19 August 2008
View Part 1: A Definition of Forgiveness - Undeserved LoveView Part 2: A Definition of Forgiveness - Guilty Offenders
View Part 3: A Definition of Forgiveness - Personal Cost
Yesterday we saw that forgiveness requires a personal cost. In the case of God's great and undeserved forgiveness for us, it is Jesus in his death who has carried the cost of our sin, satisfying God's justice. The door has been opened to a new life and a new way of living.
Today we complete our definition.
Forgiveness is: undeserved love, to guilty offenders, at personal cost, for restored relationship.
The goal of forgiveness is relationship. If a friendship or marriage has no space for forgiveness, it will be a downward spiral of bitterness, as each argument takes another chunk out of those involved.
True forgiveness brings healing. In forgiveness the offender recognises the wrong that has been committed, whilst the forgiver chooses to sever the cycle of revenge, in favour of a renewed relationship with the offender.
God's goal in forgiveness was to restore the relationship between us and him. The bricks in the wall naturally dividing us from him are the bricks of sin - our own individual inclination to go our way, and not his way; to hold up ourselves as gods, and not him as our God.
The death of Jesus on the cross therefore stands at the very centre of not just the Bible, but of all history - as Jesus demonstrated God's undeserved love for us, in taking punishment we deserved on himself. It was the price of forgiveness, paid in its entirety by God himself.
And the relationship that God invites us into, through the forgiveness brought by Jesus' death, is beyond our comprehension. Let's briefly look at the scale of the relationship that is now possible with God.
From dead to alive. Prior to placing our lives under God as king, the Bible describes us as being dead. In the true reality of things, as I stood before God, I was dead - facing his punishment, and ultimate separation from him. And since God is the source of all life, to be cut off from him, is to be dead. But now, having trusted in Jesus, I am alive in him - my future is bound up with his, and so I have eternal life. To know Jesus is to have life to the full.
From strangers to sons. Without Jesus, I could not know God because of my sinfulness, and he could not draw close to me, because of his holiness. Like oil and water, a holy God, and a sinful creature can never mix. I was a stranger, and one with no means of winning God's friendship. But now, because my future is bound up with Christ's, I am completely adopted into God's family and I share the privileges of a son.
From poverty to riches. The point cannot be made too strongly: without Jesus we have nothing. If it were possible to attain all the world's wealth, enjoy every pleasure, experience every thrill, excitement and acclaim on offer... yet all of it without knowing God, I would have nothing. Poverty is life without God, or life with God squashed and limited to one corner. But, through Jesus I now experience a living relationship with the God who gives all life, and who created all good things. And in the future, I will inherit, as a co-heir with Jesus, God's new creation, from which sin, suffering and corruption will all be permanently banished.
God could just hand out a stingy-wooden-spoon forgiveness, that cleared our sin, but left us as insignificant, downtrodden servants. But he has not. The expanse of the treasure I have through God's forgiveness is equal to the cost which God paid for that forgiveness - that is, infinite. Even into eternity, I will never grow bored of Jesus; each day I will see more of his glory, and have a deeper personal experience of his intimate friendship, as my frail grasp on the dimensions of his love grows stronger.
Forgiveness is never for the proud, for those who overlook their stubborn resistance to a God who loves them. Forgiveness is for those who see their failings and their faults and cry out to God for mercy. He will always hear a desperate heart's cry, and, because he is rich in his love, will never fail to forgive completely even the worst of offenders.
Undeserved love, to guilty offenders, at personal cost, for restored relationship. That's forgiveness.
The goal of forgiveness is relationship. If a friendship or marriage has no space for forgiveness, it will be a downward spiral of bitterness, as each argument takes another chunk out of those involved.
True forgiveness brings healing. In forgiveness the offender recognises the wrong that has been committed, whilst the forgiver chooses to sever the cycle of revenge, in favour of a renewed relationship with the offender.
God's goal in forgiveness was to restore the relationship between us and him. The bricks in the wall naturally dividing us from him are the bricks of sin - our own individual inclination to go our way, and not his way; to hold up ourselves as gods, and not him as our God.
The death of Jesus on the cross therefore stands at the very centre of not just the Bible, but of all history - as Jesus demonstrated God's undeserved love for us, in taking punishment we deserved on himself. It was the price of forgiveness, paid in its entirety by God himself.
And the relationship that God invites us into, through the forgiveness brought by Jesus' death, is beyond our comprehension. Let's briefly look at the scale of the relationship that is now possible with God.
From dead to alive. Prior to placing our lives under God as king, the Bible describes us as being dead. In the true reality of things, as I stood before God, I was dead - facing his punishment, and ultimate separation from him. And since God is the source of all life, to be cut off from him, is to be dead. But now, having trusted in Jesus, I am alive in him - my future is bound up with his, and so I have eternal life. To know Jesus is to have life to the full.
From strangers to sons. Without Jesus, I could not know God because of my sinfulness, and he could not draw close to me, because of his holiness. Like oil and water, a holy God, and a sinful creature can never mix. I was a stranger, and one with no means of winning God's friendship. But now, because my future is bound up with Christ's, I am completely adopted into God's family and I share the privileges of a son.
From poverty to riches. The point cannot be made too strongly: without Jesus we have nothing. If it were possible to attain all the world's wealth, enjoy every pleasure, experience every thrill, excitement and acclaim on offer... yet all of it without knowing God, I would have nothing. Poverty is life without God, or life with God squashed and limited to one corner. But, through Jesus I now experience a living relationship with the God who gives all life, and who created all good things. And in the future, I will inherit, as a co-heir with Jesus, God's new creation, from which sin, suffering and corruption will all be permanently banished.
God could just hand out a stingy-wooden-spoon forgiveness, that cleared our sin, but left us as insignificant, downtrodden servants. But he has not. The expanse of the treasure I have through God's forgiveness is equal to the cost which God paid for that forgiveness - that is, infinite. Even into eternity, I will never grow bored of Jesus; each day I will see more of his glory, and have a deeper personal experience of his intimate friendship, as my frail grasp on the dimensions of his love grows stronger.
Forgiveness is never for the proud, for those who overlook their stubborn resistance to a God who loves them. Forgiveness is for those who see their failings and their faults and cry out to God for mercy. He will always hear a desperate heart's cry, and, because he is rich in his love, will never fail to forgive completely even the worst of offenders.
Undeserved love, to guilty offenders, at personal cost, for restored relationship. That's forgiveness.
Liked reading it a lot...Read more about forgiveness: http://matrimonyxpress.bharatmatrimony.com/2008/08/couples/forgiveness-in-marriage/