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Forgiveness: The Foundation of our Journey with God
By Brian Christensen
Everyone, whom has ever lived, except one, has come short of the glory of God. If forgiveness were not possible, what would be the purpose of life, God’s Plan, or Eternity? The Kingdom would be a very lonely place with only Jesus. Fortunately for us, God’s forgiveness is possible and all will have an opportunity to enter the Kingdom through Jesus Christ our Savior. It is not easy and He tells us the path is very narrow, however, it is possible because of Him.
Forgiveness is the foundation and the start of our journey with God. It is always available to us, but it is not automatic. We must seek God and ask for it. The act of going to the Father to seek forgiveness is an acknowledgement by us of our sin and a desire to repent. Soon we begin to grow, gain His wisdom, and our character begins to develop. Does this mean we can do whatever we please, so long as we remember to confess afterwards? This is what some traditional organizations would have us believe. God knows all things, including our hearts and thoughts. Just as Adam and Eve found it impossible to deceive and hide from God, we too cannot escape the truth through the eyes of God. This attempt would only fail and short-circuit the growth process until we are honest with ourselves.
To be Forgiven, You must Forgive
Another ingredient to our forgiveness by God and the level of His forgiveness, is our ability to forgive others. Jesus makes this point throughout His teachings. “A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34) He is the only one who has lived on earth, been tested, tried, and tempted without sin. So, He is the only one who can show us the way. In His example of how we should pray to the Father, He states, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). The two are linked together and God will judge us as we judge others.
Each day, our actions toward others are establishing the methods by which we shall be judged. Brethren, I know it is very difficult to forgive someone that has hurt you. I myself and all of us struggle with this act of “letting go.” However, I know I need a lot of forgiveness, therefore, I must learn to forgive others so God’s judgment will be more forgiving toward me. If we find favor in God’s eye and are resurrected as Saints, will we be able to put aside our hateful thoughts while teaching someone we dislike? What if it is someone who hurt us severely or a serial killer? How would we react to Adolph Hitler? We must develop a compassion for each other as deep and encompassing as Jesus’ was. The Apostles and the early Church had to deal with these fears. When Saul was chosen by God to be an Apostle, there was great concern and fear by the other Apostles. Paul (Saul) was viewed by many to be an evil man. He was responsible for the persecution and murder of numerous Christians. Imagine how we would feel if God chose a murderer to preach to us at the Feast?
God’s forgiveness of our sins is never ending. We must have this same attitude toward others. There are always going to be people who mistreat us and do evil acts. We could also expect more of this because of our knowledge of the truth. The easiest things to do are to consume yourself with bitterness and walk away or avoid someone. A common phrase today is, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.” Another one is, “Three strikes and you’re out!” These phrases are used to justify ill feeling towards another person or group. This will then lead to us talking to other people about the one who “did wrong against us.” The proper term for this is gossip, and it will not help us grow.
In Matthew 18:21, Peter asks Jesus how many times we should forgive our brother. Jesus responds to this with a number so high as to indicate score-keeping is irrelevant. So, a healthier attitude might reflect, “490 strikes and you’re out, plus a few more, if you need them”. What if God judged us with only three strikes or allowed us to fool him only once?
Jesus Leads By Example
Jesus is our guide and teacher and His actions show us how to forgive others. As Jesus was hanging from the cross and His commission here on Earth almost finished, He commits one of the most unselfish acts. In His last few breaths He says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Even after being persecuted, denied, and beaten, He still finds compassion to pray for these people. This forgiveness by Jesus opened up the gates and allowed us the opportunity for eternal life! We can only enter through Him and His way. When someone offends you, the most difficult and best thing to do is go to him or her. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault. If he listens to you, you will have won your brother” (Matthew 18:15). Matthew 5:23-25 also tells us we should not pray or worship if an offense bothers us. We should settle our differences quickly and not let them fester. We must either go to the one who sinned against us or forgive them immediately and let it go.
Ezekiel 37:23,24 and Revelation 21:3,4 portray the future Kingdom, when there will be only one God worshiped and Christ will be our perfect King. It is hard for our earthly minds to imagine how wonderful that time will be and Satan’s effect on us destroyed. Until then, we must spend our time on earth training for the perfection of God. Forgiveness is always available to us when we stumble along the way. Ask for it and give it. i
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