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whereas, both God and the believer can and do extend grace to those who have offended.
There will be a need to qualify this observation when we come to the consideration of the
difference that we should make in the employment of the two words "forgiveness and
pardon". Originally both words were synonymous, for they differ only in the fact that
forgiveness is derived from the Anglo Saxon forgifan, and pardon from the Latin per
"for" dono "give", but in usage they have become slightly separated, so that in some
cases "pardon" could be used where "forgiveness" would be inaccurate. Pardon is an
official warrant remitting a crime, and in law it is the prerogative of the king, this pardon
being absolute or conditional as the Sovereign shall please. Crabb says "forgive is the
familiar term, pardon is adapted to the serious style. Individuals forgive each other
personal offences; they pardon offences against law and morals". These differences are
by no means academic, they belong to the essential difference between the Gospel of the
Kingdom, as seen at work in Matthew, and the Gospel of the grace of God, as seen in the
ministry of Paul. Take for example the parable of the unforgiving servant. He was
frankly forgiven a great debt which he owed to the king, but upon the report being made
of his uncharitable conduct to a fellow servant, he was called back into the royal
presence, the forgiveness was rescinded, he was cast into the prison there to remain until
he should pay all that was owing. The Saviour leaves us in no doubt as to the "moral" of
this parable:
"So LIKWISE shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts
forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (Matt. 18: 35).
It is this feature that makes the prayer of
Matt. 6: 9-13
impossible for the
dispensation of grace.
"And forgive us our debts AS WE forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6: 12).
and lest we should soften down this comparison, the Lord picked out from this prayer,
this one clause which He expands along the lines of the parable of the eighteenth chapter:
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses" (Matt. 6: 14, 15).
This is explicit, uncompromising and final. If this kingdom principle be carried over
into the dispensation of grace it will work havoc.
On one occasion, it was our privilege to hear Archibald Brown preach on the Parable
of the Unforgiving Servant. Or perhaps we ought to say, he thought he was preaching on
that subject. His theology and his conception of grace however prevented him, and we
had the joy of seeing this fine preacher continually referring to Matt. 18:, but
preaching from his own heart acquaintance with Romans and Ephesians. In Matthew we
have the Royal Pardon, the pardon of a king, and in many cases, if not in all, it is
conditional. In the present dispensation of grace we have Divine forgiveness, which is
unconditional, can never be rescinded, and while it should lead all who are so freely
forgiven, to extend a similar forgiveness to their fellows, this extension is by no means a
condition as it was in Matt. 6: and 18: