Thinking Like a Christian

A series of Scripture meditations on what the Bible teaches about the Christian life.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

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how do you know if you're forgiven?

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. Luke 7:47 (ESV)

Many people struggle with knowing for sure if they have been forgiven. It's one thing to be forgiven, and quite another to believe that you are forgiven. How we treat others is a sure sign of what we believe when it comes to forgiveness. The woman referenced above demonstrated that she "got it." Her humble outpouring of appreciation to Jesus without regard to the personal cost to her or of the judgments heaped upon her by Simon the Pharisee proved that she was a believer in God's redemptive love. Jesus capped it with an exclamation point when he told her, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

 

The parable of the wicked slave (Matthew 18:23-35) illustrates that a failure to forgive (love) others clearly demonstrates a failure in receiving forgiveness from God by faith. (Remember that our actions speak louder than our words and often betray that we are self-deceived.)

 

Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:32-35 (ESV)

If we fail to receive our own forgiveness by trusting in Christ's finished work upon the cross, we will be inclined to demand payback from others for the debts they owe us. (This is called bitterness, revenge, etc.) In contrast, if we understand that God has handed to us an enormous gift of grace when he unilaterally forgave us, we should find it easy to dismiss the offenses of others against us. The parable from which the above quote comes shows that the wicked slave never understood that his debt had been forgiven. He still believed he had to pay back his master what he previously owed him. Therefore, he demanded that others pay up what they owed him, even though by comparison what they owed him was miniscule. He should have thrown a party for all those who owed him money, announcing that they were all released from the debts they owed him. Instead he went on a witch hunt.

The woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears expressed a deep level of emotion that surged from a revelation of how much had been forgiven her. Simon the Pharisee was convinced of his own worthiness and righteousness, so much so that he felt comfortable judging the woman and Jesus. His actions showed that he did not fully respect nor love the Lord, and his judgments against the others showed that he had no deep awareness of his own sin nor of God's offer of forgiveness. In other words, he was unforgiven because he did not believe in nor receive the forgiveness offered by Jesus. His actions and words showed the condition of his heart.

 

The woman's love, on the other hand, proved to Jesus that she had faith. As far as we know, she never uttered a word, but her actions spoke louder than words, and the Lord read her heart through her behavior. How about you? Have you truly believed that you have been forgiven? If so, have you poured out your heart, tears, and wealth to the Lord, as this woman did? Or have you, like the wicked slave, found it difficult to believe that God has fully released you from your debt? Do you find yourself judging others? Is it hard for you to let offenses go? If so, your actions betray you: you have yet to really "get it." Pray that God will open your heart so that you will see the reality of the wonder of the gift of grace and forgiveness provided in Christ. When you finally "see" it, you will become a different person and will start acting like a believer.

 

 

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