Are There Two Types Of Forgiveness: Judicial Forgiveness And Relational Forgiveness? PART 3
Does God relate to believers with judicial forgiveness as judge, which is complete and eternal forgiveness, but then relate to us with relational forgiveness as Father, which is continual and daily forgiveness based upon the consistent confessions of our sins to maintain or restore fellowship with him?
With have already examined forgiveness for our sins in Parts 1 and 2. In Part 3, we will examine the scriptures to see if God relates to believers with continual forgiveness based upon his relationship with us as Father.
In 1 John, John writes, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
In 1 John, John uses the word Father twelve times.
John is writing so the believers will experience fellowship with the apostles of Jesus, Jesus himself, and with the Father (1 John 1:4).
We see in John’s letter that this fellowship with God as Father is based upon the believing the truth that Jesus is the Christ and died for our sins (1 John 2:1-2; 3:23; 4:10).
We will examine this further in PART 4.
But for now, we see that John is writing to assure the believers, the loved children of God, they are forgiven.
John writes in 1 John 2:12 and 14, “I am writing to you, dear children because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name…I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.”
It is clear in this verse that John is writing to believers who are forgiven and who know the Father; therefore, they can experience fellowship with the Father.
In John, John makes no distinction between judicial forgiveness and relational forgiveness; though some may point to 1 John 1:9 as proof that continual fellowship with God is based upon continual confession of sins. They say that John is writing about relational forgiveness in 1 John and not judicial forgiveness.
But is this accurate?
Is John referring to relational forgiveness in contrast to judicial forgiveness in 1 John 1:9 when he writes, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgiven our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We will examine this in PART 4.
