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Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds
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Average Rating:  out of 5 Reviews
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Price: $17.99
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Sale: $9.79
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Manufacturer: Crossway Books
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781581349801
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Chris Brauns
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Publisher: Crossway Books
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Dewey Decimal Number: 234.5
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Publication Date: 2008-10-31
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Reading Level: 240
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Description: Helps readers move beyond the wounds and baggage of bitterness, disagreements, and broken relationships. “True or false: most Christian pastors and counselors agree on what forgiveness is and how it should take place.” This question is part of Chris Brauns’s Forgiveness Quiz that draws readers into his book and gets them thinking about the subject of forgiveness. The truth is, pastors and counselors disagree profoundly on this subject. Unpacking Forgiveness combines sound theological thinking and honesty about the complicated questions many face to provide readers with a solid understanding of biblical forgiveness. Only God’s Word can unpack forgiveness. The wounds are too deep for us to find healing on our own, and the questions are too complex to be unraveled by anything but the wisdom of God. This book goes beyond a feel-good doctrine of automatic forgiveness, balancing the beauty of God’s grace and the necessity of forgiveness with the teaching that forgiveness must take place in a way that is consistent with justice.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Shining the Light of God's Word on Forgiveness |
Date: 2008-10-22 |
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Details: Many Christian people who have been offended wonder what to do regarding the matter of forgiveness. Didn't Jesus, looking upon His tormentors from the elevated view of the cross, while experiencing excruciating pain that they had caused pray, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do?" Based upon the example of God, how are we to forgive? Unpacking Forgiveness shines the wonderful light of God's Word upon this question explaining the principles of biblical forgiveness with great precision and clarity. We learn that forgiveness is not conditional but conditioned upon repentance and faith in Christ. In an age full of error and faulty theological thinking, this book represents the study of a pastor who has studied to show himself approved unto God, a workman who needs not to be ashamed having rightly divided the Word of Truth. This book will be a tremendous help and provide valuable answers on forgiveness to those who choose to unpack its contents. Michael Mosier 10/22/2008 |
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Review Summary: Biblical Wisdom on an Important Topic |
Date: 2008-10-18 |
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Details: You do not need to live long in this world before you will accumulate a nearly endless list of people to whom you owe forgiveness. Even young children quickly begin to sin against others and have to ask forgiveness (just as my two-year old had to seek forgiveness from her sister yesterday for tearing a page from her new Bible). And though Christians speak often of forgiveness extended to them by God, they speak far less often of forgiveness offered to others. In Unpacking Forgiveness, Chris Brauns provides "biblical answers for complex questions and deep wounds." And really it is only God's word that can unpack forgiveness, offering hope for true and lasting healing.
Brauns offers teaching on forgiveness that counters much of the mainstream of Evangelical thought. Nowhere is this shown more clearly than in his discussion about the conditional nature of forgiveness. Where we are accustomed to Christians "forgiving" any and everyone, perhaps standing outside the scene of a school shooting with signs saying, "We forgive you," Brauns shows that this is not true forgiveness in a biblical sense. He distinguishes between a kind of therapeutic forgiveness that may make us feel better, and a genuine forgiveness that actually brings about reconciliation.
The book is packed with illustrations, many of which are heartbreaking. You will read some stories that have been widely reported in the media (such as the story of the Willis family whose six children were killed in a van accident caused by a manufacturing defect) and others that will be new to you. But through each of the stories you will see remarkable examples of Christians both extending and receiving forgiveness.
Brauns roots the human pattern of forgiveness in the divine model given to us by God. He offers the key principle that God expects believers to forgive others in the way that he forgave them. How, then, does God forgive? Brauns defines God's forgiveness in this way: "A commitment by the one true God to pardon graciously those who repent and believe so that they are reconciled to him, although this commitment does not eliminate all consequences." We see that God's forgiveness is gracious but not free; it is conditional (meaning that only those who repent and believe are forgiven); it lays the groundwork for reconciliation; and it does not eliminate all consequences. And this model of forgiveness, exemplified so clearly and so amazingly in the cross, is the pattern we are to imitate. Human forgiveness, then, is "a commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and so to be reconciled to that person, although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated."
The book continues into areas of application, asking when it is appropriate to simply overlook an offense and offering principles on how to actually go about seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. Brauns offers biblical wisdom on what to do if you find that you simply cannot forgive and he provides principles on responding to the unrepentant. He writes about bitterness, about the inability to get over a wrong committed and about those times that Christians simply cannot agree. A useful Appendix includes a grab-bag of questions and answers, and valuable ones at that (How can I be sure that God has forgiven me? How can I forgive myself? Should adultery always be confessed?).
There are few things more unnatural and few things more holy than forgiveness. Living as we do in a fallen world, we are given endless opportunities both to extend and to seek forgiveness. In Unpacking Forgiveness, Chris Brauns eschews the easy answers and looks to the Bible to provide God's wisdom on how and when we are to forgive. Relying on his experience as a pastor and on his deep knowledge of Scripture, he provides what is a logical, well-illustrated book on the subject. With humor at times and appropriate gravitas at others, Brauns leads the reader first to understand and then to apply what the Bible teaches on forgiveness. Because it deals biblically with a subject of universal importance, any reader can benefit from reading Unpacking Forgiveness. I recommend that you do just that. This is an excellent book you will not want to overlook. |
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Review Summary: How to Be Truly Happy |
Date: 2008-10-15 |
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Details: What a wonderful reference of Scriptures coupled with powerful and compelling real life stories! Although there are many true life accounts and times when Rev. Brauns shares some of his own struggles, the teaching in this book was not based upon personal experience or opinion. Every point is very clearly backed up with plenty of Scripture references. It is not only for those struggling to forgive, but it is for every person who would examine themselves next to the Scriptures and expose heart problems that may lead to bitterness, pride, and unforgiving attitudes, along with the dire consequences of choosing them.
Rev. Brauns makes the study of forgiveness uplifting and inspiring. By complimenting Piper's books with the same premise (God being most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him), Rev. Brauns gave me hope for the hardest circumstances that could be presented in life. The truth of Scripture so clearly laid out gave me every reason to want change in my life and want it because I know it is what will make me truly happy. The practical applications from personal example gave me a starting line and motivated me. I have taken truth presented in this book and have been able to easily apply the concepts gleaned thanks to this powerful work.
I plan to read through it again as an in depth study. |
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Review Summary: Would be great for a group Bible study |
Date: 2008-10-13 |
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Details: This excellent and very Biblical book on forgiveness would make an excellent resource to be used for small group study. There are study questions and a quiz at the beginning. The topic is one that everyone has encountered the need to consider on a personal level. |
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Review Summary: Clear, biblical, and practical |
Date: 2008-10-10 |
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Details: I don't think that there are many issues that come up more often than forgiveness. I sense this every time I speak about it. I can sense that I'm talking about an issue that is real for every person who is present.
Learning how to forgive isn't easy. Hurts often run deep; some situations that demand forgiveness are almost unspeakable. How does one forgive when the offense is so great, and the wound is so deep? To make things even more complicated, people who teach about forgiveness often offer conflicting answers. Not only is forgiveness difficult, but it's also frequently misunderstood.
Given these difficulties, I suspect I'll be using Unpacking Forgiveness quite a bit in the coming years. It's written by a pastor - Chris Brauns - and it reminds me what good pastoral practice should look like:
* It's biblical - I've heard a lot of opinions about forgiveness. Brauns, thankfully, is driven by Scripture rather than his own views. It's hard to find anything in the book that isn't grounded in Scripture.
* It's clear - There's a lot of fuzzy thinking about forgiveness. I know; there was some fuzziness in my thinking when I began this book. For instance, many of us fall into a therapeutic model of forgiveness, which makes forgiveness about our emotions rather than a relationship. Brauns does a good job of untangling the issues and clearly communicating which approaches are right, and why it matters.
* It's practical - This is not some abstract treatise. Anyone struggling with the forgiveness can pick up this book and immediately benefit. It answers practical questions about when (and when not to) confront, how to go about forgiving, how to respond to the unrepentant, how to conquer bitterness, and more.
* It's sensitive - Brauns sometimes has hard things to say, and when he does, you can feel him wince. He's committed to telling the truth, even though he knows it's sometimes not what we want to hear. You get the sense that he cares.
* It's gospel-based - Brauns takes us to the gospel. Human forgiveness is ultimately related to divine forgiveness, and rooted in God's grace.
Bruans helps us understand that while we should always offer forgiveness and show love, forgiveness cannot take place until it is accepted by the other party. Forgiveness is more than an emotion; it is a transaction between two parties. This helps us avoid some of the problems that come from automatic, therapeutic models of forgiveness.
In short, forgiveness is one of the most important, practical topics out there, and Unpacking Forgiveness is the clearest, most biblical and practical thing I've read. It untangles an important issue, and I hope it is widely read and applied. |
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