One of the many blessings of being in Christ is the
peace of mind that comes from knowing that our sins (which are many) have been
forgiven in Him. Paul’s introduction to
his letter to the church in Ephesus is a dramatic expression of a Christian who
is awed with this wonderful gift that God bestows on every believer. What love God has shown us! How blessed we are to have this privilege! As in the credit card commercial:
“Priceless!”
Now we can live the way God created us to live - as
people who are striving for righteousness.
So, do you live like a forgiven person?
Are you expressing this blessed reality by imitating the life that Jesus
portrayed? In Ephesians 4:25-32,
we’re given quite a lengthy list of attitudes that have no place in the lives
of people striving for righteousness.
Some are obvious and pose no problem to many Christians. But, if we’re honest, we will all agree that
there are some attitudes in Paul’s list that are very difficult to overcome.
Fortunately, the life of righteousness is really summed
up by the apostle with the closing statement of this list: “Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. Wonderful!
I have the privilege of being to others what God has been to me - kind,
loving and forgiving.
But now comes the real test. Are we offering this same gift to those
around us or do we think that forgiveness is only for us (or for those we
decide are worthy of it)? Like Peter
asks of Jesus in Matthew 18, do we wonder if there is a limit to whom we
extend our forgiveness? According to
Jesus, there can be no end to forgiveness.
In fact, the Scriptures point out two realities about our forgiving
others: (1) If forgiveness ends, our relationships end, and (2) if God forgives
(as He promises to), we have no choice - we HAVE TO forgive.
Note the following from Corrie ten Boom:
Years after her
experience in a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom (Holocaust survivor)
found herself standing face to face with
one of the most cruel and heartless German guards she had met while in the
camps. This man had humiliated and degraded both her and her sister, jeering at
them and visually “raping” them as they stood in the delousing shower.
Now
he stood before her with an outstretched hand, asking, “Will you forgive me?”
Corrie
said: “I stood there with coldness clutching at my heart, but I know that the
will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. I prayed, ‘Jesus,
help me!’ Woodenly, mechanically I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to
me and I experienced an incredible thing. The current started in my shoulder,
raced down into my arm and sprang into our clutched hands. Then this warm
reconciliation seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. ‘I
forgive you, brother,’ I cried with my whole heart. For a long moment we
grasped each other’s hands, the former guard, the former prisoner. I have never
known the love of God so intensely as I did in that moment!
When we forgive we set a prisoner free – ourselves!
(The Hiding Place (Washington Depot: Chosen Books,
1971), 215-216.)
Would you like to be free from feelings of anger and
hatred? Do you comprehend what God was
doing for you with Jesus on the cross? Learn
to forgive others the same way He has forgiven you. No one can live a life “Holy to the Lord”
until the joy and relief of forgiving others becomes a constant habit.
Doug
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