34 results for tag: forgiveness
February 2023
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Greg Albrecht: How Sorry Are We? – pg. 2
Ed Dunn: Our Choice of Words – pg. 5
Brad Jersak: Zaccheus Makes Amends – pg. 6
Praying the Lord’s Prayer in Violent Times – Brad Jersak
You've noticed that we're living in very violent times. At home, abroad ... to the point of exhaustion, hopelessness and/or numbness. I see no reprieve in sight and every reason to expect further escalation. I find myself in daily need of prayers that guard my heart and mind from both despair and the vengeance fantasies of repressed rage.
In that context, I have begun to pray the Lord's Prayer in a focused way on a daily basis with some new (to me) understanding about Christ's strategy in ordering the phrases in series as he does. Here is the part that seems super-relevant to us all right now:
Forgive us our ...
The Freedom to Forgive – by Ed Dunn
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV).
Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you – Jean Paul Sartre
Freedom lies in being bold – Robert Frost
I’ve been thinking about the words Freedom and Forgiveness a lot of late, considering how the two words may both work together and support one another. You see, two close friends of mine have recently had a falling out. These two close friends have had a falling out over a common source of strong opinion and emotional tension these days. Unfortunately, hurtful words have been exchanged and harmful events have ...
“Without the Shedding of Blood” – Brad Jersak
“Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Heb 9:22).
The prosecution rests, your honor.A blood sacrifice is required or there is no forgiveness.That should end the discussion.
Well it shouldn’t. But it did … for me. See, God can’t just forgive freely … that wouldn’t be ‘just.’ Sin must be paid for. How? Only by the shedding of blood.
Because why? Because a blood sacrifice is what God requires, what God needs, what God wants … and by blood, we mean death. Death of the sinner, or alternatively, a ram, lamb, bull … or a Son. And so we taught, “Sin cannot simply be forgiven. ...
Forgiveness…Who First? – Greg Albrecht
Wouldn’t it be great if you or I could hit a delete button and send the memories of all our hurts and pains somewhere far away, into the most remote recesses of our minds, and never, ever have to think of them again? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the hard drive in our brain suddenly crashed, and no bad memories survived?
As painful as our memories of being hurt are, they can fester and grow into resentment and hatred of those who either hurt us or had some part in our pain.
Nasty things can and do happen when we throw a pity party, swimming laps in a pool of resentment, endlessly replaying painful moments from our past.
Mo...
Our Debt Forgiven
At dinner in a Pharisee’s house, Jesus forgave a harlot. Her debt was great, yet she was forgiven. You will be forgiven too, if you accept Jesus Christ as your savior, but if you try to do it on your own as the Pharisee did, then your debt remains.
Q&R with Brad Jersak – “Can we withhold God’s forgiveness?
Question
What is your take on John 20:23?
"If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Response
That's a very difficult verse. Of course, the first part seems easy enough. Up until that point, there was this sense that only God could forgive sin (Mark 2:7), so Jesus' critics were upset when he would announce (in the passive voice), "Your sins are forgiven." They claimed it was tantamount to blasphemy. But note, he didn't say, "I forgive you," but rather, spoke the words as the Son authorized by his Father. Even on the Cross, we hear Jesus praying, "Father, forgive ...
April 2022
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Brad Jersak: The Cross: God's Eternal Mercy Seat – pg. 2
Laura Urista: Trimming the Roses – pg. 5
Richard Rohr: The Saving Power of the Cross – pg. 6
Greg Albrecht: The Meaning(s) of the Cross – pg. 7
“Father, forgive them” – Particular & Universal – Brad Jersak
"Father, forgive them.”
When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine. “If You are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!” Above Him was posted an inscription: THIS IS THE ...
September 2021
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Articles:
Remembering 9-11 in the Wake of 2020 – pg. 1
We Believe – pg. 2
Think on These Things – pg. 5
Forgiveness and Apologies – pg. 7
Quotes & Connections – pg. 8
July 2021
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Articles:
The Father I Never Knew – pg. 1
Get Comfortable With the Questions – pg. 2
How Free Do You Want to Be? – pg. 4
God's Not Through With Us Yet – pg. 5
Life's Lava Tubes – pg. 7
Quotes & Connections – pg. 8
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word – Greg Albrecht
What've I got to do to make you love me? What've I got to do to make you care?—Sorry Seems to Be The Hardest Word, Elton John, 1976
Unrequited love normally brings to mind memories of romantic, "puppy love" that failed to hear an echo. But teenage infatuations that end in agonizing, emotional dramas are surpassed in intensity by the crushing heartbreak experienced when, for some reason, a parent or child fails to respond to each other. This is a story of a girl and the relationship she yearned to have with her father.
Like many others in her generation, Karen grew up in a home ruled over by an authoritarian veteran of World War 2. Karen, ...
I’ll Forgive You If…
There are times when we secretly take delight in other people's sins -- it gives us something on them. We don't want to forgive them and lose our advantage. Greg talks about forgiveness. Don't miss it.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0163.mp3
The Suffering Judge – Greg Albrecht
… If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.—Romans 8:31-34
You probably have heard of honor killings. An "honor killing" is the term used to describe a practice in which one or more males murders a female relative who, according to their perspective, dishonored the family.
Honor ...
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