Between the Lines

Do you consider receiving forgiveness a blessing?

Why?

What are we asking forgiveness for?

A stubborn heart? Pridefulness? Hating our brother? Loving money? Envy? sowing discord? Leaving things undone?

Hebrews 12:1– Sin ensnares (Greek word means to stand around, in every direction). The picture is one competitor standing in the way of another competitor.

• In the margin next to “Therefore” write (refers to chapter 11).
• Hi-lite “sin which so easily ensnares us.”
• Circle “let us” (command).
• Underline “run with endurance.”

FORGIVENESS IS REFRESHING

Act 3:19 

• Circle “that” and “so that.”
• Hi-lite “sins may be blotted out” and “times of refreshing may come” – this is what happens when you repent (and are forgiven).
• Underline “from the presence of the Lord.”

FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM

Freed from the Slavery of Sin

We have never been slaves in the physical sense.

What does slavery involve?

• You are not your own.
• Obedience is expected.

Your experience depends on what kind of master you have:

• if we are faithful to Christ, we have a loving and benevolent master.
• If we are not faithful and under Satan’s power we do not have a kind master.  He is not looking out for your best interest but only wants you for himself and his purposes.

Romans 6:5-7

• Circle “if” and write “then” in front of “certainly.”
• Hi-lite “likeness of His death” and “likeness of His resurrection.”
• Put a box around “united together.”
• Circle “knowing this”, “that” and “that” – what happens when we are baptized the likeness of His death.
• Hi-lite “body of sin might be done away with” and “no longer be slaves of sin.”
• Put brackets around “freed from sin.” – once we “die” with Him in baptism, we become free from sin, no longer a slave to that sin.  We have a new master and forgiveness!

Romans 6:15-23

• Circle the question marks.  Questions are important to understanding the passage.
• Notice the contrasts in this passage.  The slavery of sin verses the freedom as a slave of righteousness.
• Hi-lite “Sin leading to death” (:16), “Slaves of sin” (:17), “Slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness” (:19), “Fruit” and “is death” (:21), “wages of sin is death” (:23)
• Hi-lite in another color “obedience leading to righteousness” (:16), “obeyed from the heart” (:17), “slaves of righteousness for holiness” (:19), “slaves of God”, “fruit to holiness” and “everlasting life” (:22), “gift of God is eternal life” (:23)

In verse 21, have you ever thought of sin as having “fruit?”

  SIN                                                                                              RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans 7:5

• Hi-lite “in the flesh”, “sinful passions”, “bear fruit to death.”

John 8:32 – What makes us free?

• Hi-lite “know the truth”, truth shall make you free.”

Freed from God’s Wrath

When you were a child, how did it feel when your dad was angry with you?

How does it feel now when anyone, co-worker, husband, friend is angry with you?

It can be unsettling when you know someone is angry with you.

We can save ourselves from God’s anger by being obedient to Him.

• Romans 5:9-Being justified (declared righteous), we are saved from His wrath.
• Hi-lite “justified by His blood”, “saved from wrath.”
• Circle “much more then.”
• Underline “through Him.”

Psalm 7:11

• Hi-lite “God is a just judge.”
• Underline “God is angry with the wicked every day.”

Do you want God to be angry with you? We have the blessing of being saved from His wrath through Jesus.

FORGIVENESS IS A BLESSING (benefit to us)

What is the benefit?  It is something that does us good. We have been delivered and forgiven.

Hebrews 8:12

• Underline “their unrighteousness” and “their sins and their lawless deeds”
• Hi-lite “I will be merciful” and “I will remember no more.”

Colossians 1:13-14 – Delivered from darkness, forgiveness in Christ.

• Hi-lite “the Son of His love”, “redemption” and “forgiveness.”
• Underline “delivered us” and “conveyed us.”
• Notice the contrast between “power of darkness” and “kingdom of the Son.”

Psalm 103:12 – Transgressions gone!

• Underline “as far as the east is from the west.”
• Hi-lite “He removed our transgressions from us.”

Isaiah 43:25  – Transgressions blotted out!

• Hi-lite “blots out your transgressions” and “I will not remember your sins.”

Micah 7:18-19

• Hi-lite “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
• Put brackets around “subdue our iniquities.”  The Greek word for “subdue” means to disregard. Iniquity means evil and immoral conduct.
• Underline “He will again have compassion on us.”

FORGIVENESS IS EMPOWERING

1 John 1:9-10 – We must “own” our sins

• Circle “if” twice.  If is a big word in scripture, pay special attention to “it-then” statements.
• Write “then” above “He is faithful” and “we make Him a liar”
• Hi-lite “confess our sins”, “forgive us our sins”, “cleanse us.”
• Hi-lite in another color “say that we have not sinned”, “make Him a liar”, “His word in not in us”

Psalm 32:1-6 – Sin is heavy.

• Circle “Blessed is he” and “Blessed is the man.”
• Hi-lite
  • Verse 1: “transgression is forgiven”, “sin is covered,”
  • Verse 2: “Lord does not impute iniquity”, “no deceit.” The Hebrew for Impute means to count or regard.
  • Verse 5: “You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
• Notice how David felt before he was forgiven.  Underline “silent”, “bones grew old”, “groaning”, “Your hand was heavy upon me”, “vitality was turned into drought.”
• Notice how he is empowered once he acknowledges his own sin.  Put brackets around “I acknowledged”, “have not hidden”, “I will confess.”

Psalm 51:10-12 – Forgiveness lifts burdens, restores joy!

• Hi-lite “create”, “renew”, “restore” and “uphold”
• Underline “clean heart”, “steadfast spirit”, “joy”, “generous spirit.”
• Put brackets around all of verse 11.  David is begging God for these things.

Not only does forgiveness from God empower us, but forgiving others does as well!

Matthew 6:14-15 – forgiving others is freedom.  We release them and unburden ourselves.  We must forgive others to be forgiven.

• Circle “if” both times.
• Write “then” above “your heavenly father” and “neither.”
• Hi-lite “forgive men their trespasses”, “heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
• Underline “if you do not forgive” and “neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

FORGIVENESS IS NOT FREE

There was a cost paid for our forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:28 – Christ bore the sins of many.

• Hi-lite “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.”  What a cost!
• Underline “He will appear a second time”
• Circle “apart from sin”, “for salvation.”

Matthew 26:28 – Christ’s blood paid for our forgiveness.

• Hi-lite “My blood”, “shed for many for the remission of sins.”

1 John 2:2 – His sacrifice satisfies our debt.

• Hi-lite “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation means to satisfy, or appease.
• Underline “for the whole world.”

Revelation 1:5-6 –  Washed us in His own blood.

• Hi-lite “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
• Underline “faithful witness”, “firstborn from the dead”, “ruler over the kings of the earth.”