At some point and to some
degree all of us are faced with the matter of forgiveness. Life by its very nature makes sure of this fact. When you consider our personalities, backgrounds, preferences and giftings along with the working of the Accuser, you
quickly discover that you are going to have problems. If those things arent enough, throw abusive people and failed relationships into the mix. You get the picture, when you have all of these factors in place, youre going to
experience betrayal, hurt feelings and misunderstandings. This is why I say that from time to time all of us are faced with the issue of forgiveness. How we respond during these times determines whether well go on in our walk with
the Lord, experiencing His presence and joy or if we stagnate in the bitter waters of resentment. When we choose to walk in forgiveness ourselves as well as so many around, often including those we forgive are set free to go on.
When we choose not to forgive the opposite is true.While the matter of forgiveness is important to everyone involved I cant help but feel that too many times we miss the most important point. Since the scriptures make it
abundantly clear that God intends for us to extend mercy and pardon, the real issue is one between us and God. Often our focus is on those earthly relationships between ourselves and our offenders when in reality it should be on
our relationship with the God whose Word were in disobedience to. Jesus validates this truth in Matt. 6:14-15. Here He says that if we will forgive others God will forgive us, if we dont forgive others then God doesnt forgive us.
In essence He is saying that our relationship with the Father cant possibly advance as long as we harbor unforgiveness for anyone in our heart.
In my own experience and in the lives of countless others, Ive seen how this works.
Someone may come expressing concern about their spiritual life. Perhaps theyre dry and indifferent or their prayer life is dead. Maybe the Word of God is no longer real and vital to them. Once you cut through all these symptoms and
get to the root you will discover that unforgiveness is the culprit more times than not. Once they recognize the problem and forgive their offender they find the freedom and joy they once knew. On the other hand I have seen people
who refused to grant mercy and spent the rest of their days in misery, only to die alone and bitter.
There is so much to say on this subject that this space wont allow. We could consider the power to free and the life it brings.
Perhaps some other time we can see these things. For now let me offer these three thoughts.
THE MEANING OF FORGIVENESS
What does God mean when He says forgive? Does He mean forget? It cant possibly mean this
because weve been equipped with a memory that will never allow this to happen. Does He mean pretend it never happened? I dont think so because it really happened and all of the pretense in the world wont erase the fact that it
occurred. Then what is forgiveness?
Jesus shed all the light we need to define forgiveness when He gave the model or the Lords prayer. In Matt. 6:12 He said, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Here Jesus defines
forgiveness as the cancellation of debt.
Whenever betrayal occurs or false accusations come at us or any other attack is leveled at us, everything in us seems to cry out, YOU OWE ME! We feel that an apology or at lease an
explanation is in order. If the offense is great enough even restitution should be made. You may even confront your offender expecting them to fall down in repentance, only to find that they have no intentions of repenting. Its
obvious that even though you feel violated youre not going to receive anything that you feel that you are owed. At this point, you have to choose whether or not you will forgive them and cancel out any debt you feel they owe you.
Even though you cant forget or pretend that it never happened you can cancel the debt. View it as a sum of money that youll never be able to collect and destroy all record of it ever being owed at all.
This is what the God of all
mercy did for us. Being omniscient (all knowing). He could never forget what weve done. He knows everything! Neither does He pretend nothing ever happened. When we came to Him and placed our faith in the finished work of Christ, He
canceled all debt. Even though He knows all about us He never holds it against us. I know the Scriptures say that He doesnt remember our sins but in reality it means that He never remembers it against us. This is true forgiveness.
Forgiveness says to the offender, YOU OWE ME NOTHING.
THE MEASURE OF FORGIVENESS
Matthew chapter eighteen records Jesus teaching His disciples about forgiveness. In verse twenty two Peter questions Jesus on the
subject. Here Peter asked how often he should forgive someone who sinned against him. He wanted to know if seven times was enough. Jesus answered him by saying he should forgive him seventy times seven. Was Jesus instructing peter
to keep a record of the number of times he forgave a person? In the light of 1Cor. 13 in the New International Version where Paul speaks of love keeping no record of wrong, I dont think this was what Jesus was saying at all. Jesus
was saying to Peter that there is no measuring forgiveness. You are still bound by the overall teachings of Scripture to forgive each and every offense.
Im aware that this is difficult to walk in when some of the same things
occur over and over, but forgiveness has no cut off point. God Himself forgives every sin, every time regardless of the what, why or how of it. It doesnt matter if its the first, one hundredth or four hundred ninetieth time youve
been wronged by the same individual, forgiveness is imperative.
THE MEANS OF FORGIVENESS
On what basis or on what grounds do we forgive? The answer is on the same grounds that God forgives us. According to
Ephesians 4:32 God forgives us for Christ's sake. Thus the means of forgiveness is the blood of Jesus and the pardon He secured. The means through which were forgiven is the merit of Jesus. We forgive others through the same means.
This is a coin with two sides.
First on the merit of the blood of Christ, God has canceled our debt. Since weve been forgiven such a great debt how can we ever refuse to forgive someone else. This is the teaching of Jesus in
Matt. 18:23-35. All I have to do is consider the huge debt I was forgiven for Christ sake and I understand that I could never deny forgiveness to anyone. Im compelled to offer pardon for I myself have had all debt canceled for
Christ's sake.
Second, even though not everyone has placed their faith in the blood of Jesus, the price has still been paid for their sin, therefore God stands ready to forgive whosoever will for Christ's sake. If a Holy God is
always ready to forgive for Christ's sake, how can I do less?In conclusion, let me say that Im sensitive to the hurts of people. I know that many have experienced the gut-wrenching pain of a spouse who has abandoned them or the
horrors of childhood abuse at the hands of some self centered person you trusted. I would say to you, let God take care of the offender, vengeance belongs to Him. For your own good, the good of those around you and for Christ's
sake walk in forgiveness.
Im reminded of Corrie ten Boom who was tortured in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Many years later she was speaking when she saw in the audience a man who was one of the very ones
responsible for the horrors she experienced. All of her emotions came boiling to the surface at the thought of her treatment at the hands of this man. When confronting him she remembered the goodness and love of God and she
extended mercy and forgiveness. The man came to Christ and liberty came to her. She canceled the debt for Christ's sake! Lets do the same. As God did with Corrie ten Boom, He will meet us with His grace to enable us to forgive our
debtors. Hes faithful!
