Forgiveness

How easy is it for you to forgive someone? If you are like a lot of people, the answer to that question depends on what that someone did against you. If it was something small, then perhaps it would be pretty easy to forgive. But if it was something really hurtful, then maybe it would be a whole lot more difficult to forgive. But should it really be based on the severity of the offense? 

At Sure Foundation, we’ve been going through the Old Testament story of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers at the age of 17 and he spent about 20 years in Egypt before he finally saw his brothers again. 

If you were Joseph, would you be prepared to forgive your brothers? Joseph’s brothers’ sin was pretty severe. Wouldn’t forgiving his brothers after something like that just be too easy? Shouldn’t he make them gravel just a bit? Shouldn’t there be at least a little repayment after 20 years of dealing with the effects of this sin? 

But God has a different way of doing things. Notice in the following passage that God doesn’t wait for our behavior to change before he forgives. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) God doesn’t make his love for us or his forgiveness to us conditional on anything. But he says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

The takeaway is easy – Christ has forgiven us of so much and he went to such lengths to win that forgiveness. So, how could we not freely forgive? But it is even more than a logical conclusion. The message of Christ and his forgiveness empowers you to forgive. Your forgiveness is not contingent on the severity of the sin, but your forgiveness is freely given because you know Christ’s forgiveness first-hand. 

The Lord bless you as you grow in knowing Christ’s forgiveness and freely giving it to others.