The Concordant Literal New Testament is a great tool to discover new things in the Bible. The search site http://concordant.medialab.nl enables you to search through the CLNT more easy. Sometimes I stumble on interesting discoveries that lead to questions that deserve some more attention.
Yesterday I was triggered by a sermon about forgivess based on the words of Paul in Colossians. Because God forgives our sins, can we forgive others? So I searched for forgiveness and discovered that this word is hardly used by Paul according to the CLNT. So what's going on here?
Search results for forgiveness
A closer look using ISA tells us that the word for forgiveness (Strong 0863, Greek: aphiēmi which means "to let go") is never used by Paul.
In almost all the places forgiveness is conditional or it is followed by repentance!
Some examples:
Mark 11 verse 26
Now if you are not forgiving, neither will your Father Who is in the heavens be forgiving your offenses." (Strong 0863)
| If you should be forgiving anyone's sins, they have been forgiven them. If anyone's you should be holding, they are held." (Strong 0863) |
Acts 8 verse 22
Repent, then, from this evil of yours, and beseech the Lord, if, consequently, the notion of your heart will be forgiven you. (Strong 0863)
With Paul the word that often gets translated with forgive(ness) is Strong 5483 (charizomai) which means "to deal graciously with".
Search results for graciously
Here the message is: because God deals graciously with us, we should be dealing graciously with one another. This is not only letting offenses against someone pass, but it is simply extending the UNCONDITIONAL grace we receive from God to our fellow human beings. We see affirmed here that the gospel Paul brings to the nations (uncircumcision) stretches beyond expectation.
Some examples:
Romans 8 verse 32
Surely, He Who spares not His own Son, but gives Him up for us all, how shall He not, together with Him, also, be graciously granting us all? (Strong 5483)
1 Corinthians 2 verse 12
Now we obtained, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we may be perceiving that which is being graciously given to us by God, (Strong 5483)
Colossians 3 verse 13
bearing with one another and dealing graciously among yourselves, if anyone should be having a complaint against any. According as the Lord also deals graciously with you, thus also you. (Strong 5483)
Ephesians 4 verse 32 yet become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, dealing graciously among yourselves, according as God also, in Christ, deals graciously with you. (Strong 5483)
2 Corinthians 2 verse 10
Now, with whom you are dealing graciously in anything, I, also. For in what I also have dealt graciously (if I have dealt graciously in anything), it is because of you in the face of Christ, (Strong 5483)
So what Paul is telling us here goes far beyond the limited meaning of forgiveness (let offenses pass). It is an extension of the UNCONDITIONAL grace in which God deals with us, giving us all we have INCLUDING forgiveness of sins. Here we see another clue that the gospel Paul brings to the nations stretches beyond the gospel of the circumcision (Galatians 2:7-8).
