The Need for Forgiveness of Sin
https://www.culteducation.com/group/1320-inglesia-ni-christo/34664-inside-the-iglesia-family.html
1:40 – The meaning of forgiveness
4:00 – What should we do if we are victims of wrongdoings?
7:25 – What is the connection between love and forgiveness?
9:35 – Should we hold a grudge and not forgive?
16:50 – Whose forgiveness should we seek and why?
19:45 – How can we be forgiven and restore our relationship with God?
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Brother Bob Pellien: Have you ever had a misunderstanding with someone or a disagreement? Did it seem like there was no solution or that you lost hope that you’d be able to agree on anything? Did it ever get so bad that you just stopped talking to that person or were just unable to forgive?
We live in a world where forgiveness does not seem to be such a high priority. It appears as though some have, in fact, no interest to forgive or do agree on a middle ground or a compromise with someone else who maybe they may have had a disagreement with or was hurt by.
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Today’s topic
FORGIVENESS
Brother Bob: But what does the Bible say about forgiveness, and whose forgiveness, most of all, should we truly seek?
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Bob Pellien
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien, and we’ll find out today, right here, on the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. Joining us in this week’s discussion are Brother Eric Waterman in Quezon City, Philippines, …
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Eric Waterman
Quezon City Philippines
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: … Brother Marvin Magune in Los Angeles, California, …
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Marvin Mangune
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: … as well as Brother Jay Acuna in Alaska.
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Jay Acuna
Anchorage, Alaska
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: Brothers, thank you for joining our discussion for today. Thank you.
Brothers, as I mentioned, some just don’t prioritize forgiveness in their life. Maybe some just don’t know where to start though, right? And they don’t know where to begin when it comes to forgiveness.
Brother Marvin Mangune: Perhaps so, Brother Bob. That’s why, my dear viewers, let’s start here. What’s the meaning of forgiveness? According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, it is to cease to feel resentment against an offender, pardon, forgive one’s enemies, or to give up resentment of or claim to requittal.
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to cease to feel resentment against (an offender)
PARDON forgive one’s enemies
to give up resentment of or claim to requital
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary
Brother Marvin: So, forgiveness is to stop or to give up feeling resentment towards someone that may have done us wrong.
Brother Bob: Okay, Brothers, what can we notice about how some feel about forgiveness nowadays?
Brother Jay Acuna: To get a better feel of that, Brother Bob, we can also ask, “How does society view forgiveness?” There is a study done by a global research and analytics consultancy firm called Strategy One.
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Sixty-two percent of American adults said they need more forgiveness in their personal lives, and 94 percent wanted to see more forgiveness in the country, according to a study by the Michigan-based Fetzer Institute.
Brother Jay: And the survey showed that 62% of Americans said they need more forgiveness in their personal life, and 94% of Americans felt that there’s a need for more forgiveness in the country. So, the survey reveals that many people feel that the key on how to alleviate the many prolonged misunderstandings and conflicts in society today is more forgiveness.
Brother Eric Waterman: So, Brother Jay, instead of forgiving, there’s a phenomenon called ‘cancel culture’ that often replaces forgiveness.
Brother Bob: Wait a minute, Brother Eric. What do you mean ‘cancel culture?’ For the sake of all our viewers, what is that? What do you mean when you say that there’s a tendency towards a ‘cancel culture?’
Brother Eric: It’s as if one who is perceived to have been done something wrong, or whether to them or to other persons, they will incite the masses or try to negatively influence other people to go against that person or organization.
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Today’s topic
FORGIVENESS
Brother Eric: This is mostly done through social media to give others a negative image of that person or organization. Their goal is to publicly shame them, or cause them to lose their job or prestige, or that they would be ostracized by the community that they’re in, or even that their names would become a hashtag for hate.
Brother Bob: So then, dear viewers, what should we do if something bad was done or someone sinned against us and, well, we became the victim of their wrongdoing? Brother Marvin, let’s go to you. What does the Bible say about forgiveness, or stopping that feeling of resentment, or let’s say letting go of a grudge?
Brother Marvin: That really is a great question, Brother Bob. And the Bible tells us about forgiveness here in Leviticus 19, and the verse is 17:
Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them.
(Leviticus 19:17 Good News Translation)
Brother Marvin: Bearing a grudge, or holding a grudge against others, is not something a servant of God should do. Instead, the Bible tells us, “Do not bear a grudge,” or that we should be forgiving.
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Marvin Mangune
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Marvin: Yes, there are misunderstandings and, at times, miscommunication between people. But the Bible tells us to “settle your differences with them.” We should talk to them personally and even privately, not putting them on blast in the internet or even on social media.
Brother Bob: Right, right. But we know, you know, some of course may become stirred up by emotions and that they would air those emotions out for the public to see sometimes, right?
Brother Marvin: That’s true, Brother Bob, that happens. But we should do it personally—one on one with them or even heart to heart, not publicly.
Brother Bob: Okay, so what should be done then exactly? Instead of holding a grudge against others, or not blasting them publicly on the internet or social media, then what’s the instruction? What’s to be done?
Brother Jay: Brother Bob, we can read the answer here in Ephesians, in chapter 4 and the verse is 32:
And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted, forgiving one another (readily and freely), as God in Christ forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32 Amplified Bible)
Brother Jay: So instead of holding a grudge, what is the right thing to do? Apostle Paul had mentioned that we should be “forgiving one another (readily and freely).” How would we be able to do this?
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Jay Acuna
Anchorage, Alaska
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Jay: Apostle Paul added, “as God in Christ forgave you.” So, if we put this in the right frame of mind, that God had forgiven us many times—perhaps because we made decisions or actions that were against God’s standards or will, or maybe we have committed sin against our Lord God—in those many times, God had forgiven us. So, what should this inspire us to do? As the Bible says, we must be able to readily and freely forgive others by being loving hearted.
Brother Bob: But, let’s go to you Brother Eric. What does that, being loving-hearted, or what does having love for others and even for our brothers and sisters in the faith, what’s that got to do with forgiving? What’s the connection between love and forgiveness? Can we say that we love another person and still hold a grudge against them? We love them, but not forgive them, maybe, for a mistake they had committed against us. Can we do that?
Brother Eric: Well, let’s see what the Bible records here in First Corinthians, chapter 13, 4 to 5. This is recorded:
Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Good News Translation)
Brother Eric: So, here we can see that the Bible tells us that to love, we forgive and forget and do not keep a record of wrongs.
Brother Bob: So, dear friends, we must be able to forgive, which then includes, as Brother Eric just read from the Bible, not keeping a record of wrongs or mistakes that were made. In other words, like what you said there, Brother Eric, that’s really very accurate—to forgive and forget; letting go of any animosity, or hatred, or grudges, or misunderstandings. No such thing as canceling them, ‘cancel culture.’
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Bob Pellien
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: Dear friends, when we come back, we’re going to continue this. We’re going to find out: Why is it so important to have that kind of pure, complete, absolute, forgiveness?
We’ll answer that and much more, right here, on the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. Stay with us.
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INC INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Brother Bob: Welcome back to the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. Earlier in this program, we learned, well, about what the Bible actually teaches to us about forgiveness.
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Today’s topic
FORGIVENESS
Brother Bob: Though one may have done us wrong, does that give us the right to not forgive? Does that give us the right to hold a grudge or cancel them? Brothers, haven’t we too done wrong or committed sins against God? Then, we realized our mistake, what wrong we had made, right? And did we not hope for God’s forgiveness?
Brother Marvin: Of course, Brother Bob, that’s true. Many would agree that forgiving is important.
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Marvin Mangune
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Marvin: But there are some that just can’t let go of their grudges, or they just can’t seem to forgive and forget the mistakes made against them. And then they engage in all of these ‘cancel culture’ practices. But why is it so important to forget or to not hold a grudge? Let’s read here in Second Corinthians 2:7-8. This is what it says:
Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so bitter and discouraged that he won’t be able to recover. Please show him now that you still do love him very much.
(2 Corinthians 2:7-8 The Living Bible)
Brother Marvin: Notice, the one asking for forgiveness, if not forgiven, would become bitter and discouraged. Or, in other words,he would be distressed, unhappy, and even heartbroken. If he stays in that condition very long, the Bible says, “he won’t be able to recover.” Thus, to not be forgiven would take a toll on one’s health and even their well being.
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Brother Bob: But then, Brother Marvin, on the other hand, how about the one that refuses to forgive? What about them? What toll could this take in their life, even in their health and their spiritual life most of all?
Let’s listen to a testimony of one that struggled to forgive for such a long time and the devastating effect that it had in their life. Take a look.
[Video source: https://incmedia.org/forgiving-my-alcoholic-father/]
Jessica Cocson: My father, on the other hand, he was a great dad as well but he struggled with alcohol addiction and mental health issues and so my life was very unstable. He was there for three months, not there for three months, so it was really hard as a young child to watch your dad go out and be drunk on the street.
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Jessica Cocson
Seeker
Jessica: Today is actually his 10-year death anniversary so I’m really emotional.
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“He Chose Alcohol Over Me”
Jessica: My relationship with my dad, we were really tight, I loved him. My mom always said that he spoiled me. If I didn’t want to do the dishes I would just say “But daddy, please?” And he would do it for me. But there was also a lot of heartache in that relationship, a lot of feelings of abandonment. I never understood why he chose alcohol over me. And I still struggle with that to this day.
I was in a lot of disbelief, a lot of denial, a lot of anger. Anger was the biggest thing that went through me for a really long time. My family and I, it was rough. My sister and I, we did a lot of things that we shouldn’t have done, we really rebelled. It strained my relationship with my mother. I had a lot of resentment towards her just because I could never understand why she married my father. Just a lot of anger. I took it out on her. I took it out on my sister. I took it out on everyone around me.
What led me to forgiveness was when I started to learn how to pray. And I would just pray to God, “Please, take this burden.” You know, “I’m ready to give it to you. I’m ready to let go and ready to feel whole again, feel complete, and the only way I can do that is to give my burdens, my feeling of resentment and pain to you.” I just felt like after I prayed that He answered and He put grace and forgiveness in my heart.
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Brother Bob: We hope all our viewers will watch the whole story of Jessica on incmedia.org, under the Stories of Faith program. It’s really very, very nice. What did you think of it, Brothers?
Brother Jay: This was truly a very inspiring story of Sister Jessica, because it’s very possible that she’s not the only one that has these experiences.
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Jay Acuna
Anchorage, Alaska
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Jay: But her struggle was truly in learning how to forgive, especially even her loved one, because of the choices that her father made. So, because of that former situation, before she learned about the truth of God, learning the commandments of God, particularly the teachings of God concerning forgiveness and how to forgive, it was very difficult for her. And in that situation, she had experienced much pain in her life, and it led to feelings of denial, to the desire to even rebel, and to shut everyone out, even her loved one(s).
Brother Eric: Brother Jay, what was the turning point in her life? It was when she finally became a member of the true Church Of Christ, and learned the commandment of God, and how to pray to God.
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Eric Waterman
Quezon City Philippines
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Eric: She learned to ask God for His help and assistance with her forgiveness. When she was able to tell God her situation, her problems, her worry, and entrust everything unto the Lord God, she was a completely changed person, her attitude, her outlook on life. She said that she felt whole again and complete.
All of our viewers also can learn this and experience this as well by joining us here inside the true Church Of Christ.
Brother Bob: So, Brothers, to forgive and to receive forgiveness, maintaining a good relationship with others, that will bring us peace, well-being in our life.
Is there someone, dear friends, that you had a misunderstanding with? Is there someone that you have a disagreement with? May we make the time to talk to them personally and reconcile with them without delay.
Brother Marvin, is it only a person whom we may have offended that one should seek forgiveness from in the first place?
Brother Marvin: No, Brother Bob, there’s really more to it than that. So, dear friends, whose forgiveness is it that we should also seek? Let’s read here in Romans 3:23:
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
(Romans 3:23 New Living Translation)
Brother Marvin: It’s the forgiveness of God that we should seek. No matter if people may consider themselves to be kind,or nice, or even so giving, we have all fallen short of God’s standard or have all sinned against our Lord God. And the only exception is the Lord Jesus Christ, as we could read in First Peter, 2:21-22.
Brother Jay: That’s right, Brother Marvin. And to understand this further, dear friends, let us find out: Because of sin, what happened? Allow me to read what is written here in the Book of Isaiah, 59 and 2:
But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.
(Isaiah 59:2 New English Translation)
Brother Jay: What resulted because of the sins committed by human beings? The sinful acts alienated people or brought them far away from our Lord God. Clearly, sin placed a real strain on a person’s relationship with our Lord God, which is why the Bible says your sins have caused God to reject you.
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Today’s topic
FORGIVENESS
Brother Bob: But wait a second, Brother Jay. What if a person then prays to God but were found in that condition of being estranged or separated from God because of sin? Would God listen?
Brother Jay: No, because even in that situation, Brother Bob, because of that strained relationship with our Lord God, the Bible says, God would not listen to your prayers. Therefore, there truly is a need for the forgiveness of sin, and we have to seek this forgiveness from our Lord God first and foremost.
Brother Bob: So, if God will not listen unless that separation and that estrangement, as you called it, that separation you read from the scriptures, how does one fix that? How can one be forgiven then? Perhaps, one has the idea and wants to be forgiven by being kind, because there are those like that, right? They think, “Well, if I’m a good person, I’m kind to other people, I’ll be forgiven for my sins. I’m forgiven by being kind to the poor, or doing some random acts of kindness, right? That will bring about forgiveness.”
How can we be forgiven? What does the Bible teach on how to restore that relationship with God so that when we pray, He will listen? Let’s go to you, Brother, Eric. What will do the restoring of that relationship?
Brother Eric: Brother Bob, doing random acts of kindness is important to mankind. All those things that you mentioned are very good deeds, yes. But that’s not what will bring us close to God, nor will it be the basis of being forgiven by God.
Brother Bob: Then, what will do that?
Brother Eric: Well let us, again, read from the words of God, written in the Bible, here in Ephesians, 2, the verse is 13:
and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life’s blood as a sacrifice, and brought you near God.
(Ephesians 2:13 Contemporary English Version)
Brother Eric: So, it is through our Lord Jesus Christ, through the blood that He shed on the cross, that we could receive forgiveness from our sins from God. What will also happen to our relationship with God? We would be brought near to our Lord God, our relationship with God would be restored. Once again, we would be able to have a relationship with God in our journey throughout this life.
Brother Marvin: And also, Brother Eric, when we pray to God, we would also be sure that God is listening.
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Marvin Mangune
Los Angeles, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Marvin: We could be patient to wait for His answer, knowing God heard our prayers. But remember, He will help those, listen to those, strengthen those, forgive those, who have been brought near to Him by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Now, who was that blood shed for—to redeem them from sins and bring about their forgiveness? Let’s read hear in Acts, 20 and the verse is 28:
Take heed therefore to ourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.
(Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation)
Brother Bob: Therefore, Brothers, in times of challenges, troubles, times of stress and anxiety, we members of the Church Of Christ, we can entrust these things in prayer to our Almighty God. We can entrust these things to Him and we can be sure that God will be attentive to our prayer. We are members of the Church Of Christ for which He shed His blood and brought about forgiveness.
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Today’s topic
FORGIVENESS
Brother Bob: It really does, it feels good to forgive. It feels good to be forgiven.
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Bob Pellien
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: So, we invite you, our viewers, to find out more about how to receive forgiveness, and much more, how to join with us as a member of the Church Of Christ.
Join our Bible studies in a local congregation that’s near to you. And if you have questions about the Bible and how to attain eternal life, you can also email us at info@incmedia.org.
Well, we’d like to thank Brothers Marvin Mangune in Los Angeles, Brother Jay Acuna in Alaska, as well as Brother Eric Waterman in Quezon City, Philippines. Brothers, we thank you all today for giving to us Bible-based answers, so that as the Apostle Peter said to members of the Church, be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you are living the way you are. That’s First Peter 3:15.
Well, that does it for us here today on the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. We hope you will join us again next time. I’m Brother Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching.
As we come to the end of our program for today, we once again invite you to join us for a closing prayer
Brother Jay: Our merciful and loving Father in heaven, thank You, because You use this program to continue to teach Your truth written in the Holy Scriptures. And we thank You because our viewers were able to find out more about forgiveness. And please help all of us to learn much more, by joining our studies, and most importantly, by being called inside the true Church Of Christ.
It feels so good to forgive and to be forgiven, which is why we ask You to please inspire all of our viewers, and all of us, to continue to follow Your holy teachings. Because we know this will make us better people serving Your holy name.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for all of Your sacrifices, for showing us that love will always prevail. And help us to value Your true Church for the benefit of our salvation on Judgment Day.
Father, please connect us always with the same aim of our Church Administration, so that more people would join the true Church of Christ worshiping You inside the true Church. Glory be to You, dear God. Thank you once more for Your love.
We ask and receive everything in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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