I will forgive them when they do wrong, and I will forget about their sins.
Jeremiah 33:8 I will wash away all their sins that they committed against me, and I will forgive all their guilt from when they sinned in rebelling against me.
Jeremiah 36:3 Maybe when the people of Judah hear about all the disasters I plan to bring down on them, everyone will stop their evil ways. Then I will forgive their guilt and sin.
Jeremiah 50:20 This will be when the guilt and the sins of Israel and Judah will be looked for, but none will be found, because I will forgive those people who remain that I’m looking after, declares the Lord.
Lamentations 3:42 “We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven’t forgiven us!”
Daniel 9:9 Yet you, the Lord our God, are compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you.
Daniel 9:19 Lord, please listen! Lord, please forgive! Please pay attention and do something! For your own sake, my God, don’t delay, for your city and your people are identified by your name.”
Amos 7:2 And so when the locusts finished eating every green plant in the fields, I pleaded with the Lord God, “Please forgive your people! How can the descendants of Jacob survive? They are so weak.”
sallach (sending away, letting go)
Psalms 86:5 For you, Lord, are good; you are forgiving and full of trustworthy love for all who come to you.
selichah (a passing over, forgiveness)
Nehimiah 9:17 But you are a forgiving God, gracious and merciful, slow to get angry, and full of trustworthy love. You did not give up on them,
shalak (to cause to go)
Isaiah 38:17 It was definitely for my own good I went through this bitter experience. You in your love saved me from the pit of destruction and you have forgiven all my sins.
Micah 7:19 You will have compassion on us again. You will tread our sins under your feet, and you will throw our sins into the depths of the sea.
shamat (to cause to release)
Deuteronomy 15:3 You are allowed to collect payments from a foreigner, but you must cancel whatever your fellow Israelite owes you.
taher (to cleans, declare clean)
Psalms 51:2 Wash away all my guilt; cleanse me from my sin.
zakar (to remember, imprint)
Psalms 25:7 Please don’t remember the sins of my youth when I rebelled against you. Instead, remember me according to your trustworthy love, remember me because of your goodness, Lord.
In the New Testament Greek
anechomai (to hold self back or up)
Ephesians 4:2 Don’t think proudly of yourselves; be gentle and patient, showing tolerance to each other in love.
apoluo (to loose away)
Luke 6:37 Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged; don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned; forgive, and you’ll be forgiven;
Acts 22:16 Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins as you call on his name.’
aphesis (sending away, letting go)
Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the agreement, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:4 John came, baptizing in the desert, announcing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 3:29 but if people blaspheme by rejecting the Holy Spirit they can never be forgiven, because they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
Luke 1:77 providing knowledge of salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins.
Luke 3:3 He went throughout the whole Jordan region, announcing to everyone that they needed to be baptized to show they had repented and their sins had been forgiven.
Luke 24:47 repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
Acts 2:38 “Repent!” Peter told them. “All of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:31 God exalted him to a position of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior, as a way to bring repentance to Israel, and for the forgiveness of sins.
Acts 10:43 He is the one all the prophets spoke about, that everyone who trusts in him will receive forgiveness through his name.”
Acts 13:38 My brothers, I want you to understand that we’re telling you that through this man sins are forgiven.
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so they can turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and so they can receive forgiveness for their sins and a place with those who are set right as they trust in me.’
Ephesians 1:7 Through him we gain salvation through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins as a result of his priceless grace
Colossians 1:14 through whom we have been set free and our sins forgiven.
Hebrews 9:22 According to ceremonial law, almost everything is made clean with blood, and without shedding blood nothing is made ritually free from the stain of sin.
Hebrews 10:18 Once free from such things, sin offerings are no longer needed.
aphiemi (to send or let off or away)
Matthew 6:12 Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:15 But if you don’t forgive those who sin against you, then your heavenly Father won’t forgive your sins.
Matthew 9:2 There they brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat. When Jesus saw how they trusted him, he told the paralyzed man, “My friend, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:5 What is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’?
Matthew 9:6 But to convince you that the Son of man does have the authority to forgive sins…” he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
Matthew 12:31 That’s why I’m telling you that every sin and blasphemy you commit will be forgiven, except blasphemy against the Spirit which won’t be forgiven.
Matthew 12:32 Those who say something against the Son of man will be forgiven, but those who say something against the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven, neither in this life nor the next.
Matthew 18:21 Peter came to Jesus and asked him, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother for sinning against me? Seven times?”
Matthew 18:27 The master took pity on the servant, released him, and canceled the debt.
Matthew 18:32 Then the master called the man back in and told him, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you all your debt because you begged me to.
Matthew 18:35 This is what my heavenly Father will do to every one of you unless you sincerely forgive your brothers.”
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw the trust these men had, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:7 “Why is he talking like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that!”
Mark 2:9 What’s easier: to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
Mark 2:10 But to convince you that the Son of man has the right to forgive sins,
Mark 3:28 “I tell you the truth: all sins and blasphemies can be forgiven,
Mark 4:12 so that even though they see, they don’t really ‘see,’ and even though they hear, they don’t understand, otherwise they might turn to me and be forgiven.”
Mark 11:25 But when you’re praying, if you have something against someone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your sins.”
Luke 5:20 When Jesus saw the trust they had in him, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 5:21 The religious teachers and the Pharisees began to argue with that. “Who is this who’s speaking blasphemies?” they asked. “Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that!”
Luke 5:23 What is easier? To say your sins are forgiven, or to say get up and walk?
Luke 5:24 However, I will prove to you that the Son of man has the authority here on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
Luke 7:47 So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—that’s why she loves so much. But whoever is forgiven little, only loves a little.”
Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
Luke 7:49 Those who were sitting eating with him began talking among themselves, saying, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Luke 11:4 Forgive us our sins, just as we forgive everyone who sins against us. Keep us from temptation.’”
Luke 12:10 Everyone who speaks against the Son of man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Luke 17:3 So take care what you do. If your brother sins, warn him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times comes back and tells you, ‘I’m really sorry,’ forgive him.”
Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, please forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” They divided up his clothes by throwing dice for them.
John 20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them unforgiven, unforgiven they remain.”
Acts 8:22 Repent of your evil ways! Pray to the Lord and ask forgiveness for thinking like this.
Romans 4:7 “How happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
James 5:15 Such a prayer, trusting in God, will heal those who are sick, and the Lord will make them well. If they’ve committed sins, they will be forgiven.
1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins, he is trustworthy and right so that he can forgive us our sins and make us clean from all that is not right in us.
1 John 2:12 Dear friends, I’m writing to you children, for your sins have been forgiven through the name of Jesus.
charizomai (to be gracious to)
Luke 7:42 Neither of them could repay him, so he forgave the debts. Which one will love him the most?”
Luke 7:43 “The one he forgave the most, I would think,” Simon answered.
2 Corinthians 2:7 so now you should forgive him and be kind to him. Otherwise he may sink into despair.
2 Corinthians 2:10 Anyone you forgive, I forgive too. What I have forgiven, whatever it may be, I have forgiven before Christ for your benefit.
2 Corinthians 12:13 In what way were you inferior to the other churches except I wasn’t any burden to you? Please forgive me for doing you wrong!
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to each other, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 2:13 And even though you were dead because of your sins and being physically “uncircumcised,” he brought you to life together with him. He has forgiven us all our sins.
Colossians 3:13 Be patient with one another, forgive others among you if you have grievances against one another. Just as the Lord forgave you, you should do the same.
exaleipho (to smear out)
Acts 3:19 Now repent, and change your ways, that your sins can be wiped away, so the Lord can send opportunities for you to heal and recover,
Colossians 2:14 He wiped out the record of our debts according to the Law that was written down against us; he took away this barrier by nailing it to the cross.
Revelation 3:5 Those who are victorious will be dressed in white like this. Their names will not be removed from the book of life, and I will speak for them in the presence of my Father and his angels.
hilaskomai (to appease, propitiate)
Hebrews 2:17 That’s why it was necessary for him to become like his brothers in everything, so that he could become a merciful and trustworthy high priest in the things of God, to forgive his people’s sins.
hilasmos (what appeases, propitiates)
1 John 2:2 Through him our sins are forgiven—and not only our sins, but those of the whole world.
1 John 4:10 This is love! It’s not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and he sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
hilasterion (place of propitiatiation)
Romans 3:25 God openly presented Jesus as the gift that brings peace to those trusting in him, the one who shed his blood. God did this to demonstrate he is truly good and right, for previously he would hold back and pass over sins,
krateo (to lay fast hold of)
John 20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them unforgiven, unforgiven they remain.”
paresis (a sending over, passing by)
Romans 3:25 God openly presented Jesus as the gift that brings peace to those trusting in him, the one who shed his blood. God did this to demonstrate he is truly good and right, for previously he would hold back and pass over sins,
Works Cited
Wilson, M. (2017). Hilasterion and imperial ideology: A new reading of Romans 3:25. Retrieved from SciELO: https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222017000300003