Forgiveness versus Excusing
The following comment was made by C.S. Lewis: "I find that when I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, 'Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.' But excusing says, 'I see you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame.' If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites...And if we forget this, we shall go away imaging that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves."
What do you think?
What do you think?
posted by Michael D. Estes | 7:56 AM
11 Comments:
It sounds something like the common use of a Catholic confessional, with a Protestant twist. The assurance of pardon is stressed so often that many people seem to believe that they shouldn't even have to feel guilty when they do something wrong, because ultimately God will forgive them in one sweep for everything they ever do. This, I think, is the psychological problem with the doctrine of predestination/election: you believe God loves you more than everyone else and therefore you are not responsible for your actions. (I'm not disagreeing with election- it's a problem of interpretation.)
There's a guy in South America who says he's Jesus. He claims that because Christ died for our sins, what we do is no longer sinful because it's paid for in advance. He's got a huge cult--it's a little scary.
Kate,
You make some interesting points. In fact, you have read Lewis very well. He is something of a hodge-podge of Protestant and Catholic theology. Oddly enough, I think he gets it right most of the time.
However, I would like to address something you bought up. You said:
"The assurance of pardon is stressed so often that many people seem to believe that they shouldn't even have to feel guilty when they do something wrong, because ultimately God will forgive them in one sweep for everything they ever do. This, I think, is the psychological problem with the doctrine of predestination/election: you believe God loves you more than everyone else and therefore you are not responsible for your actions."
I disagree that this is the logical conclusion of election. More likely, this is the misunderstanding of the works versus faith debate. So many, afraid of being called a closet Catholics, deny that works matter (whether implicitly or explicitly). The result of this denial is that many today have come to the following conclusion: "Well, once when I was a little boy, I walked an aisle and was baptized" or "I was baptized as a baby so I am going to Heaven." This view is problematic on several levels. It shows a misunderstanding of salvation and of sanctification.
With regard to salvation, people often think that they have to do something to earn it. According to Scripture, this simply is not true. Once "saved," people then hold to the doctrine known as perseverance of the saints or in contemporary language as "once saved always saved," which in turn effects their understanding of sanctification. This seems, to me, to be the most misunderstood and misinterpretated of all of Calvin's teachings. People mistake it to mean that once saved there is nothing left to do. The Biblical witness proves that such a mentality would have been shunned by James, Paul, John, and even Jesus.
The epistle of James addresses this issue head on. He writes, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:22-25) Again, he explains, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:14-17)
John writes, "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:16-18) Also, he says, "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:3-6)
I will only quote Christ once (despite the fact that he spoke on this issue numerous times). He says, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33)
Now, you might be saying to yourself, what does all this have to do with repentance (which is what Lewis is discussing)? It has everything to do with it. Think about the mentality of a person who has misunderstood "once saved, always saved." They think that by believing in Christ they have done all that is needed to be done. Well, they only got it partially right. What they have done is given mental assent to Christ? They have said I believe with my mind that Jesus is who he said he is. The problem is that Christ told us that we are to love God (and at the same time him [John 10:30]) with all our what? Heart, mind, soul, and strength. Well, that entails far more than mental assent. That moves us right to a more active assent of the heart, which is submission and obedience. In turn, true submission and obedience includes repentance. It is apparent to me that Christ wants more than mental assent to his claims. He desires obedience. One of the ways obedience manifests itself is though confessing sin and turning from it (also known as repentance).
Sorry that was so long.
Actually, I have been called a closet Catholic before, so no problem agreeing with you there.
I believe election and free will at some point cross paths, in that, whether you are chosen or choose, from that time on (or when you were born if you take predestination to an extreme)your heart is with God and therefore you either will refrain from sinning or be repentant when you do, because this is inherent in belonging to Christ. In that light, only the un-saved (?) would ask to be "excused" rather than "forgiven".
My question is: if you believe predestination, does that mean everyone can tell if a person is saved by observing his/her actions? Or could their life still take a turn later on?...In which case, if they were foreordained to be saved, why not right away? I hope this isn't heretical or anything...
C.S. Lewis is harshly accurate. Often times, repentance is used as a condoning technique to continue doing what man likes to do....sin. If repentance is true and sincere, it is much less likely for sin to occur shortly thereafter. Too many times today, repentance is just another thing on our check list.
Many times people ask to be forgiven in order to clear themselves of their own wrong doings. Ironically, when one asks for forgiveness, it turns into being "excused" because many times the same sin is repeated in the near future. Like Kelsey said, forgiveness is taking full responsibility for ones sin.
Asking for Forgiveness is when you fully repent, and try not to repeat the mistake in which you needed forgiveness for a second time. Excusing is more of a way to clear ones conscience... not fully admitting to your own sin.
Like "thenoah" said, it has turned into another thing on a checklist, rather than true repentence.
Sound kind of like the virtue and education thing: If you know what is right and have been saved, why would you not be doing it? On the other hand, if you don't know any better/haven't been saved, is all the good you do just accidental?
Ok,
There are a few questions to be addressed. So, I'll take them one at a time.
Kate,
You asked: "if you believe predestination, does that mean everyone can tell if a person is saved by observing his/her actions? Or could their life still take a turn later on?...In which case, if they were foreordained to be saved, why not right away?"
Like Kelsey, I will admit that I don't have a "great" answer to this question. One answer I have heard on occasion goes something like this: "God choses the perfect time to save each person. Why? Because, at that moment in time, their salvation experience is the most powerful." While I don't necessarily agree with this logic, I do respect the idea that God, who is omniscient, has the ability to know the right time and place for each individual believer to be saved. I know this answer provides little satisfaction. Honestly, I doubt that there is a satisfying answer to your questions. Does that mean there isn't a right answer? No, but what that answer is...I'm not sure.
Kelsey,
You said: "all this "works" talk always scares me to think I'm not doing enough after I'm saved. I know that sanctification is an ongoing process , and that is what James and everyone is talking about, but it's just hard and I'm probably not making any sense."
C.S. Lewis addresses a similiar question in Mere Christianity, which we will be reading soon. He asks whether it is hard or easy to be a Christian. He says both. What do you think and why?
By the way, I am posing that question to everyone, not just Kelsey.
Kelsey, if you really want to know what I think about works and grace, see me one day after class for a few minutes.
It is hard and easy. Its so easy to become a christian, its as easy as one prayer asking Christ to come into your life. After becoming a christian is when it becomes hard. Afterwards you are constantly being faced with worldy temptations that cause you to stumble but the challenge is to strive to be Christ like. Its alot easier said than done. It is also hard, because christianity isn't one of those faiths that lets you sit on your butt. You are constantly putting yourself out there, and many times christains have to face the hardships and persecution of their faith.
so yes, i agree with CS Lewis... becomeing a christain is easy, maintaining a christain life is the hard part ( In the world, but not of the world). Eventhough we are saved, we as christains still have lessons to learn... it is a process.
Yes, but it could also be more difficult, I think, to live life without the knowledge of God, or the comfort of His presence in your life. After becoming a Christian, it's much easier to know what is true, what one should do, and why one is alive at all.
Hey Guys,
First, no, I'm not some random weirdo who jumped on your blog. Mr. Estes is a very close friend of mine, and he encouraged me to check it out. Secondly, great thoughts on this topic--I'm impressed.
Chew on this thought:
"Duty compelled by love may sound like an undemanding religion until we recall that there is no more powerful force to motivate the human heart than love." (Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace)
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