|
". . . forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave
you" (Eph. 4:32). A Sunday school teacher was explaining
forgiveness to her class of first-graders. She said that if a
classmate mistreated one of them, they had to be kind in return. And
if the offender said he was sorry, it was not to be held against him.
The class members looked at one another with troubled faces until
finally one of the little girls blurted out, "But teacher,
that's hard!"
She was right! It's hard for all of us. Yet a
wrong cannot be repaired unless we are ready to do what is difficult.
We must be willing to acknowledge our offenses and forgive one
another as God has forgiven us. But how is our response to others to
reflect God's forgiveness?
Judicial Forgiveness. This means that our
forgiveness, like God's, is not a matter of overlooking or excusing
the offenses of others. It is concerned with upholding justice. It
recognizes the wrongness of what people do to each other, and the
rightness of proper punishment. But it also recognizes that since
Jesus has already taken the punishment, we are free to forgive
without violating the just law of retribution. Yes, what people do to
each other may hurt, but it has been paid for by Jesus Christ
Himself. This makes forgiving each other the right thing to do.
Conditional Forgiveness. As God has forgiven
us, we must be willing to forgive one another at all times. But that
forgiveness is not complete unless those who have offended us are
willing to repent. Jesus taught:
If your brother sins against you, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven
times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying,
"I repent," you shall forgive him (Lk. 17:4).
There has to be a genuine acknowledgment of
the wrong done and a serious effort to clear it with the one
offended. Without it, relationships can't be repaired.
Decisional Forgiveness. This means that we
must choose to forgive in spite of our feelings. The Bible says that
even though God is grieved and angered by our sin (Ps. 7:11), He
chooses to forgive (Eph. 4:32). And we must do the same with each
other. Regardless of our feelings, we must choose to forgive whatever
may have been said or done to offend us.
Emotional Forgiveness. Although we must
forgive even when we don't feel like it, we should strive to include
the proper emotional element. This means that forgiving each other
not only involves the use of our will, but it also includes the
attitude of our hearts. Paul pointed this out in his letter to the
Colossian Christians. He said that we should have heartfelt
compassion toward others, along with kindness, humility, gentleness,
and patience. We should bear with each other, forgiving whatever
complaints we may have against one another (Col. 3:12-13).
These ideals are not easy to put into practice
when someone has hurt us deeply. But the proper response can be ours
if we allow God to control our hearts. The apostle Paul's inspired
list of the fruit of the Spirit points to the right attitudes.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not
become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Gal.
5:22-26).
If we truly want to honor God with our lives,
we must let His Spirit work in us so that ours will be a forgiveness
that comes from the heart.
When someone asks you for forgiveness, do you
find it hard for you to forgive? Why? Are we right to hold back our
forgiveness from those who haven't acknowledged their wrong? How can
lack of forgiveness on our part hinder our own relationship with God?
God's Pattern/Our Practice. It may seem
unlikely, but many people choose to ignore God's pattern for
repairing broken relationships because they actually enjoy the
conflict. There are people who have even said, "I enjoy a good
fight. It keeps life interesting." Some neighbors express no
desire to be on good terms with the people on the other side of the
fence. Business associates continue to battle it out as they move up
the ladder of success. Some church members seem to feel it is their
calling in life to stir up trouble at business meetings. The Bible
tells us that the reason for these wrong attitudes is rooted in
people's hearts. James tells us, "Where do wars and fights come
from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that
war in your members?" (4:1).
In contrast, God's way is the unselfish way.
In His effort to reconcile us to Himself, He modeled love, humility,
suffering, invitation, and forgiveness. It is the ultimate in
ingratitude to receive such grace and then refuse to show the same
grace to others who have wronged us.
If you truly recognize all that God has done
for you, determine to follow His pattern as you live with people. We
can never allow ourselves to forget that God made the supreme
sacrifice - He gave His Son - that we may be forgiven of all of our
sins! Now, that's a hard example to follow!
Curtis
|
