You must forgive

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ~ Colossians 3:12-13

 

Forgiveness: It is what we are called to do as Christians. Saint Paul's words to the Colossians make that abundantly clear - "as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." But lest we are tempted to say, "What does Jesus say about it," Christ is even clearer. In St. Luke's Gospel account, Jesus is recorded as saying, "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him" (Luke 17:3-4).

 

For the Christian, forgiveness is not optional. It is essential. If you claim Christ as Savior you have forfeited your right to hold a grudge. If you believe God's Word, then you know that Christ Jesus died for the sins of the world. He paid the price. "He is the propitiation (fully satisfying payment) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Just a few verses later the Apostle John continues by saying that anyone who says he walks in the light but hates his brother is actually walking in darkness. He is blinded, as it were, by his hatred and therefore stumbles in the darkness. In the Bible, stumbling is a synonym for sinning. In essence, your bitterness and lack of forgiveness is sin reigning in your heart rather than Christ reigning.

 

If you are feeling guilty right now, you're not alone. In fact, when Christ told His disciples that they must forgive "seven times in the day." They didn't respond with grace and joy. No, their response was "Increase our faith!" It was as if they were saying, "We can't do that, Lord! That's too much...too hard...too... gracious." And they were right. Forgiveness is gracious. It is merciful. Forgiveness is holy, and loving, and kind, and humble, and meek, and patient, and...it is everything God has done for us in Christ. And we who have received all of that, not by our own merit, but because of the steadfast love and faithfulness of our loving God and heavenly Father, through the willing self-sacrificial love of Christ Jesus our Savior, by the power of the Holy Spirit graciously giving us faith to trust in Christ's work for our sake...we are called to freely give to others the forgiveness that we have been given - especially to fellow believers in Christ.

 

Nothing destroys a relationship faster than an unwillingness to forgive. Nothing destroys a church faster than an unwillingness to forgive. And this unforgiveness is just plain sinful stupidity. To say you believe in Christ is to say you walk in the light of the Gospel. The heart of the Gospel is the forgiveness of sins on account of Christ. Yet many people who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior daily hold tighter to their anger than they do to their Savior, and it is destroying their lives and their faith in Christ. For St. John continues, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15).

 

Those who claim to know Christ but refuse to forgive are not in fact walking in the light of the Gospel, but are stumbling around in the darkness of death and destruction.

 

So what is the answer? Well, if this describes you, look to Jesus! Remember His steadfast love and faithfulness that led Him to the cross for you. Remember that He is the propitiation for your sins, and not for yours only, but for the sins of the world.

 

That means He has fully paid the price... for your sins... for my sins... for the one who has sinned against you. Holding a grudge is essentially saying Christ's death meant nothing - it was good enough for you but not good enough for them.

 

Repent! Like the Apostles, ask Christ to increase your faith. And then realize if you trust that Christ's blood is worthy to pay for your sins and the sins of the whole world, then there is no need to harbor bitterness in your heart. Ask Christ to take that bitterness and replace it with His love... His mercy... His forgiveness. Pray that God would work in your heart to be reconciled not only on the inside but truly reconciled. After all, we are to be at peace with all people, so far as it depends on us. Some people will refuse to be reconciled to you, but as a Christian you must not be the one refusing.

 

Again, look to Christ who came to save us while we were still enemies. Look to Christ who prayed from the cross, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." Look to Christ who rose victorious over sin, death, and hell and has given us forgiveness, resurrection, and the eternal joys of Heaven through faith in His name as a free gift. And then look to the one who has sinned against you and forgive them from the heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.

 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:7

 

Living Forever, Now,

Pastor Grannis - St. Paul Lutheran Church (LCMS), Waseca