The Hopeful Perspective
Welcome to "The Hopeful Perspective" a podcast discussing what it entails to transform from a personal position of suffering, pain, loss and HOPELESSNESS toward a renewed perspective of security, perseverance, love and HOPE. I am your host, Jason Hopkins, a long time victim and survivor who has personally been impacted by the Lord to be a victor and a thriver! In each podcast episode you can expect to find authentic dialog from a Biblical and experiential perspective—that is, BEYOND mere religious anecdotes and simple academic exercise—though all used together engage how to find the HOPE that is essential in moving from a victim to victory. Survivor to thriver. Hopeless to hopeful.
Please download, share, subscribe and stay tuned for this journey with me. Leave a review to support and spread awareness for the Hopeful Perspective. As a man who has lived, studied and who truly understands the definition of not only 'surviving' trauma, but authentically thriving as a renewed creation amidst a broken and hurting world, I am humbled to share this platform with you. Prepare to be a critical thinker, a passionate responder and ultimately to be inspired towards The Hopeful Perspective. I would be honored to eventually earn your trust, and welcome you as a part of the 'Hopeful' family.
The Hopeful Perspective
The Biblical Perspective on Forgiveness
What if you could unlock a life of true freedom by letting go of all resentment and anger? Join me, Jason Hopkins, as I share about the transformative journey of forgiveness through the teachings and ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In this episode, we explore the depth of forgiveness, examining the biblical command to forgive others as we have been forgiven. Through personal stories and scriptural references from Matthew, Luke, Mark, Ephesians, and Psalms, we examine how embracing forgiveness can lead to profound personal freedom and align us with the grace and mercy exemplified by Jesus on the cross.
We don't just stop at forgiving others; we tackle the often tougher task of forgiving ourselves. By failing to do so, we undermine the very essence of Jesus' sacrifice. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of how true forgiveness transcends human capability and becomes a divine act. We also take a moment to express our deep gratitude to you, our listeners, for your unwavering support. Your subscriptions, ratings, and reviews help us spread this hopeful message. Plus, your financial contributions enable us to grow and reach more people with stories of hope and redemption. Stay tuned for exciting future interviews and remember, you are loved and appreciated.
Are you inspired by what you hear today? Jason deeply appreciates his listeners taking their time to listening, downloading, and sharing The Hopeful Perspective Podcast. Please help me spread 'hope' to others by writing a review for the podcast making it reachable for all who need to be inspired, encouraged, and changed by hoping once again. Further, understand that downloading the podcast is a surefire way to help increase the algorithm thus the reach of The Hopeful Perspective, even if you delete the episode after listening so as to not affect your data storage. I have also provided a (Support the Show) link DIRECTLY ABOVE THIS PARAGRAPH to click on for those who have shared with me they are "all in" and feel called to financially support the mission and vision of The Hopeful Perspective. A special thank you to those who have made this humble step to financially support the podcast. Without you, there is no US!
Jason Hopkins can also be reached on Facebook as well as Instagram and Threads (jayhop9953). You can also follow 'The Hopeful Perspective' FB page; where you can find more information as well as learn about upcoming news and episodes on the The Hopeful Perspective Podcast.
Welcome to the Hopeful Perspective podcast. I am your host, jason Hopkins. To this point on the show, we have traversed through my personal story of suffering and healing pain and purpose, as well as our last time together examined the biblical perspective on suffering. To summarize our journey so far, we have learned how my life story illustrates God's glory through my own experiences moving from survivor to thriver, victim to victor. The extent of my trauma was indeed painful, yet God's redemption and restoration in my life was profound. Having looked at the biblical perspective on suffering and discussing the imperative that Jesus gave his followers to pick up our cross and follow him, we will explore today a second command we were given as Christ's followers. So I encourage you to grab your favorite snack, hot or cold beverage. Get comfortable and come on this journey with me today as we explore the power and the freedom found in forgiveness.
Speaker 1:As a person who has overcome significant adversity, as well as a biblical counselor who worked with overcomers of their own trials and tribulations, I have experienced some of the most ugly and disgusting atrocities against fellow humans one can imagine of the most ugly and disgusting atrocities against fellow humans one can imagine. If you are current on the podcast to this point, you can attest that my life is packed with opportunities to harbor resentment and pain for the acts that were committed against me. However, as we sit together today, I can, and with full integrity, commit to you that I experience my day-to-day walk in full-fledged freedom, harboring no resentment towards those who have harmed me. The key that unlocked the doors, causing me to be free of anger, hatred, resentment, etc. Resentment, etc. Is the same key that was used to unlock the power of the cross, the pain, the power of Calvary, as our innocent Savior was condemned to death. This key is found in the profound paradox of Matthew 6 and Matthew 18, the command that Jesus gave us to forgive other people as he has forgiven us.
Speaker 1:We should take a step back and define our terms a bit when discussing the power of forgiveness, since there are few elements in our Christian walk that are as significant and sometimes as difficult to commit to as forgiveness is. We should seek to clearly understand this command by our Savior. What does it mean to forgive? We know in finance, forgiveness is the process where a creditor pardons a debtor from part or all of their outstanding debt. In the same way, when we forgive another party, we are, in essence, saying the debt they incurred by harming us has been pardoned and that they are no longer required to pay us back. In addition, by forgiving the other person, we are letting go of resentment and giving up any claim to be compensated for the hurt or loss we have suffered. Two crucial actions happen in this. We grant freedom to the other person as well as we receive freedom from the resentment and the pain that we experience.
Speaker 1:Jesus modeled and commanded that we follow his example to pick up his cross and follow him. He also modeled and commanded that we follow his example to pick up his cross and follow him. He also modeled and commanded we forgive as he has forgiven us. The power of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was found in his purchasing the debt that we owed due to our sin and depravity depravity Jesus canceled our debt by forgiving us and, more so, he paid the price while recognizing and even feeling the weight and enormity of our sin.
Speaker 1:In the passage of Luke 23, verse 34, while Jesus is in the process of being crucified, he uttered these words Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. He was simultaneously canceling the debt of the very soldiers who were mutilating him and casting lots for his garments, as well as forgiving all of mankind forever, who would be guilty of sin, yet hopefully repenting, to the one who placed their inequities on his own bloody back. To the one who placed their inequities on his own bloody back, the worst decisions of yours and my own selfish depravity were forgiven at that very moment, whereas I deserve to pay the full penalty of my sin and forever be separated from God. Jesus loved me enough to become the sacrifice that I needed to make in order to forever be secure within God's presence. I can barely utter these words without becoming emotional. With God, the Father, being the creditor and ourselves as the debtor. Our debts were paid for in full. Colossians 2 puts it this way, in verses 13-15. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, god made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us, he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross, and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the cross. Jesus purchased us, and then some. He also disarmed the very lenders of our debt and, it says he made a spectacle of them.
Speaker 1:So we can see that the standard to which we are held to when it comes to forgiving the debt others owe us within their personal transgressions. If we are honest with ourselves, I can venture to say that we have wondered about the various levels or depths of transgression. And if we are called to forgive anything and or everything Like, what about the worst of the worst, the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Mussolinis, the murderers, the rapists, the child abusers? In other words, aren't there limits to his forgiveness? And so then, should we place limits on our own cancellation of others' debts according to their action? I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1:If you think there are exceptions, limits or other conditions on God's forgiveness and His grace, I'd encourage you to find the biblical basis for it. I'll give you a freebie. The one unpardonable sin or transgression is listed, and I can hear some of you already saying it now is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. So none of the things I listed above are found in the limits to God's grace and forgiveness. I can tell you that, underneath my own hesitation and even unwillingness to forgive another person, is the spirit of control and that of pride, that is, of giving up control and trusting God in His sovereignty and His perfect justice. We all have God's moral code written on our hearts and due to this, we believe that equal justice ought to be doled out for equal crime. This is an appropriate time to explain what forgiveness isn't.
Speaker 1:Forgiveness does not mean that you condone the actions of the perpetrator. Forgiveness does not mean you're required to be in relationship with the offending party. Canceling the debt does not even mean that the person will escape facing account for his or her actions, as we know that we all will stand before a holy God on judgment day, and we can agree that those who have not made Jesus their Lord will indeed face the full weight of their transgressions. Forgiveness does not mean we are guaranteed to forget the pain of our past. Sometimes we have to forgive a person for their actions again and again and again, for our sake as much as theirs.
Speaker 1:Peter asked Jesus in Matthew 18 how many times we are to forgive someone, and then offers up his suggestion that more than doubled the requirement that rabbis taught from the Old Testament that one is to forgive three times before administering punishment. So therefore, peter suggested seven times. What was Jesus' reply? He answered in a metaphorical manner 70 times, 7. Essentially 490 times. For you math geniuses, what we can deduce is that we are to forgive as many times as we need to. As we read in Colossians earlier, we can be reassured that when we truly forgive our transgressor, that the power the enemy had over us is released. We are relieved from the debt, the bind and, essentially, the spiritual vow. Most anyone who has walked through this process of true forgiveness can attest to the freedom they experienced that they wouldn't have perceived bind and, essentially, the spiritual vow. Most anyone who has walked through this process of true forgiveness can attest to the freedom they experienced that they wouldn't have perceived otherwise.
Speaker 1:In my own life, there are countless examples, experiences and opportunities that I have with the power of Christ's forgiveness. As a result, I have deeply examined the subject of forgiveness, as well as restoration and even reconciliation. I consider these three concepts to be key and related, yet they are distinctly separate. I find we often utilize these terms interchangeably, thus being disappointed when our expectations are unmet. This is why I am devoting the next three episodes, starting with this one, to unwrapping the truth of each of these biblical breakthroughs forgiveness, restoration and reconciliation. That's right. When we experience any of these, we see God's breakthrough in our life. Forgiveness is the one that is a command, though, and I personally find this is the starting point before we can experience the power found in restoration, which is the rebuilding and remaking of that which has been affected, and reconciliation, the reconnection of a bond that has been broken Again. Forgiveness does not automatically accomplish nor even lead to the other two, yet I have to trust the Holy Spirit and His promptings as to what he wants to do in my relationships that have been altered due to sin and brokenness.
Speaker 1:As I have mentioned before, I was granted the divine opportunity to sit down with my mother before her death and fulfill this command to forgive her. That was given to me literally the day before. If you remember, this was bordering on the miraculous, as I hadn't talked to her in over 15 years, and so the thought of this being able to take place in the physical appeared impossible. Yet God showed off, and we were on the phone with each other the next day and scheduling a time to get together. My mother was an addict and struggled with mental illness, and so I didn't have unrealistic expectations of my forgiving her. I didn't expect that we would all of a sudden operate in a fully functional relationship after 20 years being separated. I just knew I was to forgive her for her part in my broken childhood, and so it happened as such. I'm not sure what it did in her exactly, but I know that for me, my compassion for her situation was increased tenfold. I know it led to me praying for her more than I ever had, and up to the day that I learned of her tragic passing for her more than I ever had. And up to the day that I learned of her tragic passing, I knew that I was moved with the deep, even healthy, grief that I wouldn't have expected before. God moved in my heart.
Speaker 1:Forgiveness isn't just about the freedom in the other person, as it is also about the freedom in your own spirit. If you experienced abuse at the hands or the neglect of your own family or parents, those who were called to protect you, then you can probably empathize with the pain and confusion, the grief and the loss of your relationship with the transgressing party. My own life was marred with mother wounds the entire time I was away from my mother, as it affected each relationship that I sensed was mothering me in any manner. As it affected each relationship that I sensed was mothering me in any manner. I didn't understand the complex emotions I dealt with in the multiple foster homes of my past, or the one-time complicated relationship I had with my loving mother-in-law in my present. Yet the Holy Spirit was keen on leading me to the next steps in the process of forgiving and being forgiven, and I've had to undergo this process again, again and again.
Speaker 1:And you know something else Any person who has undergone childhood trauma will tell you that their only goal in parenting kids of their own someday is to shield them from the similar experiences they underwent. I just know that, as I have parented three kids, all upper teens now, I have been granted with multiple opportunities of asking for their forgiveness. I have been gratefully capable of providing a safe home, for the most part for my kids, yet they have endured their own pain of living with a father who has his own PTSD as well as DID or dissociative identity disorder. I had to repent for my own trusting myself over trusting Jesus as well, as I have had to openly ask forgiveness of my wife, their mother, of the areas that she had to experience her own pain due to my transgressions. I will go into more detail of this situation when I discuss reconciliation in a couple episodes, but for today's sake it is appropriate to state that my wife, following the heart of the father for my adulterous actions committed while I was yet to be restored in my DID, was paramount in the restoration of our marriage. My shame and worthlessness, the pain of wounding her, were so great because she not only canceled the debt I owed her and chose to stand by me, even though she would have been fully justified in walking away. Our marriage was made stronger because Christ was restored to the center. Through her humble grace for me, she showed me Christ Again. The rest of that story will be saved for a later day, but I believe this is a powerful picture of Christ's call to forgive, as he is forgiven with no conditions. Now I want to share with you a story that is renowned the world over for bringing God glory through this power of forgiveness.
Speaker 1:Some of you may have heard of Corrie Ten Boom. She was a woman well known for hiding Jews in her home during World War II. She was eventually caught and sent off to a concentration camp where she was forced to watch her father and sister die. This is an excerpt from her book the Hiding Place, which I encourage all of you to read. It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former SS man who had stood guard at the shower door in the processing center at Ravensbrück. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there the room full of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, betsy's plain blanched face.
Speaker 1:He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. How grateful I am for your message, fraulein. He said to think that, as you say, he has washed my sins away. His hand was thrust out to shake mine, and I, who preach so often to the people and Blomendahl the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ had died for this man. Was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth, nor charity. And so again I prayed, a silent prayer Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness. As I took his hand, the most incredible thing happened From my shoulder, along my arm and through my hand, a current seemed to pass through me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness, any more than on our goodness, that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself. That's just a wow story. Jesus does not compel us to rely on our own capacity to love our enemies. He grants us his capacity to love.
Speaker 1:This leads me to one of the most difficult people to forgive in our life. I have found it to be true that the perpetrators and offenders in my life were not the hardest to forgive. Surprisingly, no, the one that I have the hardest time canceling the debt of is the person in the mirror. The shame, the self-loathing and the lack of worth I had regarding myself for so many years has made it difficult to forgive myself for personal depravity. Here is the core issue I have found within this double bind. When I forgive everyone around me but the person in the mirror, I minimize and undermine the grace and mercy granted in His sacrifice on the cross, I give the enemy power to utilize the lies I believe about myself against myself. And remember there are zero conditions to forgiveness, including that we are to receive forgiveness for ourselves, anything less than we are being disobedient to his command to forgive.
Speaker 1:So if you are having a difficult time today in this area of your faith, I want to encourage you to spend time in an intentional space where you converse with your Savior. Ask Him the root of these lies about your worth. Boldly inquire about what you have been holding on to that it's time to let go of, to give Him control and permission to restore. I have found he is faithful to answer the sincere impurity of our heart. Then spend time not only forgiving others, but truly forgiving yourself. 1 John says this if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, point blank. We have spent some time looking at a few of the spaces in the Word where we have been commanded to forgive Matthew 6 and 18 and just now in 1 John.
Speaker 1:Let's examine more of what Jesus had commanded in this area. In Luke 6.37, he said Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven Mark 11.25,. And whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. Luke 17.3-4.
Speaker 1:Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times saying I repent, you must forgive him. Matthew 26, 28. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Psalm 103, 10-14. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him, for he knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust.
Speaker 1:Isaiah 1.18. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Ephesians 1.7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace. James 5.16. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power. As it is working. And Psalm 32, 5,.
Speaker 1:I acknowledge my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. These are but a few of the verses in his love letters to us, compelling us to forgive one another in our faith. You may wonder how often this occurs in the scriptures. The word forgiveness actually appears 15 times. Forgive shows up 121 times and forgiven makes an appearance a total of 55 times. And this is just a word study on the word forgive. As transliterated into English, the concept is far more voluminous. Do you think our Lord was serious in his command to forgive as he has forgiven?
Speaker 1:I have been up front in my discussing the mission and vision of this podcast as to help direct listeners, inquirers, the faithful alike and those interested in learning about the love of Jesus to develop your perspective to be one of hope that we cannot live a full life and fulfill all we are called to be if we lack the hopeful perspective. And there are fewer, more powerful expressions of hope than hearing that our lives were audited as being valuable and worthy enough for our Lord to die for. We have all heard the gospel message in John 3.16 that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whomever shall believe in him shall have eternal life. God so loved us. But how many of you know 1 John 3.16?
Speaker 1:We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. Uh, wait a minute. Our sins being forgiven, our lives being ransomed, that is one thing, but we are to do the same for others. You see, what makes following Christ different than most other religious faiths, if you will, is this call to forgive our enemies, to lay our lives down and to serve one another. Scripture says that being kind to our friends is one thing, but turning the other cheek and showing love to our enemies, that is radical love. That is crazy hope. We demonstrate His love and walk in this power when we are faithful to forgive one another. And the reverse of this is true. We nullify His power and undermine His plan when we hold on to our burdens and take control of our grievances.
Speaker 1:So where are you today? Are you still holding on to control and allowing the enemy to occupy space in your mind and your life where Jesus wants you to free and display his glory to others. Have you said yes to Jesus and asked forgiveness for your sins that have separated you from knowing God's love? For those of you that have not yet taken this step, I want to give an assist by suggesting that you pray from your heart something similar as this Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and surrender my life. Wash me clean. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins and rose again on the third day for my victory. I believe that in my heart and make confession with my mouth that Jesus is my Savior and my Lord, and I will follow Him all the days of my life, and it's in His name I pray, amen.
Speaker 1:If you have today agreed with this prayer from the depths of your heart, I welcome you to the eternal family of God. I encourage you to find an orthodox, biblical-based faith family who worships the Lord passionately. Also, devote yourself to the reading of the scriptures. As you can tell, there is so much to gain from living this new life, and his guidance is found in his love letters, the Bible, to us. I'm not sure about you, but I for one choose love and self-sacrifice to forgive and be forgiven. I make errors and fall short on the daily, yet I commit to making sure my side of the street is cleansed and that I seek forgiveness and show humility where it is merited, and I am freely willing to forgive those who have.
Speaker 1:Next time on the Hopeful Perspective podcast, we will discuss the concept of restoration. What does it mean when we read that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind? Is there even a biblical basis or mandate to have our life changed or renewed or restored once we find Jesus? How has this been true in my life and how does it compare or contrast with secular therapy that leads to change? These are but some of the questions and principles I will address next time on the Hopeful Perspective.
Speaker 1:Until then, I want to thank you for joining me along this journey and, if you would be so kind to follow, subscribe and, most importantly, to rate and write a review for others who may need the hopeful perspective.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate that. Now you can contribute monetarily by pressing our support the show link that is embedded on your platform in the episode descriptions. All of your contributions are utilized to grow the podcast, to broaden our reach and to share the hope of Christ. For example, you may have heard that our next step would be to purchase a second mic, headphones and necessary equipment so as to have interviews with others who have experienced hope amidst their trials. I want to shout out my gratitude to the multiple new donors who already have made this commitment to support the podcast financially. Without you, it would not be possible to reach as many people with the message of hope that have lived lives as difficult and dark as I have, or anyone who needs to be reminded that hope is indeed real. So thank you so much in advance and until next time, remember you are loved.
