Forgiveness: Session 1 of 6

 

Forgiveness, Session 1

Luke 4:14-30

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1. Introduction:

   1. Key questions that may be addressed in this five-part study:

      1. What is forgiveness and why is it important? What should/must be forgiven?

      2. How is forgiveness related to revenge, anger, punishment, grace, mercy, love, hate, repentance, pride, bitterness, prejudice, or our own sins?

      3. Can someone who is outside of God’s love forgive others or be forgiven?

      4. Must we forgive others before God forgives us? What does refusal to forgive do to a person?

      5. Must God have forgiven us before we can truly forgive others?

      6. Must we forgive our enemies? What about justice, revenge and forgiveness, does one preclude the other?

      7. What is the politics of forgiveness and of repentance-driven forgiveness?

      8. Should we forget or ignore injury or injustice to forgive? Is only sin to be forgiven?

      9. Must we love, like or have a relationship with someone before we can forgive them?

      10. How is the paradox of forgiveness resolved through Jesus Christ?

   2. Overview of the first lesson on Forgiveness:

      1. Objectives:

         1. Recognize the complexity of forgiveness and aspects of its definition.

         2. Define God’s forgiveness and identify some aspects of it in the Bible

         3. Better understand the role of Jesus Christ in God’s purpose

         4. Realize the universal scope of God’s forgiveness.

2. Defining forgiveness

   1. First: what is our current understanding or “gut feelings” about forgiveness?

   2. What Hebrew and Greek words are translated as “forgive” or “forgiveness”?

      1. Nasa (Hebrew) – lift up, bear, dismiss, send away

      2. Aphiemi (Greek) – let go, send away, pardon, forgive

      3. Apoluo (Greek) – let go, loose

      4. Charizomai (Greek) – be gracious

   3. What do each of the following metaphors reveal about forgivenss?

1. Nehemiah 9:16-20

2. Psalm 32:1-2*

3. Psalm 103:8-14*

4. Jeremiah 31:31-34

5. Micah 7:18-20*

6. * denotes Nasa used

1. What does the story in Luke 7:44-50 tell us of the relationship between forgiveness and love?

1. What was Jesus’ mission while here? Today’s scripture: Luke 4:14-30 –

   1. Read substituting “forgiveness” for “release or freedom” and “free” (both use “aphesis”)

   2. What is the significance of verse 21? Why did Jesus say this?

   3. What is the importance of story of Elijah and of Elisha?

2. God and forgiveness

   1. Forgiveness is God’s initiative

1. Luke 1:76-77

2. Luke 5:17-26

3. Luke 24:45-48

4. Acts 10:43

5. Acts 26:17-18

1. In Luke and Acts there are 28 specific references to forgiveness: 24 through God’s actions and 4 that are instructions for us (directly or indirectly) to forgive each other.

2. What is the relationship between love and forgiveness, and how can we forgive our enemies? Luke 6:27-36; Matthew 5:43-48 – Can we forgive someone we hate?

3. Does God demand repentance before He will forgive us? Matthew 6:12,14-16; 18:21-35 Mark 11:25,

1. God’s forgiveness and Jesus of Nazareth

   1. What does Luke 5:17-26 (21) reveal about Jesus?

   2. What does Luke 7:36-50 (49) reveal about Jesus?

   3. We can/should/must forgive sins and offenses against us individually, but who can forgive sin?

2. God’s gift to all mankind

   1. Luke 1:67-79 (77) How was Jesus a gift, and how has He given the knowledge of salvation?

   2. Acts 2:37-40 (38) What is the result of repenting?

3. Revisiting Luke 4:14-30

   1. How does this passage reveal that forgiveness is God’s initiative?

   2. How does this passage reveal that forgiveness is God’s action through Jesus?

   3. How does this passage reveal that forgiveness is God’s gift to all mankind?

4. Questions to consider for session 1

   1. When we think about forgiveness, we tend to focus upon our human efforts to forgive. What can we learn from Luke’s starting point: that forgiveness is God’s initiative?

   2. Why was it scandalous to say that God’s forgiveness was being enacted in Jesus of Nazareth? Do people still find this to be scandalous today?

   3. Are there some people or groups of people that you really do not want to forgive today? Why do we resist forgiving certain people? Luke 6:27-36

   4. How is the anger, resentment, bitterness or pain of an offense addictive? Why do we hold onto such feelings, and sometimes flame them even greater? Why is forgiveness hard to give to some people?

   5. Can anyone truly forgive another without God’s gift of forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrificial death, His resurrection and the indwelling Holy Spirit? In other words, is it possible to fully forgive without the power of Jesus?

Please leave a comment on this blog page with any suggestions you may have, encouragement you may wish to give me or criticism that you feel I should consider.