Though divine forgiveness is a central feature of the Bible’s story, scholars disagree about its composition. What, precisely, is the nature of the forgiveness God extends to mankind? Some believe forgiveness can be individually and unilaterally given, requiring only the wronged person to carry out the action (i.e. Jonathan Rutledge). Others see it as an interpersonal, relational, and conditional exchange, requiring repentance on the part of the wrongdoer who seeks to be released of a debt by the person they have wronged (i.e. John Murrary). The reason for the disparity in determining the composition that exists stems from a misunderstanding of the nature of forgiveness and its result. Jonathan Rutledge’s recent work on the subject is representative of this as he sets forth an imprecise definition of forgiveness, misunderstanding its nature, and ignores a personal, proper response to receiving divine forgiveness: praise.
This paper seeks to clarify the composition of divine forgiveness by examining its nature and the proper response of the human agent. While many have worked to define the nature of forgiveness, less attention has been devoted to the responsibility of the recipient and the way it informs our understanding of the nature of forgiveness. I will begin with a concise summary of the recent discussion on the individual versus interpersonal nature of forgiveness. Then, I will interact with Rutledge’s arguments for unilateral forgiveness, showing, ironically, that his starting point reveals his imprecise understanding of the nature of forgiveness and his oversight of the response of the penitent psalmist. Next, I will undertake a case study of forgiveness in the Psalter to demonstrate how the Psalms present the nature of forgiveness and display a consistent response from the person forgiven. Finally, an understanding of the composition of divine forgiveness will be compared to the call of human forgiveness to establish how the two correlate to one another.