Outrageous Forgiveness; Unfathomable Love

(gracfs.com)

When I’m listening to a sermon and realize that, again, the pastor is teaching about forgiveness, I’ll admit, there’s a part of me that wants to get up and leave.

But has God ever wasted His time or mine? No.

I know I need to reexamine my heart one more time, each time the topic comes up.

We may hide behind the words ‘unable to forgive’. But God’s Word makes it clear that forgiveness is a choice. He CHOSE to forgive us and expects us to do the same, because along with His outrageous forgiveness comes His unfathomable love.

Again, I read the story of the king who forgave a huge amount of money, the sum of which the debtor could in no way repay. The story is shared by Jesus, Himself. Here’s a link to the story: Matthew 18:23-35

Why would anyone allow a man to amass such great debt that they would never be able to repay it, and then forgive it?

Also, why would a man forgiven of such a great debt hold a small debt against someone else?

Knowing this story points us to God’s great love for us which gives us freedom to choose to turn away from Him.

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To whom do I owe a debt? The bank. Yes, we chose to buy a house. And yes, we’re still paying that mortgage. Thank God, it’s our only financial debt. Though I have heard of it happening, I don’t expect my bank to suddenly announce that my debt has been paid by someone else, or that out of the kindness of their hearts they’ve decided to write off what we owe them.

Yet, I owed a bigger debt, a spiritual debt that I could never pay: I chose to sin.

According to the Bible, the only acceptable payment for any sin is death. “For the wages of sin is death…” - Romans 6:23

That means I would have to die and be separated from God forever to pay for the smallest of the sins I’ve committed. God doesn’t weigh sins as little white lies and big black marks. All sin hurts Him. James 2:10 tells says, “whosoever shall keep the whole law, but yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

So, we owe God payment with our lives if we’ve ever sinned at all.

Good news! Romans 6:23 (mentioned above) goes on to say that because God loves us, “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not die, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

So, this answers the first question; the king, Our King, allows us to choose to sin, and chose to forgive us our unsurmountable debt, because He loves us. Jesus chose to die in our place, as payment for our sins.

(clipartkid.com)

But question number two. Why would one who’s been forgiven such a great debt, a debt that could only be paid by dying and being separated from God for all of eternity – withhold forgiveness from someone else?

Because it hurts. When someone wrongs us, our humanity wants to hold it against them, to hurt them back.

God tells us that this isn’t His way of doing things. He IS love. When He’s forgiven our debt, He (Love) lives inside us, and we need to do things His way, not because of rules, but out of His love.

To not forgive is selfish, it puts our hurt feelings (mind and body) up there as more important that God.

To forgive does NOT mean that what the person did was not wrong. It was wrong.

Jesus DID NOT say that what we did was not sin or became acceptable. It was sin. He gave His life as payment FOR our sin. 

He DID say that the penalty was paid in full. (See Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:28)

It grieves my heart when someone says, “I’ll never forgive them…” denying themselves freedom from the hurt.

Mostly, because it indicates that they’ve not accepted God’s forgiveness for their own sins.

But also because Mark 11:24-26 says, “Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

(christianpost.com)

Loneliness

(Picture from layoutsparks.com)

Sometimes the most profoundly lonely moments follow time spent with someone you care about.

Perhaps their sudden absence makes you realize the importance of their presence.

Perhaps it’s the recognition that the world is phenomenally bigger when they’re not around.

Perhaps it’s because you realize the world keeps turning whether you’re with them or not, and you’re not sure that’s a good thing.

All at once, the sound of their voice is missing as silence surrounds you.

At that same instance, the beauty of their face is only in your mind.

Within moments, their touch is a million miles away.

Right about now, the word ‘alone’ takes on new meaning; and the only purpose your tears serve is to create a wealth of snot in your nose and there’s not a tissue to be found.

Allowing your mind to insist they return to you only prolongs the aching feeling in your chest.

Explore what else occupies your heart; there in the shadows, being crushed by the emptiness you’re allowing to overwhelm and smother you. What’s there? Look closer.

Ah yes, a smile returns to your face now. Absence may increase longing, but can’t overpower love.

Now, your heart can return to its normal size, and grow even larger. There’s room for absence. The heart has the capacity to hold so much and never be filled; there’s always room for more. It stretches, you know.

Absence can’t shut you out if you invite it in; welcome it; allow it to teach you all about being present.

Loneliness fades.

Joy wakes up.

Exploring our heart becomes an adventure that pushes fear out completely; or changes the look on its face till it’s no longer a frightening thing.

Dare to look at the very things you’ve been hiding from for so long. No, you don’t have to do it all at once. Baby steps will still accomplish the journey.

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” -  1 John 3:20  (KJV)

The Nitty-Gritty

If sin is more than an act, but a mindset, what mindset does it envelop?

A mindset that says this particular sin is acceptable, or makes excuses for, or denounces that said sin is, in fact, sinful – is in itself, sin.

Our culture and era isn’t the first to ignore or accept sin and the problems it creates.

To acknowledge sin requires acknowledging responsibility for the sin. When we call evil good – or just look the other way while sin carries on, we are saying it’s acceptable; we’re willing to live with it. When we call something acceptable while knowing God hates it, we hurt the very essence of the ties that bind us to our Creator; we grieve God Himself. The creature is then calling himself smarter than the Creator.

To acknowledge sin requires acknowledging the need for a Savior, which pride cannot stand.

To deny that certain thoughts, words or deeds are sinful, we deny the dominion of God; we lift ourselves up as equal to God, while oftentimes denying God’s very existence. An evasive tactic?

Most adults I encounter know what the Bible calls sinful. But most adults I encounter indulge in a good many of those practices anyway, willingly and openly. Whether we’re lying or gossiping or committing adultery or just plain ol’ hating on someone, we have “good reasons” for breaking God’s “code of ethics”, so we continue in our sin. Sometimes, if a sin is “big” enough or causes bad enough consequences, we find our way to repentance. But most of our sin is swept under the proverbial rug.

A huge point we’re missing when we actively pursue sinful behaviors is that God doesn’t label them sin to curtail our pleasure. Rather, they are abominations to Him because He knows their results will eventually cause us harm and pain, even destruction. He’s simply being protective of His children.

Yet we rebel.

Most of us have read a quote that says something like, Remaining in unforgiveness is like swallowing poison and expecting the person who’s wronged us to suffer from it; the point being that we choose unforgiveness despite the harm we know we’ll suffer from it, because the hurt we’re already suffering seems greater. Our own logic reigns in our hearts.

But God says, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9 KJV)

And He tells us to, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 KJV)

As a parent, I know that playing with fire might be exciting and exhilarating for my child, but I also know the dangers at hand that he hasn’t yet seen. Should I let him play with fire to discover for himself that it could kill him and those he loves, or at the very least hurt him or destroy cherished possessions?

Yet as adults, God does allow us to make our own decisions.

We all have to answer for ourselves, do I choose to play with fire and suffer the consequences, even though I’ve been forewarned? Or do I trust that God really does know what He’s talking about?

For me, for all of us, it’s time for an alter of repentance.

Artwork by Joseph Poma (5 years old) - sin seperates, but that one drop of Jesus' blood saves us!