Forgive

War in Ukraine. Mass shootings at home and suicide bombings abroad. False and misleading ideologies. Lying and corrupt leaders and politicians. Betrayal by friends and loved ones--to our face and behind our back. Divorce, death, despair.

In the midst of all that might be swirling around us this morning, my exhortation to us is that we forgive. Forgive what you ask? Forgive anyone who has sinned against you. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus tells us plainly, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

One of the many quotes that has stayed with me in the years since I first read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, was this: “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive…” In the turbulence of the times we find ourselves in, we must be ever vigilant over our hearts. As stress and anxiety increase, it seems we each are confronted with more and more situations where our ability to forgive is put to the test.

So what does it mean to forgive? A simple definition could be to “not count someone’s sins against them.” We’ve probably all heard that “love is a verb”, well so is to forgive. It is a choice we make in response to God’s forgiveness of us in Christ. A person who has not experienced God’s mercy is unable to truly forgive. If we find it difficult to give something away, it may be that we don’t fully possess it in the first place. What hope would there be for any of us if God “forgave” in the way some of us claim to forgive those who have hurt us? One of the most challenging things about forgiving others is that it requires us to become conscious of the depth of our own sin--to see our own sin in general as worse than that of the sin in particular that another has committed against us or someone we love.

One fact that may help us in our efforts is to remember that when we forgive and release another who has wronged us, we are positioned to understand more fully the depths of God’s grace. Every instance is a mini object lesson teaching that the way we feel in that moment is exactly how God feels about our own sin, times a million. We can see more clearly why the cross was necessary. We are not called to minimize the sins of others. On the contrary, we can vent the full force of our righteous anger to God--and then be reminded that He feels the same way. And that is why his Son hung on a tree.

Does your heart break for those who clearly represent the wickedness of fallen humanity? Do you mourn as you see what image-bearers are capable of becoming--and long for them to be set free from Satan’s lies, even when it’s necessary to courageously and vigorously oppose them? We must carefully monitor the attitudes of our hearts; as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:11, we are “not ignorant of [Satan’s] designs.” And elsewhere, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” There is always the real danger of becoming the very thing we are fighting against.

If you’ve been hurt and are struggling to forgive, know that God longs for you to experience the depths of his love and forgiveness in such a way that you could freely release those who have sinned against you. If you are harboring unforgiveness in your heart today, I exhort you to trust in Christ’s forgiveness and, in faith, extend it to those around you. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

So for all of us — whatever side of the equation we find ourselves on, offended, offender, or likely both — we are reminded of our need to confess our sins. Let’s pray together.