It is the completion of forgiveness. Not only should we forgive, but we need to be forgiven. It is a truly inexpressible feeling to receive forgiveness when you’ve done something wrong. Since life has no rewind button or white-out, being forgiven is the one way that things can be made right again. What has been done cannot be undone, only forgiven. Without seeking forgiveness from others, we can keep carrying guilt of our mistakes. Without actually receiving forgiveness, (not just asking, but knowing that it has been received) guilt and shame reign.
I was trying to find some verses in the Bible for my last post about forgiving others, and knew that this was a point I must not leave out. The Bible talks about forgiving others so that our Father in heaven can forgive us. These two things go hand in hand. We can’t hold grudges against people and expect God’s grace and mercy on our own lives!
I will start by pointing out probably the most known of examples which we find in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Jesus concludes by saying in verses 14 and 15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” That’s pretty straightforward, and the words are right out of Jesus’ mouth.
Forgiveness is the beginning of a process of restoring relationships. What better relationship is to be restored than that between humankind and God Almighty? This was the very first relationship on this earth. This relationship was disturbed by disobedience in the Garden. Remember Adam and Eve? Well the whole Bible is an amazing story of how God sets it all right and will restore this relationship between Himself and His people. At the end of the book, we are ALL right back where it all started, as if it had never happened. It won’t just be Adam and Eve back in that garden, but every one of us that has received forgiveness from the Father through Jesus’ blood.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14
"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12
Please do not ignore this, even if you call yourself a Christian: I urge you to examine yourself, and truly look for any unforgiveness toward any people. Like I mentioned in my last post, it can be over something simple or not so simple. It might not be easy. But there is freedom in forgiveness! And most importantly, “if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Do not let God’s forgiveness pass you by because you refuse to forgive others.
Next, examine yourself for areas in your life that need the Father’s forgiveness. Ask for forgiveness with a repentant heart (turning away from sin). And most importantly, BE FORGIVEN! Do not hold onto your own mistakes thinking that they are too big for God to forgive them, and don’t go back to the things that caused you to sin in the first place! Remember, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36) Don’t be a person that comes in to church week after week continually defeated. If you are forgiven, you are free!
As I wrap this one up, I want to share a picture that I took recently on the Oregon coast. I visit this area at least once a year (this was from my third time this year!) and I always get so wrapped up in watching the waves. I could (and have) stare at them for hours.
One of these last trips I was stricken with the image of God’s faithfulness. Just like the ocean’s tide, God is dependable. I looked at the coastline and thought about all that this earth has seen. The rise and fall of empires, the wars, the discoveries, constant changes in technology, fashion, and music. Yet this coastline has remained very much the same since the dawn of time. The tide comes in and goes out. The ocean is continually washing and purging its mysterious depths. I can’t hear it now where I sit at my computer, but I know that those waves are still pounding in the distance. They’re still there.
Faithfulness.
Every time the tide goes out, it leaves the beach wiped clean, and exposes life that was hiding under its rushing waves just hours before, and will return back under them in a few more hours.
I guess I can’t quite put in words how these different thoughts hit me, but the last time I visited, as the kids and I were all writing words in the sand, this word came to mind:
"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18-19