fbpx

Forgiven to Forgive

Because we live in a world where “winning” is seemingly all that matters, sometimes we have a hard time fully understanding God’s forgiveness and His sacrificed life for us. We believe Jesus died for our sins, but we don’t fully understand how that affects our lives.

There were many things from the death of Christ that benefitted us. In fact, I would say thousands, if not millions of different books and articles have been written looking at every theological and soteriological aspect of Christ’s death and resurrection.  The most talked about result of Jesus’ death most books and articles focuses on is the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins.”

When we forgive a debt or an offense or an injury, we don’t require a payment or settlement. That would be the opposite of forgiveness. If repayment was made for what we lost, there is no need for forgiveness because we would receive our just due. That is why lawyers are so busy today. They have made it their mandate to get what they can in order to get a huge cut of whatever is acquired!

Forgiveness assumes grace. It means if I am injured by you, grace lets it go. I don’t sue you or charge you, but rather I forgive you. Grace gives what someone doesn’t deserve. That is why forgiveness has the word “give” in it. Forgiveness is not “getting” even. It is giving up the right to get even.

That is what God does to us when we trust Christ. Acts 10:43 says, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” If we believe in Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us. This is God’s own testimony in the Bible. Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” and Psalm 103:12 states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

But this raises a problem. We know that under our judicial system forgiveness is not enough. When a heinous crime is committed, can a judge just say, “Are you sorry? Okay. You can go your way.” We may forgive a person for a terrible crime, but the law says justice must occur. The same is true with God’s justice.

To God, all sin is serious because all sin is ultimately against God. He is the one who is offended when we ignore, disobey or blaspheme Him. His justice won’t allow Him to just set us free just like a human judge can’t cancel all the crimes criminals have done to all society. Big or little – sin is the same. For us to be set free and forgiven, something dramatic must happen to that will see God’s honour upheld and the guilty set free.

That is why Christ suffered and died. As Ephesians states, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins.” Forgiveness costs us nothing. All our obedience is the fruit, not the root of being forgiven. That is why we call it grace. But this grace and our forgiveness cost Jesus His life. That is why we call it just. Christ’s sacrifice, His death, His blood, made us right with God.

That is the focus of Communion. The emblems represent Christ’s Body and His Blood. Grace is given, forgiveness is received – a gift for humanity. But is that it? Is that the extent of forgiveness? Mark 11:25 says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

This shows us the importance of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a two-way street. Grace and forgiveness are shown to us from God when we put our faith and hope in Christ. Because of that, forgiveness is required of us to demonstrate and practice towards others.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus gives this illustration: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Jesus is giving this illustration to show the importance of how our human relationships affect our relationship with God. If we are to come to God to worship Him and there is a problem between yourself and another Christian, you are to stop your offering and deal with it. You notice I said, “another Christian.” The reason why I said that is the term Jesus used to describe the offending person. He calls him a “brother.” In other words, it is someone you are in relationship with – particularly a fellow believer.

If we harbor ill feelings towards a fellow believer, someone else whom Christ died for, what does that say about Jesus’ love and sacrifice? If He loved that person enough to die for them, how can we withhold our love and forgiveness? And if we do forgive, what does that action communicate to the world? In a world where it is more important to get even, forgiveness is the opposite.

Jesus wants His children to live in harmony and peace with each other. Paul speaks of that as well in Romans 12, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Will we disagree with each other? Of course we will! That is natural. But we mustn’t harbor bitterness towards each other.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:26-27, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” I often use this in premarital counseling. But the principle mirrors Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. If our relationship with a fellow brother or sister in Christ is not what it should be, it must be addressed. Paul’s warning is clear that to allow any anger to continue in our lives would allow the devil a foothold. There are common idioms we use about burying the hatchet and building a bridge. They are true. Letting go is healthy for us. Forgiveness is for our benefit. Forgiveness is for the church’s benefit.

Ephesians 2:14-17 says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”

These verses refer to the Jews and Gentiles, but the principle is universal. Two sworn enemies brought together through the work of Christ. Hostility defeated by Christ’s death. Christ’s death reconciled humanity to God. Christ’s death opened the door to reconciliation of man to man. If God can, and He does, forgive us, we must forgive others.

I read a story that took place during the truth and reconciliation meetings in South Africa. A South African woman stood in an emotionally charged courtroom listening to white police officers acknowledge the atrocities they had perpetrated in the name of apartheid. Officer van de Broek acknowledged his responsibility in the death of her son. Along with others, he had shot her eighteen-year-old son at point-blank range. He and the others partied while they burned his body, turning it over on the fire until it was ashes.

Eight years later, van de Broek and others arrived to seize her husband. Hours later, van de Broek came to fetch the woman. He took her to a woodpile where her husband lay bound. She was forced to watch as they poured gasoline over his body and ignited the flames that consumed his body. The last words her husband said were “Forgive them.”

Now van de Broek stood awaiting judgment. South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission asked the woman what she wanted. “Three things,” she said. “I want Mr. van de Broek to take me to the place where they burned my husband’s body. I would like to gather up the dust and give him a decent burial.

“Second, Mr. van de Broek took all my family away from me, and I still have a lot of love to give. Twice a month, I would like for him to come to the ghetto and spend a day with me so I can be a mother to him. “Third, I would like Mr. van de Broek to know that he is forgiven by God and that I forgive him, too. I would like someone to lead me to where he is seated so I can embrace him and he can know my forgiveness is real.”

As the elderly woman was led across the courtroom, van de Broek fainted. Someone began singing “Amazing Grace.” Gradually everyone joined in. Forgiveness received leads to forgiveness given. Colossians 3:13 states, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Jesus demonstrated it to us – go and do likewise.

0 Comments

Add a Comment