From Forgiven to Forgiving

God forgives us conditionally, upon our repentance. God does not hold us to a higher standard than he holds himself. We forgive others in the same way God forgives us.The authors do a fine job of discussing the many questions raised in our minds about forgiveness, and they look at the whole of Scripture to find answers. Unlike some books based more on pop psychology, this book is true to the Word. God's way is a lot more freeing than the "pretend you've forgiven when you haven't in the name of love" approach often advocated today. The best book I've found on forgiveness.As a pastor of 22 years, I have preached and counseled these principles. Guilty consciences have been relieved and offenders have truly repented and became willing to re-establish credibility. American evangelicalism needs this book! A must for anyone who ministers to people--including dedicated laymen.

This is the very best book I have ever read about forgiveness. For years I stuggled with forgiving people who did not think they needed forgiveness or who would not ask. I did not see anywhere in scripture that I must forgive before others ask for forgiveness. Finally, Jay Adams writes a book that reveals everything I believe God tells us about how we are to forgive. Every pastor and church leader should read this book. I have not met a pastor yet who teaches the things Jay Adams reveals in this book. True forgiveness is powerful and must not be given lightly. Few people understand this. True forgiveness does bring healing, but few people understand how to get or give true forgiveness. This is a MUST read book for every Christian, even if you have read every book available on this topic. If you want justice and true reconciliation but have been told you are unloving and unforgiving, read this book. I finally have peace knowing that I do not stand alone in my beliefs about godly forgiveness.

Forgiveness is absolutely essential to a healthy Christian life. Unfortunately, many Christians today adhere to an unbiblical concept regarding what it means to forgive, and what a Christian's responsibilities are in terms of forgiveness. Christians are often condemned by fellow believers when they dare to express hurt or anger about wrongs which have been committed against them in the past. Frequently, the kneejerk response to such people is to preach a judgmental sermon about how they need to forgive. Such a response is often like rubbing salt into an open wound.In the name of "wisdom," the church is guilty of failing to show compassion to those who are hurting. A large part of the blame for that lack of compassion can be assigned to the erroneous belief that Christians should never confront those who have caused them harm, nor should they tell others about the harmful things which have been done to them. This, despite the fact that the scriptures clearly tell us to confront wrongdoers, and to tell others about their wrongdoing if and when those wrongdoers refuse to repent. Such confrontation is not antithetical to true biblical forgiveness. Those who insist that it is are often motivated by a selfish desire to avoid dealing with real conflicts in need of real resolution. Since they turn a deaf ear to the burdens of others, such Christians cannot fulfill their Biblical obligation to bear one another's burdens.Jay Adams and James Kennedy have done an enormous service to the church by illuminating the following truths regarding true Biblical forgiveness:a.) Forgiveness is not something which is done for the sake of offering "healing" or "therapy" for the forgiver. (It may have that effect, but that is not its primary purpose.) It is done for the sake of restoring broken relationships. If it does not result in the restoration of trust in those relationships, it is not true forgiveness.b.) While God's love for us is unconditional, His forgiveness is not. This in no way negates the fact that forgiveness is a manifestation of God's grace and mercy. We cannot earn salvation, but the fact remains that we must do certain things in order to receive it. Specifically, we must humbly ask for it.The Bible makes it plain that our forgiveness of others is to be modeled after God's forgiveness of us. Hence, since God's forgiveness of us is conditional, so also our forgiveness of others should be conditional. Just as those who are too proud to ask God for His forgiveness cannot expect to receive that forgiveness, so also those who sin against others and refuse to acknowledge their wrongdoing cannot expect to be forgiven by those against whom they have sinned.However, God is always willing to forgive anyone who sincerely asks for that forgiveness. Hence, we must always be open to reconciliation, and willing to forgive those who ask for forgiveness.It is unfortunate that so many people, including many prominent born-again Ch

There are multitude of books being written for Christians today on the subject of forgiveness. The thing that will impress you as you read this book is the care of the author to keep everything biblically sound. Jay raises some issues about forgiveness that you will wrestle with for a while before giving into the clear doctrine presented. Issues like "can a believer forgive a non-believer" and "can a non-believer forgive at all?" A very close examination is made of exactly what does God do when He forgives. The undoctrinal views of forgive and forget are clearly dismantled in the light of Scripture. Dr. Eddie Egbert / Victory Baptist Church, Pastor / Indiana Baptist Bible Fellowship, Chairman / Certified N.A.N.C. Counsellor