the Holy Spirit whom He had promisei
due
course were revealed those ' many things ' concern- ing His cross and passion which His disciples could not ' bear ' during His lifetime. Down even to the very close of His short ministry on earth the rudimentary .spiritual intelligence of the Apostles was unequal to (tarrying the full burden of the gospel as they afterwards understood it. The way in which that gospel was to In; emphatic- ally one of forgiveness, that ' tliumtjli this man is proclaimed remission of siii~, hthI liy liiiii every one that believeth is justilicil timu .ill things from which ye could not be justiliud by the lawof Moses,' was only made clear afterwards. It being therefore carefully borne in mind that the OT prepared tlie way for Christ's teaching on forgive- ness, and that the Epistles developed and com- pleted it, this article will deal only with that stage in the biblical doctrine of the subject which is represented by Christ and the Gospels. The con- sideration of it will 111' diviilcil inlii fiiiir sritioiis: (1) the Divine forgivem'ss uf inan, I'J- < 'In i-l\ n\Mi power to forgive sins, (H) the ilul\' oi jiim in tm-iM' one another, (4) tlif .-Mrni i..n\Iih1i aulliontv In forgivris veslrd i)i tli.' ('I,ii-ii:in , . m„ n, 1 1 mt y. ' \.i:n,l til,- Fnllin- iis t\n<: finm.~
Tlir llrsl ivtViviicr rliroii,,],.. , il. I I, subject
in llic(;,,spi.ls is loiiii.l ill ill- /■ '"/" . iir Psalm
of Zacharias (Lk 1'"). Tlir pnipliccy concerning John the B,aptist .announces that he is to give 'knowledge of salvation unto his people, in the remission of their sins, ticcording to the tender mercy of our God,' etc. The whole tenor of the canticle goes, to show that God's ancient promises were about to be fulfilled in the coming of a Saviour through whom the great boon of remission of sins was to be secured in a fuller sense than had hitherto obtained. When the time came, John the Baptist is declared to have preached the baptism of re- pentance 'unto remission of sins' (Mk 1^ Lk 3'). In the same connexion may be taken the interpre- tation of the name Jesus in Mt 1=' ' he shall save his people from their sins,' and the ' Saviour, Christ
616
FORGIVENESS
FORGIVENESS
the Lord,' of Lk 2", though tlie word 'forgiveness' does not occur. It was indeed imiilicit through- out tmr Lord's ministry, all His declarations con- cerning His coming 'not to call the righteous, but sinners ' (Mt 9" II), ' to seek and to save that which was lost' (Lk 19"), and His promise of 'rest to the souls' of men (Mt IF-'), showing that the object of His ministry was to reclaim from sin, by bringing men to that forgiveness and cleansing which God had promised through repentance and faith in Him.
The explicit references to forgiveness of sin are comparatively few, but they are clear and definite in character, and quite sufficient to establish doc- trine on the subject. They are : (a) the petition in the Lord's Prayer, ' Forgive us our debts,' Mt 6'- ('our sins,' Lk IP), combined with Jit 6"'^, Mk 11^, .which a.ssert God's wOlingness to forgive under certain conditions. AVith these join Lk 6^, a parallel passage with a different turn of expression, 'Release and ye shall be released,' the reference clearly being to sin. (b) Tlie parables of Lk 15, especially that of the Prodigal Son, and of the Pharisee and the Publican in Lk 18*i-". {c) Our Saviour's prayer on the cross, ' Father, forgive them,' etc., Lk 23". (rf) Statements concerning God's \villingness to forgive all sins, including those 'against the Son of man,' but excluding the unpardonable .sin against the Holy Ghost, Mt 12^, Mk 3=», Lk 12" ; add also Mk 4i=, in which Isaiah's prophecy is represented as being fulfilled, ' lest they should repent and be forgiven (healed).'
Putting these passages together, Ave are war- ranted in concluding that Christ taught the readi- ness of the Father always to hear the prayer of the truly penitent and in His mercy to pardon their sins, the chief questions being. What is the exact nature of forgiveness ? Is it free to all mankind, or to those only who are in covenant relation with Him ? Is any condition besides that of repentance laid down ?
The meaning of the word ' forgiveness,' and the relation between God and man implied in it, must be gathered largely from the OT. Doubtless under the old in\iii,uit a iiro,i;ressive revelation is to be recogiii/iil. ,111 ,i,U,une in spirituality of teaching being di-r,., nililr in its later sta-es. Doubtless also it is nercrsaiy tu bear in mind the distinction between the ceremonial standpoint of the Law ■with its elaborate ritual and appointed sacrifices on the one hand, and the more purely spiritual view of the prophet and psalmist on the other. But, broadly speaking, Christ, like the more ' Evangelical ' OT prophets, represents forgiveness as a pure act of grace on the part of God, who on the repentance of the sinner receives him graciously and pardons his transgression in the sense of re- placing the offender in his former relation of acceptance and favour. Forgiveness is not mere remission of penalty, the forbearing to inflict de- served punishment, though such release is for the most part included. Punishment may still be exacted, but it has lost its penal character and