Operating in Forgiveness

You know… this Christianity thing, it’s really quite simple. There's no complicated math or science involved. But if a formula must be had, one that is clear and plain: Love. Just love. Love because Someone loved you first.

When you took what wasn’t yours, Someone loved you. When you lied to save your own skin, Someone loved you. When you gossiped or spoke hateful, hurtful words against another, Someone loved you. In your hours with pornography, Someone loved you. During your years of intoxication, whether from illicit drugs or alcohol, Someone loved you. When you shared your body with someone outside of wedlock, Someone loved you. When your lips only spoke vulgarity, Someone loved you. When you went from one partner to another, Someone loved you. When you chose to end the life of the child within you, Someone loved you. When you turned away from natural relations with the opposite sex and were filled instead with lust for the same sex, Someone loved you.

We have all been unworthy. And yet...Someone continues to love us.

That someone has been and is Jesus the Christ. Christ loves us despite it all. He loves us not in part, but in whole. He doesn’t love us from a distance, or with reservation. His love is complete. No matter how many times we mess up, no matter how hard we fall, He extends a love that is real. Sincere. There are no forced smiles with Him, no false sense of cordiality. He sees us as the confused, broken, hurting children we are, and He offers us forgiveness, grace, and mercy that’s real. He offers us friendship, unmarred by disappointment, anger, or hurt.

The least we can do is respond to His love with love – for Him and for others, right? It seems so simple, doesn’t it? But pride is a stubborn thing. It works quietly within us. The Devil—evil and deceitful—readily whispers lies into our ears…and we believe him. We believe that our indignation is justified. We convince ourselves that our decision to cast others aside, to cut them off, is righteous. Just like the serpent did with Eve in the Garden, we allow him to twist scripture in our minds, making us think that our reactions are justified. All the while, deep down, we know our behavior is a poor reflection of the love that God, the Father, has extended to us. He, who, while we were yet in our sins, sent His Son, Christ, to die in our place.

Just think about it. We reach out to Christ, begging Him to forgive our wickedness. We hope that He will continue to love us as He did before we fell into sin (whatever sin that might be). But we struggle to offer that same mercy and grace to those who wrong us. We would do well to remember the prayer we so often recite: “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are asking God to forgive us and failing to recognize how we have struggled to forgive others.

Often, people let us down and fall short of our expectations. We find ourselves deeply disappointed in them, unable to restore the initial image we once had of them. Leaning on our own wisdom, we try to forgive, but…only to an extent, not in whole. Instead, whether consciously or subconsciously, we set new boundaries and limitations. It’s important to note that those new reservations are easily recognized by the offender and deeply felt if the offender is sincerely repentant, no matter how subtle you think you may seem.

King David cries out to the Lord.

Consider the love of God and how it was extended to King David. David, who broke so many commandments in a single sin—coveting another man’s wife, committing adultery, and premeditating murder—still found God’s mercy. Were there consequences? Certainly. Yet, God made a covenant with David, promising that his descendants would reign forever. This promise, known as the Davidic Covenant, shows that God’s plan for David’s lineage remained intact, even after his sin. Despite his failures, David continued to experience military success and blessings from God. In 2 Samuel 12:26-31, David goes on to defeat the Ammonites, demonstrating that God’s favor was still upon him in his leadership and battles. Even after his personal failure, David remained a central figure in God’s plan for Israel, with his kingship being a key part of God’s ongoing work among His people. Clearly, God still received David as a man after His own heart.

Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, denied knowing Jesus three times before His crucifixion (Luke 22:61-62). Peter had earlier declared that even if everyone else left Him, he would never abandon Christ. And yet, at the very moment when Christ would have valued the support of His disciples, Peter denied even knowing Him. Gasp! What a betrayal to commit against a friend! Can you imagine? And yet, after Jesus’ resurrection, He meets Peter and, in a deeply personal moment, asks him three times, "Do you love me?" Each time, Peter affirms his love, and Jesus reaffirms him, saying, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-19). Despite Peter’s public denial, Jesus forgives him and reinstates him as a leader among His followers, showing that God’s forgiveness can restore even the most public failures

Saul, a major persecutor of Christians, is blinded on the road to Damascus by a vision of Jesus. After repenting, he is baptized by Ananias and becomes Paul, one of Christianity’s greatest apostles. He later writes about God’s mercy in 1 Timothy 1:15-16, saying that God forgave him, "the worst of sinners," to display "Christ Jesus' immense patience." Saul’s radical transformation from persecutor to missionary shows us that no one is beyond God’s forgiveness, no matter how far they have strayed from His will.

These examples demonstrate the ways God has been merciful toward mankind—not only forgiving us in word but also demonstrating His forgiveness through an ongoing desire for us and a clear, continuous relationship with us. In fact, sometimes we may even feel as if His love for us has grown stronger despite how we have hurt Him. “…but where sin increases, God’s grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). It’s almost as if God seeks to eliminate any doubt in our minds about how solid His feelings for us are. This is the love we desire from God and it is the love He offers, but it doesn’t always reflect the love we extend to each other. Too often, we excuse our unwillingness to forgive and love by claiming to be incapable.

At my church, we are currently studying the love of God. One morning, during Bible class, the teacher challenged the students to allow their love for each other to reflect the love God has shown us. One student, clearly annoyed, asked, "But is it possible for us to love like God does?" Although her question may have been born out of frustration, I believe it was sincere. I also think many of us like to lean on an idea that we cannot operate the way God does – it gives us an excuse not to try. It’s a cop out. While there is some truth to this—“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9)—this same God calls us to be holy as He is holy: "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2). Christ also challenges us to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). We are not God, so it doesn’t come easily to us to think and act as He does. However, as we draw closer to Him, learn of Him, and serve Him, our thoughts and actions must be conformed not to the patterns of this world, but to His word (Romans 12:2). While we will never be God, we are encouraged to strive to be like Him and reflect Him in our relationships with others, so that when they look at us, they will know that we are His children (Matthew 7:16-20, John 13:35).

I want to challenge you to reflect on the various relationships in your life—whether at home, work, church, or among friends. Where is forgiveness needed? When you try to offer it, is it accompanied by the warmth of mercy, grace, and the assurance of ongoing love, or by attitude and the condemning finger of judgment? Only God truly knows the impact of your influence on someone's life. The loss of that connection could play a significant role in their spiritual journey or even shape their perception of God. This is why the Bible says that through us the name of God is blasphemed to others (Romans 2:24). While different circumstances can certainly make forgiveness difficult, remember that the God whose Son we crucified is calling us to forgive as He has forgiven us—time and time again.

Won’t you prayerfully try?