Introduction
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13
The forgiveness of our sins is a foundational tenet of our Christian faith. We have all sinned. We deserve punishment, but in love, God sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay our sin debt. As believers, we rejoice in our forgiveness! We frequently thank God in our songs and prayers for the forgiveness we receive through Christ and rightly so.
But what happens when we need to extend forgiveness to others? The need arises every day on some level, usually multiple times a day, and frequently for the same offense. Maybe our spouse is unkind, our child is disrespectful, or a friend betrays us. Perhaps forgiveness comes easy for these small offenses. We forgive and move on without too much difficulty.
But at some point, we each face a forgiveness opportunity that seems impossible. Perhaps the offense against us is criminal: someone steals from us, abuses us, assaults us. Or maybe it is deeply personal, our character is attacked in a public and destructive way, or our spouse betrays us. How can we forgive when we are deeply wounded? We find our answer, friend, at the foot of the cross!
When we are hurting it is easy to forget our own sin that needed forgiveness. In our pain, we forget that Jesus purchased our forgiveness with His own blood. He died so that we could receive forgiveness for our sins. Forgiveness means that someone has to die. Jesus died physically; we die to ourselves.
Illustration
In the book of Genesis, we read about a man named Joseph. Joseph’s brothers were very jealous of him and wanted to kill him. “But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams” (Genesis 37:18-20). The brothers ended up selling Joseph into the hands of foreigners who were slave-traders. He was treated poorly and falsely accused. Then, “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined” (Genesis 39:20).
While in prison, Joseph helped another prisoner, relaying the interpretation of his dream from God, assuring the prisoner that he would be restored to his place of service to the king. In return, Joseph asked that the prisoner remember him. “But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here, I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon” (Genesis 40:14-15). But “the chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him” (Genesis 40:23).
Can you imagine how you might have felt if you were Joseph? Betrayed by family, falsely accused, wrongly imprisoned, forgotten for years. And yet Joseph forgave them all, from his heart.
Notice some of the contrasts between Joseph and his brothers. His brothers pushed Joseph away, but Joseph drew them near (Genesis 45:4). The brothers treated Joseph harshly; he treated them lovingly. They pushed Joseph down into a pit, but he drew them up out of their land of famine into the place of plenty (Genesis 46). They stripped Joseph of his coat, but “to each of them, he gave new clothing” (Genesis 45:22). They wanted to kill Joseph, but he saved their lives (Genesis 50:20).
Joseph was eventually exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh. To the end, he was good to his brothers even though they had done evil to him. The reason Joseph could forgive is that he understood God’s plan in all events, including the sin of his brothers against him. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them” (Genesis 50:20-21).
Joseph’s life story is given to show you the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Joseph’s life, we see one who was loved by his father but hated by his brothers, sold into the hands of Gentiles for pieces of silver, treated badly, falsely accused, unjustly punished, and placed between two criminals. Then he was raised out of the pit and exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh, where he became the lord and savior of all who came to him.
Oh, dear friend, rejoice that Jesus is greater than Joseph. Jesus forgives your every offense, loves and cares for you, and provides for your every need, but also gives you His Spirit which allows you to forgive others, love your enemies, and bless those that curse you.
Application
Are you holding on to an offense today? Have you been nursing a grudge or treating someone according to their sins against you? Jesus invites you into deeper intimacy with Him today.
Look to Jesus and hear Him calling you to fellowship with Him in His sufferings, to become like Him in His death (Philippians 3:10). Look to Jesus and remember how great a sin debt that He has forgiven you. See the blood that He shed. Look into His loving eyes as He willingly sacrifices Himself to save you. See His blood that covers a multitude of sins – yours and your offenders.
Now out of the abundance of love and forgiveness that you have received, follow Christ and die to yourself. Forgive your offender before God as God has forgiven you in Christ Jesus and experience the sweetness of entrusting yourself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). Experience the power of Christ’s resurrection as you extend forgiveness to those who have sinned against you.
Question: Who is God leading you to forgive as you have been forgiven today?
Kyle writes, “I believe oftentimes we are offended over things that really aren’t that big of a deal in the first place. I can see most of the times I’ve been offended, the person never intended any harm whatsoever. And by taking that approach, it’s easier to forgive them or not get offended in the first place. Of course, that’s not to say there haven’t been times someone meant harm in their actions to me; however, we have to understand that if we want forgiveness for our wrong actions, then we have to forgive others.“
Bill writes, “For me, the Lord has been gracious, and by His grace, there is no one whom I have not forgiven. But I need to continue to go to the Cross and continue to have the blood cover my daily sins. The more I come to the Cross, the more I realize the depth of my sin and the extent of God’s love for me. The Lord’s prayer says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12 NKJV) If I am unable to forgive others, it seems the Lord will not forgive me because I am still holding onto the sin and the “debt” they own me. And then there is that parable that illustrates this. (Matthew 18:21-35) If I am unable to forgive another person, it is an indication that I have never been forgiven and am still in my sin.”
Reprinted by permission from the Looking to Jesus study at www.settingcaptivesfree.com. SCF exists to help men and women find freedom in Christ through the gospel.