To Hate is err, to Forgive is Divine...
Offering forgiveness is hard for us. When we are hurt or disappointed, we want to be repaid for the grief and inconvenience that we’ve suffered. It only seems right. But the Bible says,forgive as the Lord forgave you. Through Christ, all our sins are taken away freely and completely. To forgive as the Lord forgives requires that we let others off the hook with no compensation requested or paid.
This is why forgiveness is so very difficult. To our way of thinking, to forgive is to give up your rights. To forgive seems irresponsible—if there is no penalty to be paid, what’s to keep that person from hurting you again? To forgive might make you feel like a doormat, a perpetual victim who won’t stand up for himself.
We don’t understand the value of forgiveness because we are flawed not just in our relationships but also in our thinking. It takes strength to put aside our thirst for vengeance and offer mercy instead. It takes a loving heart to work through angry feelings and reach out to embrace those who have hurt you. It takes wisdom to understand that no one is faultless and entitled to claim the moral high ground in a dispute.
But forgiveness is not the same as leniency. Far too often we say things like “that’s all right” instead of “I forgive you.” The difference between these statements is huge. Saying “that’s all right” gives the impression that nothing all that bad was done. Saying “that’s all right” is telling a lie to salvage your pride, because you don’t want to admit how badly you were hurt. But when you say “I forgive you”, you are holding the other person accountable for her behavior. When you say “I forgive you”, you are admitting that you were hurt, but you are willing to give up all claims for restitution.
This is the way that our Lord forgives us. Jesus does not excuse our sin; He doesn’t trivialize it or let us duck responsibility for it. Jesus also knows there is no way we can possibly make up for all the bad things that we have done. Because He loves us, the Lord of Life suffered death on the cross on our behalf, and He did so without any expectation of being repaid for what it cost Him. Jesus demonstrates what forgiveness is really all about—forgiveness is the ultimate expression of love.
What is Forgiveness of Others?
As believers, our relationship with God is restored, but what about our relationship with our fellow human beings? The Bible states that when someone hurts us, we are under an obligation to God to forgive that person. Jesus is very clear on this point:
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)
Refusing to forgive is a sin. If we receive forgiveness from God, we must give it to others who hurt us. We cannot hold grudges or seek revenge. We are to trust God for justice and forgive the person who offended us. That does not mean we must forget the offense, however; usually that's beyond our power. Forgiveness means releasing the other from blame, leaving the event in God's hands, and moving on.
We may resume a relationship with the person if we had one, or we may not if one did not exist before. Certainly the victim of a crime has no obligation to become friends with the criminal. We leave it to the courts and to God to judge them.
What is forgiveness? The entire Bible points to Jesus Christ and his divine mission to save us from our sins. The Apostle Peter summed it up like this:
Acts 10:39-43
We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (NIV)
We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (NIV)
God bless!
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