Forgiveness

“And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors (letting go of both the wrong and the resentment).” Matthew 6:12 AMP

Have you ever wondered what life would feel like without grace? What if we got down on our knees and asked for God’s forgiveness and He said “Nope.” I have been thinking about that this week. I grew up in a church environment. But I remember thinking that there were times when God was mad at us. I remember thinking that if I made God mad and then died that I would be spending eternity in hell. Salvation was a come and go phenomenon. That is completely inaccurate. I am not saying that my church taught that, but I remember thinking it. That thought actually was prevalent in my mind well into adulthood. If I am being honest, it still pops up from time to time.

The closest comparison I could come up with is if you asked someone you care about to forgive you for something, and they said “No.” What do you do? What if a relationship essentially ended with just that, unforgiveness?

I think people in general worry too much about what other people think. However, there are times when that is appropriate. If I have been rude, I should apologize. If I have made someone feel like I did not care about them, I should apologize. I think there are definitely times that God has given me a nudge to point out that I need to address my own behavior. I also think there are times when a bad interaction with another person can cloud a relationship. However, what if the withholding of forgiveness seems malicious? What if someone sees an opportunity to just inflict a wound? What do I do?

I have no good answer for this. But it has me feeling especially grateful for the grace given to me. Unmerited favor. I deserve to have no relationship with God. The bible says we have all sinned and fall short of His glory. But simply asking Jesus to bridge that divide repairs the relationship. If we believe that Jesus is the son of God and that He died on a cross and returned to life - if we accept Jesus as our Savior, we will not be turned away.

But in Matthew 6:12 we are told that we will be forgiven “as” we forgive. In the amplified version it adds that we are to let go of not only the wrong, but also the resentment. That makes it tougher. But it does paint a more accurate picture of the complete whitewashing that faith in Jesus provides.

Am I holding back forgiveness from anyone? How do I expect forgiveness if I will not grant it myself? What if I forgive and they do not?

Is someone withholding forgiveness from you? How does that holding back of forgiveness get reconciled? Even with an authentic apology, imperfect people will not respond perfectly. What if I won’t forgive myself even though Jesus will?

Challenge: Let go of wrongs and resentments. Seek forgiveness from people when appropriate. But do not confuse the lack of forgiveness from people with a lack of forgiveness from God. Do business with the Savior. Live in peace.

Rick Claiborn