What God Says About Quid Pro Quo. Part [14] 12/27/2025 (Morning thought)

Exodus 34: 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty…..

This leads us to our fourth and final exhibit of quid pro quo: [4] When quid pro quo includes pardons. God has not granted to any mortal man the power to pardon sin, for the Bible explicitly says that this is the prerogative of God alone. Yet, over millennia the practice has been adopted in religious and in secular circles. Thus, before we move on, it is imperative to establish the truth in the matter beyond all doubt.

Mark 2:3 And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?… Par·don/ noun: The action of forgiving, or being forgiven for an error or offense.

Before we continue it is necessary for us to grasp the meaning of a particular passage in the Bible, so that when we speak of pardon or forgiveness on the horizontal, man to man level, we’ll understand what is being referred to. Question: On a human level, what does it literally mean to forgive one their trespasses?

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

What God Says About Quid Pro Quo. Part [13] 12/27/2025 (Evening thought)

Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled and answered Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

But then, the quid pro quo demon began to haunt his mind, and as time went by it occurred to Felix’s that he could benefit financially by releasing Paul. Now, to be clear, releasing the apostle, in this case, was absolutely the right thing to do, but for Felix to seek financial benefit from doing so will be nothing short of quid pro quo. … Acts 24:26 He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul that he might free him, wherefore, he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.

And as the devil dangled financial gains before the mind of Felix, the decision came down to one of two choices, either he would do the right thing and free Paul without personal benefit or else he would keep him in prison until Paul would pay to play.  The regrettable record is there before us, because Felix decided that if Paul would not cooperate in the scheme, the governor would bend justice to suit his own desire.

And the result is that Paul was left in his jail cell, because the Christian should never become involved in quid pro quo, even if it is to save his own skin. In other words, if Paul is not going to play to play, Felix is not going to release him, for whatsoever the facts might be in the case, if the governor is not going to benefit from the deal, no release would be issued to Paul, period. It doesn’t really matter whether he is guilty or innocent, that’s entirely beside the point.

Acts 24:27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!