What Is A "Real Chaplain" and How Can a Man be Forgiven?

According to Dr. Truman, it's a Chaplain who believes in something (This one is for you Kap:)

This scene is from ER, “Atonement,” Season 14, Episode 13, originally aired January 17, 2008.

CONTEXT: Dr. Truman is on his death bed.  He was a former prison Dr. and had the responsibility of carrying out lethal injections to prisoners sentenced to death.  In this scene he is battling in his mind one prisoner who did not die upon first injection. He believes that was sign from God that the man was not supposed to die.  But Dr. Truman injects a second dose and kills the man who later on would be found innocent.

His question is simple?  "How can I find forgiveness?"  The problem was the Chaplain had nothing to offer.  Because post-modern/everything-is-relative/your-truth-is-your-truth/there-is-no-truth is a self refuting belief at best.  Just the statement alone, "There are no absolutes" is a self-refuting statement, which, in Dr. Truman's words, "only makes things worse!"

The Enemy is the author of confusion.  And if you are confused, you may be under the influence of the Enemy.

Now lets clear up the confusion...

How can I find forgiveness?

Answer: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16-17).

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" (Acts 13:38).

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14). 

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Ephesians 1:7)

Often times, Believers don't "feel" forgiven for the things they have done in the past.  I think that has to do with never having forgiven themselves.  They view themselves through the eyes of their flesh instead of taking God's perspective.  

The believer is to confess sins then THANK God for forgiveness.  No need to ask God for something he already promised upon the act of confession.

"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Here it comes again... Are you in the practice of constant confession?  Confession is only needed where sin is committed.  This only applies to me in the days that end in the letter "y." My wife and I find more and more (because God is progressively revealing Himself to us) that we need him every day!  Every moment.  

When someone would ask me, "How are you doing?" I would typically reply, "Good man. I'm doing well."  Usually that would mean I can't think of a particular struggle right now.  Lust is under control.  I'm not lying, cheating, etc...  But now I find myself saying, "Man!  I need Him.  I desperately need Him.  And I need the body of Christ to come around me and lift me up.  I need a crutch Brother!  Because my legs are broken!..."

Here's to the extra motivated...BE BLESSED!

Greek Word Study: 

 

Forgiveness (859) (aphesis from aphiemi = action which causes separation and is in turn derived from apo = from + hiemi = put in motion, send) literally means to send away or to put apart, a letting go, a leaving behind, a removal. Aphesis is most often translated remission as when one remits (pardons, cancels) a debt (see definition of English word below). The act of releasing someone from an obligation. To release from captivity. 

 

Remission of sins means once and for all taking them away, removing the guilt, punishment and power of sin. And so to release one’s sins, is not just release from the ("legal" or forensic) charge and the just penalty of sin but also release from the power and dominion of sin (and in Heaven the release from the presence of sin and the pleasure of sin). And so we see that Wuest translates Col 1:14 as "the putting away of our sins" (Wuest).

Redemption (apolutrosis [word study] from apolutróo <> apo = marker of dissociation or separation + lutron/lytron = ransom from  luo = loosen what is bound, loose any person tied or fastened) means to let one go free upon payment of a ransom price. Those who are not redeemed are powerless to liberate themselves. 

 

Redemption was used in secular Greek as a technical term for money paid to buy back and set free prisoners of war or to emancipate slaves (liberate them from subjection or domination) from their masters. Believers have been ransomed, bought back, like the redemption of a bondservant by a kinsman-redeemer (Lev 25:49). Before redemption we were held captive by the devil (cf "dominion [exousia] of Satan" in Acts 26:18) to do his will and were enslaved to our old sin nature (see Sin = Principle) inherited from Adam (Ro 5:12-note). A Roman or Grecian slave could be freed with the payment of money, but no amount of money can set an enslaved sinner free. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can redeem us. Christ paid the ransom price (see lutron/lytron used only twice in NT = Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45) with His blood (1Pe 1:18-19-note, 1Pe 1:20-Note; 1Cor 6:20-note; Rev 5:9-note), freeing us from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13; 4:5) and releasing us from bondage of sin into the freedom of grace (cp Ro 6:14-Note).