Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs | Chino Seventh-day Adventist
Rolls Royce Story
There’s a story about a man from England who, years ago, was touring around Europe in his Rolls Royce. The Rolls broke down, and so he called the company headquarters. They immediately flew in a mechanic from England and he took care of the problem.
The rest of the trip the owner of the Rolls kept thinking “I wonder how much that repair is going to cost me.” When he got back home he wrote the company and asked how much he owed them.
He received a letter from them that read: “Dear Sir: There is no record anywhere in our files that anything has ever gone wrong with a Rolls-Royce.”
Here in our series on 1 Corinthians 13 the next aspect of God’s love that we’ll be looking at is found in Verse 5. (NIV)
“…Love keeps no record of wrongs.”
God is love. So that means that God “keeps no record of wrongs.”
Santa Claus List
Now, you may be thinking, “Hold on, wait a minute.” Because the popular view of God pictures Him as being like Santa Claus. You know: “He’s mak’in a list, He’s checking it twice he’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice.”
But God’s list isn’t like that. On God’s list, there’s only one person on the nice list. And that’s Jesus. But as we place our faith in Him as the exclusive source of our salvation His “niceness”, His “goodness”, His righteousness, and His perfect life counts as ours.
“Love keeps no record of wrongs.” That’s why in heaven there is only a book of life. There is no book of sin in heaven.
The Fall
And this has powerful implications for each of us. Because one of the very first negative effects of the fall was finger-pointing. Adam blamed Eve. But he was really blaming God for creating Eve. And then, Eve blamed the serpent. But she was also actually blaming God for creating the serpent.
They were both keeping a record of wrongs and the Lord Himself was at the top of their list! Praise God, that’s not what the Lord does to us. He’s a God of agape love who keeps no record of wrongs.
And because that’s what He’s like, by His grace, we can become more like Him. Not in order to earn our salvation or our forgiveness. But to show our appreciation for the salvation and forgiveness that are already ours in Jesus.
And so, we don’t forgive in order to be forgiven. That would be forgiveness by works. We are to forgive because we have been forgiven.
A lack of willingness to forgive simply shows a lack of appreciation for how much forgiveness we’ve received.
Even As God in Christ Forgave You
Let’s look at Ephesians 4: 32. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Now, the way we understand that last part is critical. How did Jesus forgive us? Did He forgive us because of something we did? Or did He forgive us because of something He did?
He forgave us because of something He did! And that something that He did was paying the full price for all sin, for all humanity, for all time.
Now, it’s true, we have to confess our need for that forgiveness. We have to personally accept that free gift of forgiveness. But our acceptance isn’t what forgives us. It’s what Jesus did for us at the cross that forgives us.
God’s Unconditional Love
We started this series with a study on the Good News that’s God’s love is unconditional. God’s love doesn’t go looking for something of value in us. God’s love for us makes us valuable.
When God’s love is viewed as being conditional it turns the Good News into nothing more than good advice. You need to do this, don’t forget to do that, and while you are at it–you better do this too or else God isn’t going to love you anymore.
At its core, that kind of teaching is fear-based. But 1 John 4: 18 tells us “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear.”
Freedom From Fear
God’s perfect, unconditional, unchanging love for us takes away all fear. And what are all fear-based motivations really all about?
They are all about self. A fear-based faith is going to be a self-centered faith. But an agape love-based faith is going to be a Jesus-centered faith.
Missionary Motivation
Hudson Taylor was interviewing a group of young men who wanted to go to China as missionaries. He asked them, “Why do you want to go?”
One said, “I want to go because Jesus said, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.”
Another said, “I want to go because there are millions in China who going to Christ-less graves.”
And several others gave similar reasons.
Then, Hudson Taylor said, “While all of these motivations are good and noble they will all fail you in times of extreme distress and hardship. The one motivation that will secure you like no other is the one found in 2 Corinthians 5: 14. “The love of Christ compels us…”
Brothers and sisters, when we remember how deeply and unconditionally we are loved and appreciated by God it puts a pep in our step and a glide in our slide like nothing else can.
And why is it so important that we understand that God loves us
unconditionally? Because our love can never go any higher than our understanding of God’s love for us.
If God’s love for us is conditional then, the highest our love for God and others can ever aspire to is also a conditional love.
Job’s Example
But Job was able to say of the Lord in Job 13: 15 “Yea, though He slays me, yet will I trust in Him.”
Of course, God wasn’t the one behind Job’s troubles; Satan was.
But Job didn’t realize that at the time. And yet, Job was determined to keep trusting the Lord despite the terrible circumstances he was going through. Job must have known something of God’s unconditional love for him. Because he was modeling a similar kind of love for the Lord.
And brothers and sisters, when we start talking about the persecution that will come near the end of time we need to know that we are unconditionally loved. Because if we believe that God’s love for us is based on conditions. Then, our love for God will also be based on conditions. And if our conditions aren’t met then, our love and appreciation for the Lord will fly out the window.
Now, if you believe that God loves you will an unconditional love, could you please say a loud AMEN?!
Praise God, because that right there is such an important thing to understand. When we know that God is for us it just empowers us like nothing else can.
Now, the focus of our message today is that “Love keeps no record of wrongs.”
Story of a Husband and Wife
There’s a story of a husband and a wife and one of them did something wrong. I’m not going to say which of them it was.
We are just going to keep this neutral and objective. The offending party apologized and the apology was accepted.
But then, every so often the offended spouse would remind the other of what they had done. And this just kept happening over and over.
The offending spouse finally said, “Now, I thought you forgave me for that.” “And I thought it was your policy to forgive and forget.”
The other spouse said, “Oh, I did forgive you. And I did forget about it. It’s just that I don’t want you to forget that I have forgiven and forgotten.”
Now, that story is a good segue into some common misunderstandings about forgiveness. The number one misconception about forgiveness is that most people think God’s forgiveness is conditional.
Let’s look at Ephesians 4: 32 again. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Again, it all comes back to the question: “How did Jesus forgive us?”
“I’ll Forgive You If….”
If He forgave us because of something we did then, we can in turn treat others that say way. We can say that we won’t forgive others
until they do some certain thing or say some certain thing.
But, brothers and sisters, that’s not forgiveness. That’s demanding payment. That’s demanding justice and retribution. “I’ll forgive you if……..” is not forgiveness. Because forgiveness is unconditional.
God isn’t saying to the world, “I will love you if……” “I will forgive you if…….” God says, “I love you and I forgive you. Now, go and build your life on my unconditional love and forgiveness.”
“Freely you have received. And now, freely you are to give.”
Now, so far we’ve looked at our vertical relationship with God and the case where we are the offended party. But, the thing is, sometimes we are the offending party. And in that case, we should be quick to apologize.
Realizing that we are unconditionally forgiven should make it that much easier for us to unconditionally apologize. Someone put it this way, “Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.”
Someone else said, “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.”
Not Like All In the Family
It’s not like “All In the Family.” Someone asked Edith what the key was to her wonderful marriage with Archie Bunker. She said, “The key is that one of us always admits that we are wrong. And then, Archie always says, “It’s okay, Edith.”
Now, sometimes those words of apology can kind of get stuck in our
throats. And sometimes we don’t know exactly what to say or how to say it.
Here’s something that Chandelle and I do. Now, I’m usually the offending party. But you already knew that.
Anyway, when I have said or done something to offend her I will bow my head and start walking toward her very slowly while loudly shuffling my feet. She will invariably smile and start laughing at my pathetic, apologetic demeanor. At that point, words of apology are shared. And the tension in the relationship dissipates.
Now, it’s true, I have to do a lot of shuffling. I’d like to have to do less. But in the meantime, it’s a lot easier to do when I remember that I am already unconditionally forgiven.
You know, in our pride, we always want to be right. But the truth is, we aren’t.
Paul Knew In Part
Even the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13: 12
“Now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face….”
Paul, this man who was caught up to the third heaven and saw unimaginably glorious things admitted that even he was still seeing through a glass darkly.
Paul continues and says, “Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
Paul admitted that he only knew in part. And he wasn’t just being humble. Just like us, he was looking forward to eternity where we will have new minds and bodies that will be perfectly equipped to take in the infinite glory of God.
Paul too, was looking forward to that day when we will be able to take in God’s truth in all of its glorious, perfectly balanced, and unfiltered beauty.
Yet, no one besides Jesus Himself has had more of an influence
on the Christian Church than the Apostle Paul. If it wasn’t for Paul
Christianity would probably still be a small sub-sect of Judaism.
As I’ve said many times, Jesus primarily came to this earth to be the
Gospel. While He primarily entrusted the teaching of the Gospel to the Apostle Paul.
It was primarily the writings of Paul that turned the world upside down in the first century. It was primarily the writings of Paul
that ignited the Protestant Reformation. And it will no doubt be, primarily the writings of Paul that will prepare the way for Jesus’ soon return in glory.
Because Jesus gives us the ultimate sign of His return in
Matthew 24: 14. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
God is His love and fairness is going to give everyone a chance to accept their acceptance. He’ll give everyone an opportunity to embrace the Good News that they are unconditionally loved and forgiven.
And then, those closing events that we are told about will all happen in rapid succession. And then, the end will come.
That door of probation, that now swings freely on the hinges of God’s grace, will eventually close. Jesus is the only ark of safety.
And what Jesus accomplished for us at the cross is the only thing that we have to boast about.
Forgiveness Is Not Forgetting
Another common misconception about forgiveness is that many people think forgiveness involves forgetting. That is a completely unbiblical and unrealistic teaching. It’s a teaching that keeps people locked in a false sense of condemnation because they can’t forget what happened.
God says that He will not remember our iniquities. But nowhere does He say that we have to forget.
Yes, we are to forgive. But our forgiveness of others doesn’t buy us forgiveness from God. Our forgiveness of others just shows that we truly appreciate just how much we’ve already been forgiven. Jesus’ unconditional love and forgiveness toward us compels us to in-tern love and forgive.
Let’s look at 1 John 2: 12. ” I write to you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.”
We are forgiven for “His name’s sake.” Name in the Bible points to character. We are forgiven not because of anything we have done or can do. We are forgiven because of what Jesus has done. We are forgiven because His perfect love casts out fear and keeps no record of wrongs. And truly believing that Good News compels us to go and do likewise.
And so, it really does come down to what we believe. As John 20: 31 says, “These (things) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Life, true life, eternal life comes from placing our faith in the perfect life of Jesus. It comes by resting and trusting exclusively in Him. What we could never do, He has already done. And now, nothing can separate us from His love for us.
Let’s look at Romans 8: 35 & 37-39. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And what Paul says here about God’s love just as forcefully applies to God’s forgiveness. In fact, God’s forgiveness is just God’s love
With its work clothes on!
Who or what shall separate us from the forgiveness of Jesus?
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who
I am persuaded that nothing shall be able to separate us from the forgiveness that is ours in Jesus. It’s amazing, all of the things that can not keep us from the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
The love of Jesus is more powerful than life. Even death can’t keep it from us. The love of Jesus is more powerful than fallen angels.
Even the most diabolic plot of Satan can’t keep it from us.
The love of Jesus is more powerful than time itself. Even when time shall be no more, the love Jesus will still remain. The love of Jesus is more powerful than all mortal strength. Even the greatest power on earth can’t keep it from us.
The love of Jesus is more powerful than any distance. Even the deepest of depths or the highest of heights can’t keep it from us.
The love of Jesus is more powerful than all of creation.
Absolutely nothing in the universe can keep it from us. And so, brothers and sisters, we just need to be persuaded to believe what Paul believed. Because Paul believed the truth about God’s love for us. And so should we.
And so, God’s love and forgiveness are not conditional. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. And forgiveness is also not weakness.
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1: 23. “We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Sometimes one of the things that keeps us from extending forgiveness is that we equate forgiveness with weakness. It’s the idea that if we forgive we lose and the offending party wins.
And in our pride, we don’t want to lose. And we don’t want the offending party to win. But the Gospel just shatters that kind of thinking.
Because with the Gospel–no one has to lose. Actually, the truth is–everyone has already won. It’s just that most people don’t know the Gospel. They don’t know what Jesus has done for them.
They don’t know that God loves them unconditionally. They don’t know that God has forgiven them unconditionally. And so, they can’t rejoice in that Good News and they can’t share that kind of love and forgiveness with others.
But forgiveness isn’t weakness. It’s a sign that God’s supernatural strength is at work. It’s easy to keep a record of wrongs. That’s what the world does. But to let go of wrongs–and extend forgiveness that requires God’s supernatural power to be at work.
Where was Jesus’ strength most powerfully demonstrated? It was at the cross where He said in Luke 23: 34 “Father, forgiven them for they know not what they do.”
The cross is not a picture of weakness. It’s a picture of the greatest power in the universe. The power of God’s love and forgiveness.
Joseph
Besides the life of our Savior, one of the most powerful demonstrations of love and forgiveness comes from the Old Testament story of Joseph.
You know, if ever there was someone who had a right to hold a grievance against his brothers it was Joseph. But when Joseph was delivered from prison and rose to power and his brothers came begging for provisions for the famine Joseph “kept no record of wrongs.”
This brings us to another misconception about forgiveness.
Forgiveness also does not mean that trust is always immediately
restored. Joseph wanted to know if his older brothers would do to Benjamin what they had done to him.
And praise God, Joseph saw that there was a genuine change of heart in his older brothers.
When he saw that they were willing to give their lives in exchange for Benjamin. That’s what broke Joseph’s heart. That’s what caused all of the emotional waterworks and led him to reveal his true identity to his brothers.
Jesus is our heavenly Joseph. He has nothing but pure love and forgiveness for all humanity. Regardless of how spitefully He has been treated. And He wants nothing more than to be able to reveal
His true heart and His true identity to every person on the planet.
Proverbs 10: 12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
And 1 Peter 4: 8 has a similar thought. It says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.”
God is His love and forgiveness covers a multitude of sins. And even before the cross John the Baptist was given an understanding of the vastness of God’s forgiveness. That’s why he said in John 1: 29. “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Now, in the original, that’s in the present tense. “Behold! The Lamb of God who is taking away the sin of the world!
But on this side of the cross we can rightly translate that verse as:
Behold, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world!
Let’s back that up with some more Scripture. Romans 5: 10. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
We were reconciled to God, while we were still His enemies. How?
Through the death of His Son. And in personally accepting that reconciliation we will ultimately be saved by Jesus’ life.
Let’s also look at 2 Corinthians 5: 19. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
So the world has been reconciled to God. Even though, most people don’t know that. Even though, most people don’t believe that. It’s still true.
That means that we have the amazing privilege of delivering the best Good News imaginable to every person on the planet.
And the reason God is not imputing the world’s trespasses to them is because the whole world’s trespasses were imputed to Jesus.
And in God’s economy, there is no such thing as double jeopardy.
That means that the only reason anyone will be lost is because of persistent, willful rejection of the gift of God’s unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness.
That’s why the lost are going to be in such a rage. Because they will finally realize the value of the gift that was always theirs, but they refused to accept. And after that door of probation closes no one is going to be changing sides.
Those who are in the ark of safety in Jesus will be secure. There might be some rough waves along the way. We haven’t been promised a smooth journey. But we have been promised a certain and sure destination.
Another thing that forgiveness is not is that forgiveness isn’t fair.
1 Peter 1: 18 says, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…”
Now, some people say, “If I give up my right to get even then, that’s not fair.” And it’s true, it’s not fair. But then, it’s also not fair that Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins in which He had no part.
So that we could be credited with His righteousness in which we had no part.
This whole idea of fairness is what held back so much of the Jewish nation from accepting Jesus. Both before the cross and then after the cross. It’s also what holds back a lot of people from accepting the Good News of the Gospel today.
Paul summarizes the situation well in Romans 9: 30-33.
“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
The Jews were pursuing a right standing with God by their works of the law, by their performance, by their pursuit of perfection.
But when the Jews heard the Gospel their reaction was “Hey, that’s not fair. How can salvation be a free gift of God’s grace through faith? Do you mean to tell me that my salvation by works program is worthless in God’s sight? Get out of here!” And by and large, they rejected it.
While, when the Gentiles heard the Gospel they said, “Wow, that amazing Good News.” “It’s totally unfair, but praise God, I believe it.”
And so, in this incredibly ironic twist, the believing Gentiles became the true children of Abraham. Because they had Abraham’s faith.
Genesis 15: 6 says that “Abraham believed the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
And that’s exactly what many Gentiles did. While for most Jews, Jesus and the Gospel became a stumbling stone and rock offense to them. But praise God, whoever believes on Jesus and His “unfair” Good News message will not be put to shame.
Closing Illustration
A young Brazilian girl, Christina longed to experience life beyond the confines of her poverty-stricken village and home. Her discontent finally got the better of her and she ran away. Her distraught mother, Maria immediately set out to find her.
On her way to the bus stop, Maria went into a drug store to get one last thing. She sat in a photo booth and took as many pictures of herself as she could afford. With her purse full of black and white photos she set out for Rio de Janeiro.
Maria knew that Christiana had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that were before unthinkable.
Maria started leaving her picture everywhere she could: Bars, hotels, nightclubs. On the back of each picture, she wrote a note.
It wasn’t too long before Maria’s money and pictures ran out. She had to go back home without her daughter.
A few weeks later, Christina was descending some hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her expression spoke of pain and fear. Her laughter was gone. Her dream had become a nightmare. Yet, her little village was, in too many ways, too far away.
At the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there was a picture of her mother. Christina’s eyes burned and her throat tightened. On the back of the photo was this invitation: “Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter. Please come home.” And she did.
Praise God, brothers and sisters, that’s exactly what the heart of our Savior is like. He gives that same invitation to every person on the planet. “Whatever you have done. Whatever you have become it doesn’t matter. Please come home.” And some do. May we each be counted among that blessed number.
And may we never stop praising the Lord for His love that keeps no record of wrongs.