The Truth Of Forgiveness

The Truth of Forgiveness

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Mark 12:28-37

28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 aAND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘aYOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. 35 And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 “David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET.” 37 “David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.

Psalm 110:1 has been a misunderstood verse in the Scriptures for centuries. This occurred because the church broke away from its Hebraic roots and lost its true meaning.

The words “The LORD said to my Lord” is a phrase that is misunderstood today. The Targums on the Psalms clean up the verse by offering the verse with the rabbinic understanding of it. Since the Targums were written only slightly prior to Jesus’s life, we can use them as a resource. Jesus would have read the Targums and knew of the correct usage of Psalm 110. Psalm 110:1 tells us that King David, the Lord (a title for the King), was told by Yahweh, the LORD, that he needed to wait to assume the throne of Israel. The LORD needed to deal with King Saul before the change could occur. So, David waited. How long did King David have to wait? Psalm 110 does not tell us. However, the Scripture does tell us that David did indeed wait until the LORD removed King Saul from power. Then King David could assume the throne with the full power of the LORD behind him. In the same way, Jesus is telling us that it is the LORD who will inform us about His Son, the Messiah. When a person’s heart is prepared for the truth, the LORD sends the truth.

The question tossed back is a question that every person who claims to be a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. This question is, “who is Jesus, and why do you follow Him?” There are so many Christians who really cannot answer that question beyond, “He is the Messiah,” or “He died for my sins.” So many Christians today cannot answer who Jesus is a question beyond the introductory statement of “he is the savior.”

What does it mean that Jesus is the savior of the world? How does Jesus save the world from its sins? This was a fundamental question that I asked. How can a man who died 2000 years ago on a cross save me from my sins? I never received an adequate answer from church folks. For me, the answer to this question has evolved over the years as I studied the Scriptures and traditions of the church. Perhaps a decline in church relevance in our society today revolves around how many people sitting in the pews on Sunday cannot answer the fundamental question about Jesus. If they could answer the question, their behaviors and attitudes would undoubtedly reflect it.

The idea that the church reveals is that Jesus died on a cross 2000 years ago, which satisfied the need for the overall forgiveness of sins. Then the question is if I sin today, is that OK? After all, Jesus died, so my sins are forgiven. Then why not sin all I want? This is not that difficult a question to answer. Let me offer you an explanation of forgiveness through Jesus’ death that works. This WILL BE DIFFERENT than what you have heard in church before. Please do not discount it out of hand.

Here we go. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and the forgiveness of sin by His death on the cross, you accept a lot more. If you are baptized as a believer, but you go out and continue to sin, then you are showing the LORD by your actions that you do not believe. Why? Jesus Christ teaches us through His Gospels how to live a sin-free life. OK, as close as we can humanly live sin-free. To intentionally sin demonstrates that you are not a true believer.