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Be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32)
Forgiveness is cancelling a debt that someone owes you for hurting you. Unforgiveness is the #1 thing that robs you and me of our freedom in Christ. Therefore, forgiveness is the most liberating thing we can do as a Christian, and forgiveness is the greatest spiritual warfare in which we can engage.
FORGIVENESS IS...
...a command of God. The old covenant command is "forgive and you shall be forgiven." The greater new covenant command is "forgive as you have been forgiven" (Ephesians 4:32 above).
...a miracle of Christ in you. We are tempted to believe that we are not united with Christ with thoughts like, "I just can't do this. You can't expect me to do this." The truth is, "I can do all things through Christ" (Philippians 4:13).
...is entrusting the person who hurt you to the Lord. Forgiveness is not justifying someone's behavior. Forgiveness is believing God can and will deal with the person in the most redemptive way. Forgiveness is choosing not to play God.
...an intentional step of faith. The experience of emotional healing from a hurt through forgiveness is a process, sometimes a lifelong process. However, forgiveness is a step of faith. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane didn't wait until His emotions were healed to forgive us. He took the step of faith to the cross in dependence of the Holy Spirit. This, too, is our heritage.
...a mighty weapon of God. Jesus said in Luke 4:18 that "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me to set the captives free." The Spirit of Christ is in you and me to set captives free through forgiveness, including ourselves when we choose to remain captive to a hurt.
...is unconditional. We don't have to wait until a person who has hurt us to become repentent in order to forgive. Otherwise we would still in bondage to the person. We are free to forgive. The act of forgiveness is between us and God.
...is not forgetting. Forgiveness is not mentally forgetting nor is forgiveness denying a hurt. It is a commitment to never bring up the hurt again. And actually, forgiveness is remembering -- remembering how much we have been forgiven!
...is trusting God to protect us. We are not doormats when we forgive. When the Pharisees led Jesus out of town to throw Him off the cliff, Jesus remained humbled and trusted His Father to protect Him. Jesus did not frantically wrangle Himself free and escape the Pharisees with revenge in His heart. Luke 4:30 simply says "Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way." Wow! And the Pharisees just watched in awe as Jesus simply and confidently walked away in His princely majesty!
TESTIMONY
A man at the Haven of Rest Mission recently told me that another man coaxed him to fight. He did not want to be "thrown him off a cliff," so he just walked away...not as a doormat, but free as a trophy of God's grace! The other man later apologized!
CLOSING
It is tempting to believe we are not captive to a hurt when we have denied a hurt for so long and our emotions have been adjusted to cope with the hidden hurt. During this Rest Stop, consider sitting quietly in the presence of God, and then ask Him to expose any hurt you might subtly be harboring. If so, release the offender to God the Father. And remember, the offender can be yourself if you are holding on to shame, guilt, and regret.
I have experienced the freedom that this forgiveness brings and I need to be encouraged by ministry partners to always be intentional in being open before our Father in order "to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free" (Galatians 5:1).
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