The Heart of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is so important to the Christian walk. So important that, as it says in Matthew 6:14-15, if we don't forgive those who have wronged us, our Father in Heaven will not forgive us for our trespasses.

What, though, does true Christian forgiveness look like?

We can dance around the phrases of  "Forgive, but never forget," because, in all honesty, this concept make sense to the flesh. We are inclined in the flesh to hold a grudge, even after we've claimed to have forgiven those who have wronged us and hurt us so personally and severely. We can cite conditions for forgiveness, insisting that our enemies must first repent before we are required to issue forgiveness, but this response it not backed up by Scripture. Our Lord doesn't say to forgive those who have repented and shown sorrow and change, it says simply to forgive. Not only that, but our Lord instructs us to bless those who hurt, use, and persecute us, to give to the man two cloaks who would sue us for one, and for the man who requires of us one mile, walk with him two. This is the heart of forgiveness.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Matthew 5:38-48

 It defies the flesh, the flesh that seeks justice and an even exchange. It defies the Mosaic Law that demanded blood and justice to balance the scales for wrongdoings. In the eyes of man, in the eyes of flesh hindered by the curse of this fallen world, there is no justice in biblical forgiveness. However, there is much justice in forgiveness in the eyes of the Lord. How is it that there is justice for our sins when the Lord forgives us, His children? We trespass against the Lord all too often. We fall short daily, hourly. We slack in our Bible reading, in our study of His Holy Word. We push true and focused prayer to the back burner because life just gets too overwhelming, tiring, busy. We let distractions take time away from us when we could be better spending it elsewhere on more [spiritually, emotionally, personally] profitable activities. Then we make excuses, as if the Lord will accept them. We go to war over our convictions in an attempt to sway others instead of resting in them, and in the calm assurance that the Lord provides, then we make the excuses for our unloving actions in the name of sharing the Gospel (the Gospel which is at the root the very love of Christ). We lament our trials with a weary and self-seeking heart, and we falter in our faith when we do not trust the Lord to provide as He has promised. We don't trust the very promises we have claimed in the Gospel of Christ.

We fail. Miserably. Every. Single. Moment. Yet, the Lord finds much justice in the forgiveness that He extends, without question, each and every time. Not only is He faithful to forgive us our sins, as He promised, but He is just to forgive as well.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9

 And what, then, does our Heavenly Father do when He extends and grants this divine pardon and forgiveness to us? What does the same Father who keeps record of all of our tears and pains do with the record of our sins? He remembers them no more! He exercises His divine authority and forgets them, as if they never happened. What justice is there in that for us, as week and feeble beings of flesh? The One who knows all things chooses to forget our sins. Our debt too large to measure is paid in full by the blood of Christ. Praise the Lord for grace!

Some then argue for conditional forgiveness on our part. We should only forgive those who hurt us IF they repent, just as the Lord forgives us IF we confess...

No, dear sisters. We do not exercise the authority or the ability of the Lord. We, as beings of flesh, are not created with the ability to forget as the Lord chooses to. He is not bound by flesh and the carnal nature as we are. We do not exercise the authority to set the conditions for the forgiveness that we extend either, for we are not God, the Creator of the universe, nor are we Christ, the propitiation for sins. We simply trust and obey. The Lord does not leave to us the authority of conditional forgiveness. He simply leaves us with the instruction to forgive.

When we refuse to forgive, to scripturally forgive, not only do we give Satan a foothold in our lives to plant roots of bitterness and spite in the heart of flesh, but we shake our fists in defiance of the will of God towards us saying, "No! Your Words are not just and neither are they good enough for me! No! I will NOT forgive unless they meet MY requirements, because Your requirements of ME are nothing compared to MY requirements of them! I will not submit to You, because there is no justice in what You say for me to do, to forgive them, bless them, pray for them, and love them with a self-sacrificing act of heart and intention."

What if.... what if forgiveness isn't about US or THEM, about the victim and the trespasser? What if it is about God and HIS holiness?

What if our Father instructs us to forgive not to make us feel better, or to absolve them of responsibility, but rather to point to HIS justice, HIS mercy, HIS grace, and HIS holiness?

What if it's about the Gospel alone?

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

Romans 12:19

How can we give place unto the wrath of the Lord, who has promised to be our defender and avenger, when we are so bent on taking vengeance ourselves through the disobedient act of unforgiveness? How can we lean on and rest in the righteous judgement of the Lord when we are so intently leaning on our own idea of justice? Yes, we are called to judge by the fruits, and judge righteously in this world as His saints, yet we must remain humble and remember that we can only judge objectively in this world, as our knowledge and judgement are clouded by our eyes and hearts of flesh. Furthermore, no judgement of ours trumps the instruction of the Lord, who instructs us to forgive while neglecting to give us prerequisites to apply to our forgiveness.

So, dear ones, what say we?

Should we forgive? Of course we should.

Should we forgive because it is the just thing to do? Because our offender deserves it? Absolutely not. Just as we do not earn, deserve, or find justice in the forgiveness that is given to us when we fail the Lord. We forgive, rather, because it is the right and the required thing to do. We forgive others because Christ forgave us. It's about HIM and HIS righteousness, not about ourselves.

We do not forgive for the benefit of ourselves, and we do not forgive for the benefit of others, but we forgive for the glory of the Lord. Notwithstanding, the rest often follows and falls into place. There is much blessing in obedience, even if it defies all human logic and flesh. We forgive because God receives glory in our obedience. We forgive because we love the Lord and His righteousness more than we love worldly justice. We forgive because we have faith that the Lord will fulfill all of His promises without fail, even the promise of Romans 12:19.

What does biblical forgiveness look like?

• The debt is absolved on our end, we remember it no more, as if it never happened. 
• We don't bring it up again, because what place in our lives, hearts, and conversations has a debt that has been paid in full? If the slate is clean, then why write upon it again? 
• We bless those who have wronged us, even in the midst of the very act of their persecution. We do good to them, we strive with them, and we give to them from the faith and obedience of a good heart in tune with the very heart of God, the heart of love. 

• We do not let the roots of bitterness thrive in our hearts. Bitterness is a sneaky and destructive sin and it can be found in what we think, which spills into what we say. When we find ourselves thinking hard-hearted and mean-spirited things about someone due to how they have wronged us, you can guarantee that there is a major root of bitterness at work. This comes often in the form of "I've forgiven, but....." There are no but's in biblical forgiveness. If it continues to rise up for rehashing, be it in mind or tongue, it is Satan's work and requires immediate spiritual attention before the Lord. Bitter-root stew is a hard spoonful to swallow, and it poisons no one but ourselves as it draws us further into the clutches of Satan and away from the blessing and protection of the Lord.

Harboring a grudge and unforgiveness is only human. It's only natural. However, we have been saved out of our sinful, natural state to rise into the supernatural.  We are not of this world, whom Satan is the god over for the present time until the Lord returns to claim what is rightfully His. We do not serve this world, nor the flesh it represents and glorifies. We have been called to a greater life, a greater joy, and a greater calling. Peace isn't found in justice, it is found in forgiveness, it is found in the heart of Christ. Anything else that whispers to us contrary to this Spirit is a lie and is to be resisted and turned over to the Lord for rebuke.

Any weak soul can hold on to a debt and a hurt. It takes true strength found only in Christ to forgive.

Be strong, sisters. Don't give Satan a foothold. Forgive those who trespass against you, and the Lord will bless your obedience and forgive you of your own sins as well. Remember where you came from, and extend grace to those weak in the faith or without, just as Christ extends grace to you daily. Don't be so critical, but rather be empathetic, and be peacemakers, not troublemakers. In all things:

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

Matthew 7:12

We've heard it said that a humble heart is a happy heart. Well, I go a step further to challenge all of us that a humble heart is a forgiving heart.

A great post from (in)courage: Not My Nature