The following is taken from the book, Unpacking Forgiveness by Pastor Chris Brauns (Copyright 2008, pages 13-14). We will be going through this study beginning this Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. This will precede our normal time of prayer. – Pastor Tedd

The Forgiveness Quiz-Questions

1. True or False 
Where deep wounds between people are concerned, forgiveness can be unpacked in a moment.

2. True or False
Personal happiness and joy can legitimately motivate people to live out what the Bible teaches about forgiveness.

3. True or False
Most Christian pastors and counselors agree about what forgiveness is and how it should take place.

4. True or False
Forgiveness occurs properly only when certain conditions are met.

5. True or False
Jesus said little about how people should resolve interpersonal conflict.

6. True or False
A willingness to forgive is a test of whether or not a person will go to heaven when he or she dies.

7. True or False
Good people get to the bottom of all their disagreements.

8. True or False
There are times when it is wrong to forgive.

Before we grade your answers to the Forgiveness Quiz, let me share two things about where I come from in writing this book.

First, I write as a pastor involved in people’s lives. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent working through complex forgiveness questions with people in my churches. On the day I am writing this, I have listened to two different women with broken hearts. I sat across the table and hurt with them and prayed and watched small piles of mascara- and tear-soaked tissues build.

Looking back across the years I can recall images of so many tired, wounded people. I think, for instance, of my friend Deb (not her real name). When I first met Deb, she was grieving the loss of her only son who had died at the age of seven after a long illness. She was devastated.

In the midst of losing her son, Deb discovered that her husband was involved with pornography. His addiction eventually destroyed their marriage, and they were divorced. Soon after, Deb’s former husband was tragically killed in an accident.

Can you imagine? Her son died. Her marriage fell apart. Her former husband died. Consider the emotionally charged, complex forgiveness questions that Deb faced.

• Should Deb have forgiven her husband even though he was not repentant?

• How could she know whether he really was repentant?

• If Deb was able to forgive her husband, would that mean she should not have divorced him?

• How about after her husband died? Would it be appropriate or easier then for Deb to forgive him?

• What about her anger and grief over losing her son? No doubt, at points Deb even struggled with anger toward God. How should she have handled her anger? Should Deb have forgiven God?

I believe the answer to the last question, “Should Deb have forgiven God?” is an emphatic no! That God should be forgiven implies that God may have done something wrong. Many disagree and would not hold to my negative view of the idea of forgiving God. Arguably, the most influential Christian book written on forgiveness in the last fifty years contends that it is acceptable and even healthy for people to “forgive God.” (Source: Lewis Smedes, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts that We Don’t Deserve). I will have more to say about this…

You might ask me, how do you have the confidence to disagree with a book written by a well-known Christian authority? Or, how can a pastor help people when, in cases like Deb’s, the wounds are so deep and the questions are so complex? Where is there hope for people who get sick to their stomach when they even begin to think about the abuse they have suffered?

This brings me to the second thing I want to say about my approach to writing this book. And this is the heart of what I have to say: I write with the firm conviction that only God’s Word can unpack forgiveness.

When I talk with people like Deb, what gives me confidence is to know that God is there, and he is not silent. He has spoken clearly and sufficiently through his Word. God has given us all that we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3). And his Word is where we find our knowledge and goodness (2 Peter 1:3). And his Word is where we find our knowledge of him. God’s Word can and does unpack forgiveness. It makes wise the simple, giving joy to the heart and light to the eyes. It is more precious than any treasure and sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:7-11).

But Scripture must be understood and applied accurately. I have been careful not to pluck verses out of context or force them into the mold of my position. I do not want to read my own meaning into the text. Rather, my goal has been to listen to the Word.

In summary, this is a book written by a pastor who is actively involved in people’s lives. And the goal is to shine the light of God’s Word on forgiveness. Only God working in and through his Word can help us unpack forgiveness. The wounds are otherwise too deep, the problems too com-plex. But God working in and through His Word can answer any question and heal any hurt.