Having known the forgiveness of God and being called of Him to forgive as He does, it is important that we be familiar with three different aspects of forgiveness. To make them easy to remember, we have called them eternal forgiveness, paternal forgiveness and fraternal forgiveness.
Eternal Forgiveness
This is the pardon that the soul receives when it receives the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. It is a complete and eternal pardon of all our sins righteously given by God who is forever satisfied by the work of Christ on the cross. This forgiveness forever shelters us from the eternal consequences which our sins deserved. It will never have to be repeated for one who has received Christ as personal Saviour. See Luke 23:34, Romans 4:7, and Colossians 2:13.
Paternal Forgiveness
Once we have received eternal forgiveness, we are in the family of God. It is possible, however, that, even being sons of God, we might sin. These sins do not jeopardize our eternal salvation, but they do affect, each time, our fellowship with God. As a believer, we must confess to God the sin committed to receive the Father’s forgiveness and be restored to happy fellowship with the Father and the Son. This answers to 1 John 1:8-10 and chapter 2:12 (see also Luke 15:11-32). Eternal forgiveness establishes our relationship with God as Father; the Father’s paternal forgiveness enables us to resume the enjoyment of that relationship.
Fraternal Forgiveness
There are two main aspects of brotherly forgiveness: individual forgiveness and collective forgiveness. If we have sinned against another, this failure needs to be confessed to God to obtain fatherly forgiveness and then it must also be confessed to the one against whom we have sinned in order to obtain their personal forgiveness and thus restore fellowship with them.
If the two are at fault, then mutual forgiveness is in order. Fraternal or brotherly forgiveness applies to all our relationships with other believers (and unbelievers too), as well as our relationships in our family circle. This aspect of forgiveness is presented in Matthew 5:23-26; 18:15-18; 18:21-35, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13 and James 5:16.
A sin bringing great dishonor on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ should exercise the consciences of the brethren in the assembly. Such sin is covered, as all others, by the precious blood of Christ, but the believer needs not only to confess this sin to the Father, but he must also confess it to his brethren that they may also forgive him collectively.
If the erring one has been placed under assembly discipline, now, being restored, they can enjoy anew the full fellowship in the assembly (1 Cor. 5:1,13; 2 Cor. 2:5-11; John 20:23; Matt. 18:18). Our God is a God of pardon and forgiveness (Neh. 9:17; Psa. 130:4; Dan. 9:9; Micah 7:18).
In summary, in the first we have the forgiveness the Son has obtained for us while we were yet sinners. In the second we have the forgiveness the Father gives His children, while in the third, we have the forgiveness the Spirit gives between the saints themselves. May we in this be imitators of our loving God and Father, that we forgive one another also.
“Forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Col. 3:13).
“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
M. Payette (adapted)