This is the summary conclusion of the series on forgiveness. See the index here. Let’s do a summary of the series, the talking points if you will. First, modern Christians focus on repentance and sometimes atonement. But both themes are relatively rare in the New Testament, pertaining mainly to the …

This is part 12 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. On Easter Sunday, Bnonn Tennant published “Happy Easter, Forgive your Enemies.” I had no idea that he was going to post this in the midst of my ongoing series On Forgiveness. Similarly, he had no idea that …

This is part 11 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. What’s missing from this “clear” teaching that repentance is required for salvation? I’ll give you a hint: That right, faith is conspicuously missing. This is quite the achievement: a theology of forgiveness without faith! It seems that …

This is part 10 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. Recall in Part 6 that just prior to giving his instruction on forgiveness and dealing with a brother who sins against another, Jesus talked about stumbling blocks. Here we have Paul also talking about stumbling blocks: Notice …

This is part 9 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. A question is asked over at the “In the Habit of Goring” blog: In Part 3, we had discussed the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s look at it again: …and… In the Lord’s Prayer we are not asking for …

The Lord is Risen!

As much as I enjoy posting on a blog, there are times when I desire to do other things. A few weeks ago my posting took an unexpected and unexplained bump because I picked up a new (mis)adventure: That’s right, I’m teaching myself Real Analysis. That’s a higher-level undergraduate course …

This is part 8 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. There are many misconceptions regarding forgiveness. Let’s discuss a few of them. This highlights the problem with describing sin in abstract moral, ethical, behavioral, or spiritualized terms. People are completely unable to understand when and how sin creates …

This is part 7 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. Six years ago a commenter asked me the following: Walt, a former Anabaptist, had converted to Calvinism. This was, IMO, a lateral move. I responded: There are many theories of atonement, including: View Key Idea Notable Proponents …

This is part 6 of a series on forgiveness. See the index here. Throughout this series we’ve discussed sinning, forgiveness, repentance, reconciliation, and excommunication. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about what to do if your brother sins against you (Matthew 18:15-22) and the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant …