Patrikin – Kinship through The Father

When giving directions to my house I tell some people to turn right onto my street, others I tell to turn left.  I’m not confused about where I live nor am I contradicting myself, my instructions depend on which way people are headed when they come to my street.

Bible passages can be understood like this, too.  For example:

“But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” – Matthew 6:15 (spoken by Jesus)

“And be ye kind to one another, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgive you” – Ephesians 4:32 (written by Paul)

One passage appears to say our forgiveness from God comes AFTER we forgive and the other appears to say it comes BEFORE.  But notice to whom the instructions were given and when.

Jesus was speaking to the crowd before the cross; Paul was writing to those after the cross, ones who had their sins paid for by Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Before the cross, the best anyone could do was try to live right and hope for the coming redemption through God’s messiah.  Many still think the best they can do is try to get and keep on God’s good side by their acts of sacrifice.

The good news is that Jesus, the Messiah, has now paid for my sins.  I cannot forgive enough to earn my way to heaven no matter how hard I try, but He exchanged my sins for his righteousness.  My forgiveness came as a gift when I gave my life to Jesus before I did any forgiving of my own.  He took my sins away and put his Holy Spirit in me, enabling me to extend the forgiveness by choice and from gratitude that I could not on my own.

I am headed a different direction than before.

Many Bible passages turn out to need only a simple understanding of who is being spoken to and which way they are headed in life’s journey.