Forgiveness is such a major factor for our well-being and wholeness that it is essential as believers to finally come to a full understanding of the eternal forgiveness of God as revealed in the New Testament.

The human condition today is riddled with destructive tendencies, reckless behavior, emotional disorders, sickness, and disease. In the past and even today Christianity has viewed the reason for the human condition purely as the result of man’s original sin.

Although there is truth to this kind of reasoning, it is mainly true if viewed only from an Old Testament, or pre-Christ perspective.

In Matthew 1:21, however, the angel speaking to Joseph about Jesus said, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

• The word “save” used here also means to, “deliver, protect, to be kept safe and sound or to rescue from danger and destruction.”
• The word “from” used here also means to, “separate one thing from another so that the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed.”
• The word “sins” used here is not a plural noun, but a singular noun, meaning “a failing to hit the mark, or missing the true end and scope of our lives”

It is therefore very clear from this scripture that Jesus came for the express purpose of delivering, protecting, and keeping us safe and sound from the danger and destruction of our sin.

Most people think and believe that forgiveness is when God just overlooks our trespasses, and reckless behavior almost as if our behavior does not matter. But Peter had a different understanding about our reckless behavior and destructive moral tendencies.

(II Peter 1:2-4)

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

1. - The first thing Peter points out in vs 2, is that God’s grace, (God’s divine power or ability) and God’s peace, (God’s provision for emotional stability) is multiplied to every believer through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ (the Gospel).

2. - The second thing Peter brings to our attention in vs 3-4 is the godly attributes and nature available to us because of the divine influence of the Knowledge of God!

3. - The third thing Peter reminds us of in vs 5-8 is the apparent danger of not knowing and understanding the unconditional and eternal forgiveness of God!

He makes a powerful observation based on vs 2, 3 and 4, by saying, “… for this very reason…” What reason? Because of God’s divine power and ability, His provision of emotional stability and the godly attributes and nature that is available to us; “…add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Then he makes a very interesting statement in verse 9, that if a man “…lacks these things…!” What things? godly attributes and virtues of self-control, perseverance, godliness and love. (The man who lacks these things) …”is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”

The word “forgotten” can also mean: “to escape notice”. So what Peter is saying is, if we lack these things (Godly character, and moral attributes) it’s not because we have not been given them, but because the true revelation and understanding of God’s eternal forgiveness has escaped us! We have forgotten, or are not conscious of the fact that we have been cleansed from our sin.

Therefore according the New Testament the human condition today is not so much the result of man’s original sin, as it is the failure to know or understanding the eternal forgiveness of God or man’s unwillingness to receive the unconditional forgiveness of God!

But the conclusion is that any man who will not allow the revelation of God’s eternal forgiveness to escape his consciousness, and who will stir himself up through remembrance, will never stumble or fall!