When it comes to forgiveness, the followers of any religion know to repent and ask God for remission. They are aware Lord is very forgiving, and for that reason, believers are told to have that same burden on others as well. It is challenging to define what forgiveness, both in narrow and wide meanings, is. In general, it is an action of pardoning someone for his/her wrongdoings. Regarding religion, it could be defined as a pious act to excuse the person who wronged someone by his/her deeds (Liles). The scriptures provide valuable insights on the concept of forgiveness, tell how followers should exercise it, and reveal the reasons behind it. Forgiveness remains a cornerstone of relationship with God and everyday life reducing tension between people.
To begin with, the original concept of forgiveness can be found in the Christian doctrine. God presented a model of forgiveness that all believers are expected to follow and strive for. He sacrificed his Son, Jesus Christ, whose death was on behalf of Christian sinners, lifting the sentence of their condemnation. As the sole judge of men, God was punished for the quilt of people, but the guilty received forgiveness. The scripture teaches, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephes. 4.32). A similar verse can be found in Colossians 3.13 that instructs to “bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Nevertheless, it is not possible to forgive in the same manner as the Lord did. He is the only one who can erase the record of human sins and remove the following penalties. Only God can judge and pardon deeds that violate standards set by him. For instance, Luke writes, “The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Luk. 5.21). This verse reasserts God’s prerogative to change someone’s destiny.
Contrary, Bible teaches victims to release a violation or sin committed against them by offenders. In Ephesians 4.31, Paul writes, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” It suggests how Christians should forgive others and which attitude they should have. They must not be angry or seek revenge; God rather expects them to be kind-hearted enough to excuse culprits.
The case of the wrongdoer also provides some valuable insights for the study. In Paul’s letter 2 Corinthians 2.5-11, he notes, “But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but to some extent-not to exaggerate it-to all of you.” Paul explains that the pain caused by the wrongdoer to him was not as hurtful to only him but to everyone in the church. In the following couple lines, he continues, “This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” The apostle calls upon the church’s people to stop the punishment of the wrongdoer and forgive, comfort, and affirm their love for him. Paul asks this of his people because he says the man has repented in his own sorrow and that they should encourage them to restore his beliefs.
Other denominations of Abrahamic religious heritage have similar commands and ideas on forgiveness. For instance, Islam, the religion I belong to, is considered a religion of peace based on the concept of forgiveness. Muslims are taught that God is the most merciful of them all. They are urged and expected to accept their sins, repent and continue praying to God no matter how grave the sin someone has committed is. There are no perfect individuals, and everyone may once engage in wrongdoing; thus, it is better to pardon their offenses.
Here are some verses from the Quran that are similar to what Paul is saying, “And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear not to give the near of kin and to the nearby, and to fugitives for the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and show indulgence. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” (The Quran 24.22). Another verse from the Quran related to what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2 line 11 is, “Believers! Do not follow in Satan’s footsteps. Let him who follows in Satan’s footsteps (remember that) Satan bids people to indecency and evil” (The Quran 24:21). In this verse, the merciful Allah contrasts with evil and vindictive Satan. It instructs Muslims to follow God and forgive others instead of following the destructive power.
Many people tend to hold a grudge until somebody who hurt them repents and asks for forgiveness. According to Derrida (44), there is conditional and unconditional forgiveness creating two poles that are irreconcilable but indissociable. Conditional forgiveness can be spotted in current legal, political, and business affairs, which require repentance and transformation, among other conditions. For instance, the founders of Dolce & Gabbana asked people of China to excuse them for their racist comments following the backlash (Srivastav). They both said that they are sorry, actually respect Chinese people, and adore their culture.
The founders also claimed that this situation would never happen again. Derrida (44) further provides an example of a presidential right of grace that can neutralize the law. Clinton, a known supporter of the death penalty, used his right and released Puerto Ricans who were engaged in terrorism from prison. It was a conditional act of forgiveness since he did it in the interests of his own family, helping his wife win the electoral campaign.
On the contrary, pure forgiveness under Abrahamic religious heritage is unconditional, exceptional, does not have finality and meaning. Derrida (45) calls it a paradox and believes that reconciliation, amnesty, or mourning should ultimately refer to the idea of pure forgiveness. This notion means to pardon offenders whether they change their behavior or not. It also seems that repentance is not obligatory in that case. Thus, in some situations, unconditional forgiveness can seem to be impossible and mad.
The scripture presents three different ways/methods God uses to forgive sinners. The first one is called positional forgiveness, when the Lord eliminates the present, past, and future sins of people who became Christians. Acts 10.43 reveals, “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Throughout the Bible, the Christians are often called saints since they were pardoned due to their repentance and belief in Jesus Christ.
The second method found in scripture is forgiveness on a daily basis established on the concept of confession. As can be seen from 1 John 1.9, Christians are expected to confess their sins to restore their fellowship with God but remaining sinful. In other words, people should agree with their sins and be able to admit their wrongdoings. The mentioned ways require both asking for forgiveness and repentance to be excused.
Nevertheless, the third way provides ground to the principle of unconditional forgiveness mentioned by Derrida in his work. Jesus Christ, while hanging on the cross, forgave those who offended and made hurt to him. The soldiers were taking his clothes while the Pharisees were insulting and mocking him. Although they were not seeking forgiveness or repenting, Jesus pardoned them unconditionally. Luke writes, “But Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luk. 23.24). This example of forgiveness compared to previous ones resembles the way human beings should forgive others. Here Christ acts not as the Lord; instead, he acts like a man praying to God, the Father, to forgive his offenders. He excuses their offenses against him unilaterally and without any conditions.
According to Acts 7.60, Stephen followed Christ’s example by forgiving those who stoned him to death. Again, the members of the Sanhedrin were not repenting or asking for remission. Of course, it is often challenging to excuse offenses committed by those who do not follow God’s commands. Sometimes it even seems impossible, especially when wrongdoers do not admit their guilt and continue to cause mental or physical harm. Nevertheless, this is the pure form of forgiveness Christians expected to practice in their life to peace their soul and follow God.
Turning to Islam, forgiveness is a virtue and a right of every Muslim, not an obligatory act. Believers have a right not to forget and demand legal punishment for a criminal because Allah also does not forgive all sins (Muhammad). In contrast, it is obligatory to abstain from seeking punishment to the offender using extrajudicial means. This religion teaches believers to admit and repent their sins in order to be forgiven by Allah. Pardoning the evil deed is preferred over the seek for justice by applying legal tools. Transgressors, who offended or abused others, should be forgiven by their victims if they repent their deeds and sincerely ask for an apology.
It seems that the Islam concept of forgiveness requires more conditions such as repentance and transformation to be applied. Nevertheless, there is a notion that Allah may forgive an offender who dies unrepentant about his/her wrongdoings. Muslims are also allowed to forgive someone unconditionally, praying to God against those individuals, and ask for recompensation in the future (Muhammad). However, the malefactor who intentionally oppresses or causes harm to others without further repentance should expect a harsh and fair decision at the Day of Judgment.
In general, the scripture instructs to rely on God’s character and release oneself from such destructive feelings like anger. The famous verse says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6.37). This verse clearly instructs not to judge others, their attitudes, and even their wrongdoings since it is purely in God’s authority. Consequently, Christians should release misdeeds against them, pray for the offenders, and believe that God will deal with injustices.
Therefore, forgiveness is the vital concept of Christianity multiple times mentioned in the Bible. It teaches to accept apologies and even forgive unconditionally. It also provides reasons why people must follow provided examples. The simple reason is that Jesus commanded people to forgive others if they want to be as well pardoned for their sins by Father. It can be seen in Mathew 6.14, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Although Christians forgive out of obedience, it is their own choice to release someone’s offenses or hold a grudge against them. Some of them believe that unconditional forgiveness is also beneficial to believers since they achieve spiritual freedom.
It is commonly known that deep and painful emotions that last for a long period are destructive, affecting health conditions and lifestyles. For instance, a father who lost his child in an accident may blame the offender, seek revenge, and simultaneously spoil his life by drinking alcohol. In this case, the mix of anger and grief will destruct his life and tear his soul for a long time. Thus, even from the psychological perspective, there is reason to forgive wrongdoers instead of seeking revenge and let anger fester in the soul.
We live in a highly globalized world and enjoy a relatively peaceful time. Nevertheless, local military conflicts, oppressions, homicides, cases of racism, bullying, and many other injustices occur worldwide. Someone may question the need for the Abrahamic concept of forgiveness in modern life, suggesting that it does not provide pure justice or just irrelevant. Instead, the international and local legal systems are expected to address injustice, judge, and punish alleged offenders.
Of course, the governments are obliged and have the power to protect their people’s dignity and human rights to avoid chaos. At the same time, legal systems, processes of reconciliation, and political acts of forgiveness have to be built upon the concept of forgiveness found in the scripture. It should not be applied to pursue personal and economic interests because, in this case, it loses its meaning and value.
We would see ourselves living in a better place regarding everyday life if more human beings were aware of the concept of forgiveness and related God’s commands. Today, people seem to be more egoistic and arrogant, having a highly stressful life. Instead, Bible and Quran teach to understand, respect, forgive, and love fellow human beings even if they are not believers. Forgiveness can reduce tension in relations with others and brings peace needed to move forward. It breaks the adverse bonds with the offender, terminating shifting from the victim mode. It is also possible to re-establish personal integrity, become more robust, and free to seek further development and something positive. Thus, forgiveness is still a relevant and helpful phenomenon that can make our world better and relieve the burdens of life.
To conclude, Bible and other scriptures teach and urge Christians to forgive people as God forgave everybody sacrificing his son. The Lord showed how he expects men to pardon others, not judging and condemning, but kindly forgiving and praying for their offenders. Only God has enough authority to decide on someone’s destiny and erase sins from the list. A similar concept of forgiveness was spotted in Islam that urges to forgive those who repented in order to be pardoned by God. Christian heritage retains more room for pure and unconditional forgiveness that we should strive to. Modern international relations, peacekeeping, and legal systems must refer to this concept. If more people practice forgiveness on a daily basis, we will live in a better place.
Works Cited
Derrida, Jacques. On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness (Thinking in Action). Routledge, 2001.
Holy Bible. New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation, 2020.
Liles, Maryn. “50 Bible Verses about Forgiveness that’ll Inspire you to be More Understanding.” Parade, 2020. Web.
Muhammad, Haniff Hasan. “Forgiveness in Islam: A Virtue, Not an Obligation.” Muslim. 2020. Web.
Srivastav, Taruka. “Dolce & Gabbana Asks for Forgiveness after Chinese Racism Furore.” The Drum, 2018. Web.
The Quran. Translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, Oxford UP, 2008.