The Essence of Forgiveness

Christians, even the most mature among us, sometimes have a strange tendency not to know how to listen to the inner voice telling us that we must forgive. Time and again, we allow the contaminating drops of the world to enter the heart and turn it into a repository of roots of bitterness, dissension, resentment, and even hatred—elements utterly alien to the heart of our Lord. And all because we do not know how (or do not want) to forgive. Since forgiveness requires the guilty party to humble himself, when it is our turn to humble ourselves, we lack the will to submit, and thus we relegate God to second place. And the heart, deceitful and sensitive, puts on the garment of pride, climbs onto the pedestal of an implacable judge, and says: I will not forgive you! And so the bitterness, sleepless nights, rapid heartbeats, and anxieties continue, bringing with them fears, complexes, abandonment, anger, desires for revenge, and everything that kills the Christian’s heart and keeps us from experiencing a victorious life in Christ.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “…be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God forgave you in Christ” (Eph. 4:32).

Here is the key to forgiveness. When you are aware that God forgave you and that, to do so, He had to die on the cross of Calvary, then you will be willing to forgive any offense. If we do not forgive others their offenses, neither will our Father forgive ours. That is an elementary biblical precept about which God warns us throughout the Scriptures. The doctrine of forgiveness is to Christianity what Christ is to the message of salvation. The message of forgiveness is an extraordinary hope for life. Sadly, we sometimes harbor resentment and even desires for revenge. This paralyzes us, disqualifies us, makes us unfit and sinful in the eyes of God. Forgiveness cleanses the heart. When we forgive, we feel relief, comfort, inner peace, and peace with God. When we persist in refusing to forgive, we show that there are areas in our Christian walk that have not been regenerated by the Spirit of God. Being able to forgive should be fundamental evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. How could I fail to forgive a brother, to erase the incident and the sin that gave rise to the offense, when Christ did so for me once and for all? God is not pleased with praise that comes from a heart that has not learned to forgive, nor with the offering, much less with appearances of holiness and the animosity that corrupts our being and separates us from Him.

Beloved brothers and sisters, look around you and see how beautiful your day, your life with the Lord, can be. Perhaps you remember someone you have not yet forgiven, some incident that still clings to your mind and heart and leaves you no room to feel the joy of the Lord. Surrender to your Creator, to your Good Shepherd. He did not weigh your sins on a scale, but died on a cross for them; He simply erased them forever. How, then, can you still go about burdened with a heavy load of resentment and bitter roots that interrupt your fellowship with Him? Search your heart, examine it, and shake off the debris that may still be lying around in the corners of your passions. When you came to the feet of Christ, He gave you the spiritual ability to forgive others for all the offenses and sins they have committed against you. Fashion your own spiritual rainbow as a new symbol to remind you at every moment that forgiveness is a very sweet offering of love that honors you, but above all, honors God. May God bless you!