Our Postures—Part Four

As I shared in the previous blogs, Toni and I spend time together at the beginning of each year seeking God’s heart for Forgiving Forward. The key question we ask is, “Lord, what do You want us to ask You for in the coming year?” This year, as Toni and I sat together, listening and processing, God took us back to the basics so that we could codify what had been our heart posture all along. Biblically, a posture is a physical position in worship that reflects the heart's attitude of reverence towards God and our dependence on Him. The Lord gave us six postures—six mindsets—that will undergird and inform our prayers for Forgiving Forward.

All for God’s Glory
Jesus Focused
Shepherd Led
Gospel-Centric
Abiding Trust
Self Denied

This is the fourth in a series of blogs unpacking each of the postures that guide the ministry of Forgiving Forward. In the previous blogs, we discussed “All for God's Glory,” “Jesus Focused,” and “Shepherd Led.” The fourth posture is:

Gospel-Centric

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,

and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

One of the main concerns I have with most forgiveness models, including the one I used to follow, is that they do not address the “who pays?” question. When someone wounds us, there is a loss—something is damaged, a debt is incurred. Forgiveness requires the settling of the debt. Just choosing to forgive someone doesn’t eliminate the impact of what happened. The debt remains and must be addressed. Forgiveness simply shifts the responsibility for the debt from the one who caused it to someone else who will cover it. In most models of forgiveness, that someone else is us. Basically, intentionally or by default, we absorb the debt. We may deny it, “I’m OK, it doesn’t matter—It’s no big deal.” Or we may excuse it, “ They’re hurting. They didn’t mean to hurt me.” In either case, we absorb the unresolved debt, which will ultimately lead to bitterness and pride. “It’s not right, but look how spiritual I am!” However, in the Gospel, Jesus is the One who pays the debt. Jesus became human so that He could fully satisfy our sin debt to God by shedding His righteous blood on the Cross. Jesus, being fully God and fully human, was the only one who could pay that debt and thereby establish the basis for our forgiveness, restoring us to a relationship with God so that we could live His Life.

The foundation of the Forgiving Forward message is the Cross of Jesus Christ, where Jesus settled our debt so that we could be forgiven and find restoration with God. True forgiveness must be Gospel-Centric because only at the Cross is the debt issue fully resolved.

Man was created to be in relationship with God. That relationship is intrinsic to our very being. We cannot be what we were designed to be without it. When Adam and Eve sinned, mankind, including you and me, died, which means we were separated from God. This created a God-sized hole in each one of us that could only be filled by a relationship with God. The problem was that their sin created a debt with God that man could never pay. Jesus became human so that He, through His righteousness, could fully satisfy mankind’s sin debt. Jesus, being fully God and fully human, was the only One who could pay the debt in order to make a way for us to be reconnected with God the Father. Jesus atoned for man’s sin through the shedding of His blood on the Cross.

By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES ARE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

“THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEARTS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR MIND,”

He then says,

“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL NO LONGER REMEMBER.”

Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required. Hebrews 10:10-18 (NASB)

For centuries, priests would sacrifice animals as an offering for the sins of the people. But it was never good enough to permanently settle the issue. “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) Only the blood of the perfect and sinless Lamb of God would settle the debt once and for all. “Once and for all” means “once and for all.”

The blood of Jesus covers all sin, including the ones that wound me.

The Gospel settles the “who pays” question—Jesus did! Only Gospel-Centric forgiveness truly sets people free. That’s why our posture is on our knees at the Cross, pointing people to the crucified Lamb whose blood covers all sin, including the ones that wound us. Our passion is to help the body of Christ worldwide experience the freedom of the Gospel through the power of forgiveness. Gospel-Centric forgiveness is simply applying the blood of Jesus as payment in full for every wound we ever have or will suffer.

He Himself (Jesus) is the propitiation (full satisfaction) for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

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