A little bit about forgiveness...
The word for forgiveness in Hebrew is סָלַח-salach. It translates in English to mean 'forgive' or 'pardon'. It's a beautiful thing to think up what it means to be forgiven or pardoned. I'd imagine it looks like having a mistake you made overlooked or an offense you caused never brought up again.
In the Hebrew language though, the reality of forgiveness and pardoning is even more beautiful.
It's life changing...
Through etymology, forgiveness is defined like this:
סָ-support and prop up
לַ-guide with authority
ח- that which was separated
When we commit sin, we are separating ourselves from the presence of Adonai (Isaiah 59:2). When He extends forgiveness to us, pardoning our sins
He is
סָ-supporting us in our weakened sinful state and propping us upright to be able to stand before Him
He is
לַ-guiding us with His divine authority into His righteous way of living
And He is
ח-ultimately connecting us to Him despite our previous state of separation
One of the verses that have this particular word for forgiveness in it is Jeremiah 36:3
Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”
This verse is especially beautiful because the Almighty hopes for the reparation before Judah has even begun to repent.
And praise Adonai, that his definition of forgiveness took on its complete meaning in Messiah Yeshua!!
Romans 5:6-11
For while we were still helpless, at the right time, the Messiah died on behalf of ungodly people. Now it is a rare event when someone gives up his life even for the sake of somebody righteous, although possibly for a truly good person one might have the courage to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners. Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God’s judgment! For if we were reconciled with God through his Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by his life, now that we are reconciled! And not only will we be delivered in the future, but we are boasting about God right now, because he has acted through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, through whom we have already received that reconciliation.
And one last little thought…
if this is how Adonai shows forgiveness to us- supporting our weakness, guiding us, and bridging the gap…
shouldn’t we be like him and extend this type of forgiveness to others?
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