C.S. Lewis said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” Forgiveness is at the core of the Christian faith. As Christ followers, we are recipients of the greatest act of forgiveness in world history. In turn, God commands us to be the most forgiving people on the planet. (Col 3:13) Life delivers ongoing chances to extend and receive forgiveness. If we live long enough, we’ll all get plenty of practice. In relationships, we will be both disappointed and disappointing Friends, loved ones, and co-workers will fail to meet our expectations. Undoubtedly, we will fall short of their expectations. Unless we want to be chronically offended, angry, and bitter, we need to forgive sooner than later.
To some degree, most of us struggle with forgiveness and have misconceptions that aren’t biblical. Here are 3 things we need to know about forgiveness:
- Forgiveness is a choice. There’s a good chance we will never feel like forgiving our offender. It’s easier to forgive when someone apologizes and asks for our forgiveness, but that doesn’t always happen. In fact, many times the person we are struggling to forgive often denies any wrongdoing and doesn’t care if we forgive them or not. Still, we need to forgive. Their participation isn’t required. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, those who crucified Him certainly weren’t asking for His forgiveness. They were mocking Him. Yet he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
- Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting. You’ve heard the cliché, “Forgive and forget.” If someone seriously violates you, it’s impossible to forget. There’s no way to purge your memory of a serious offense. On the other hand, when we forgive someone we are to no longer bring up the transgression. Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Obviously, God is omniscient. This passage doesn’t mean that He has no memory of our sins. It means He refuses to call our past sins to mind and He promises not to bring them up. When we forgive someone, we are to do the same.
- We need God’s help to forgive. Forgiveness is counterintuitive to human nature and doesn’t come naturally to us. We can’t live the Christian life without depending solely on God. Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). We need God’s grace and strength to forgive as He commands.
Forgiveness isn’t easy, but it’s something we are called to do. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Forgiveness isn’t an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” God commands us to forgive. He went to extravagant lengths to secure our forgiveness. Let’s go to extravagant lengths to be among the most forgiving people on the planet.
