Gracious Forgiveness: A Theological Retrieval

Divine forgiveness is expressed in biblical and liturgical contexts through metaphors such as canceling debts, covering stains, and forgetting iniquities. In this study, Christian F. Mihut retrieves a theologically paradigmatic, liturgically deep, and symbolically evocative image of divine forgiveness: bearing burdens. Gracious Forgiveness: A Theological Retrieval argues that divine forgivingness finds its most lucid, tangible, and full expression in the life and work of Jesus Christ, who is committed to separating sinners from their sin and healing people by absorbing the consequences of their offense. It also has ethical and relational ramifications, involving a certain conception of one's participation in Christ and a certain formation of one's sensibility. Mihut concludes with a defense of the surprising claim that curative forgivingness is compatible with anger and recommended to people living under oppression.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 13 April 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Divine forgiveness is a profound and multifaceted concept that finds expression in both biblical and liturgical contexts. It encompasses a range of metaphors, such as canceling debts, covering stains, forgoing or stopping litigation, forgetting iniquities, and more. In this insightful study, Christian F. Mihut delves into a theologically paradigmatic, liturgically deep, and symbolically evocative image of divine forgiveness that has received relatively little attention: bearing burdens.

Gracious Forgiveness: A Theological Retrieval explores a divine disposition to forgive, rooted in this metaphorical concept. Situated within a broader covenantal-relational framework where sin is seen as a cosmic sickness, humans are the recipients of divine healing, and divine transcendence manifests through unwavering gracious commitments to redress brokenness. Divine forgivingness reaches its most lucid, tangible, and comprehensive expression in the life and work of Jesus Christ.

In the person of Jesus Christ, we witness a remarkable demonstration of how a gracious God is committed to separating sinners from their sin. Through his sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus absorbs the consequences of human offense, offering healing and restoration to all who seek his grace. This sin-bearing Christological forgivingness holds ethical and relational implications, as the study articulates a human disposition to forgive that involves both a certain conception of one's participation in Christ and a specific formation of one's sensibility.

Developing gracious, hopeful, and merciful dispositions is crucial for entrenching forgivingness. However, it also requires a sense of self-awareness, recognizing oneself as a continuant of God's cosmic story of redressing brokenness. Mihut concludes his study with a compelling defense of the surprising claim that curative forgivingness is compatible with anger and even recommended to people living under oppression.

Through Gracious Forgiveness: A Theological Retrieval, Mihut provides a valuable contribution to the understanding of divine forgiveness. By exploring the metaphor of bearing burdens, he offers a theologically rich and symbolically evocative perspective that sheds light on the nature of divine grace and the healing power of forgiveness. This study encourages us to embrace a disposition to forgive, rooted in our participation in Christ and our commitment to redress brokenness in the world.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 240 x 165 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192873729