Hard Words Part One: Forgive

There are some situations in life in which we feel we are exempt from God's direction. We think that, because of our situation, God's commands don't apply to us.

But very few of His commands give us permission to disobey. Granted, it would be nice if the Bible said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" and instead of the sentence ending there it said, "unless she doesn't love you like herself. Then you don't have to." We like to pretend the Bible gives us the ability to opt out. Your friends and family will tell you that you don't really need to obey the letter of the law.

But God didn't. 

Jesus didn't.

And there are some hard words in Scripture that we really want everyone else to obey but feel that we shouldn't need to follow them. We shouldn't have to say them. We think we get a pass.

And we are wrong.

So today will start a new series of hard words. They're not hard to understand, they're not hard to find in the Bible, and they're not hard to say. 

Except when they are. Except when we want, with everything inside our being, to NOT say them.

And today's words are this: "I forgive you."

You don't want to forgive. They don't deserve forgiveness. Or maybe you'll forgive IF...if she apologizes, if he changes, if they say they are sorry. And you might be very happy to know that there is a condition for forgiveness in God's Word. But it's not what you're looking for. 

I did the search and of the 114 times "forgive" appears in scripture, the condition has nothing whatsoever to do with the person you are forgiving. 

It has everything to do with you.

And here it is: "For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matthew 6:14-15).

Here's another one: "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”] (Mark 11:25-26).

When we are knowingly, willingly choosing to not forgive someone, we've got a perspective problem: We are focused on the fact that someone wronged us instead of the much more pressing problem: we are desperately guilty.

[Pause here. This is so painful to some of you. I know. You have been deeply, genuinely hurt and the last thing you can imagine doing is forgiving. But I am speaking God's Word to you here. Please listen with a soft heart.]

I am guilty. You are guilty. We were born with a desire to sin, we have sinned greatly, and only through the power of the cross of Christ are we able not to sin. And not only are we guilty of sins that happened before we came to accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we also sin on a regular basis: we listen to what others say about us instead of what God says. Our attitude reflects our prideful hearts. We think we can do it on our own. We have a smart mouth or a dirty look or an anxious soul. And the closer we draw to Jesus the clearer we see our own sinfulness. 

We are so sinful. We are so guilty.
We are in desperate need of forgiveness.

And God Himself provided the way for it: He sent Jesus to die on the cross. FOR YOUR SINS. You didn't need to die, even though that's what you deserved (Romans 6:23). You get to walk around with no condemnation for your sins (Romans 8:1-2) because JESUS BORE IT ON THE CROSS (1 Peter 2:21-25). 

You didn't deserve forgiveness and yet He gave it.
You didn't apologize and yet He did.
You didn't repent but He forgave you the guilt of your sins.

And in the same way that God forgave you--freely, lovingly, without demanding anything--we forgive others. The best example of it is in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. You can find it here in the Message. Basically there is a servant who owes a master an enormous amount of money he could never repay. The servant begs for forgiveness and receives it. But it doesn't change him; he turns right around and chooses not to forgive another slave's paltry debt. The master, furious, has him tortured. And the moral of the service could not be clearer: "My heavenly Father will also do the same to [every one of] you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart" (Matthew 18:35).

No matter what you did, are doing, or will do to God, He will forgive you. 

UNLESS.

Unless you don't forgive others. 

Oh, friends, let's get our perspective right! Forgiveness flows from God into us until we are so full of it that we spill out onto others. His merciful forgiveness allows us to walk in freedom and joy. 

So forgiveness isn't about her. It's about you.

You have been forgiven.
Forgive.

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