Page 101 - Divinity_F5

Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

God’s love has no boundaries. That for forgiveness, and then you become
is why He has been convincing His forgiven.
people to return to Him so that they
can be entitled to God’s protection and Unconditional forgiveness
provisions promised to them through Unconditional forgiveness is the
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Abraham and Moses. Forgiveness is an forgiveness that is given to the wrongdoer
act of remitting an offence, debt or fault. freely. This type of forgiveness shows
It is an act of releasing anger or letting the power of love whereby the wronged
pain go away. There are several types of person omits the wrongdoer’s mistakes
forgiveness. We will focus on two types, or sins and lets all the inflicted pains go
namely conditional forgiveness and away without giving punishment as a
unconditional forgiveness. vengeance. You can see how God became
furious because of the sins of Israel and
Conditional forgiveness Juda in Hosea 4:1-2, showing that Israel
Conditional forgiveness assumes that, deserved punishment. However, God’s
before being forgiven, the wrongdoer love, compassion and mercy made him
must take convincing steps to meet declare forgiveness for his offenders.
a specific condition as sentenced Unconditional forgiveness carries mercy
by someone who needs to forgive and compassion (Hosea 11:8-9).
conditionally. Conditional forgiveness
is given when the wrongdoer does Hosea (14:1-2) reads, “Return, O Israel,
something to have his or her sins or to the LORD your God, for you have
wrongdoing forgiven with payment stumbled because of your iniquity. Take
or penalty. Conditional forgiveness with you words and return to the LORD;
lacks mercy and compassion; it is the say to him, Take away all iniquity; accept
act of being judged or sentenced to that which is good, and we will render the
pay aggressively and be punished. fruit of our lips”. Perhaps this passage
Several passages in the Bible talk about is Prophet Hosea’s central message and
conditional forgiveness (cf. Eph. 4:26; call for the return to the Lord. If Hosea
Matt. 6:14-15 etc.). returned his unfaithful wife, Gomer, God
would again accommodate his people.
This type of forgiveness has been used
in our community. However, it has In the New Testament, we are commissioned
negative results because it is full of acts by Jesus Christ that all Christians must
of revenge, and revenge is not healthy forgive others unconditionally because
socially or psychologically. Some Jesus forgave us on the cross when He said,
examples of conditional forgiveness “Father, forgive them”. When someone
in the Old Testament were that when hurts you in one way or another, pray for
you sinned before God, you must go them. Unconditional forgiveness is that
to the temple to give animal sacrifice the offended can forgive freely.

92 Form Five Student’s Book