Description
Forgiveness isn’t always easy. Ephesians 4:32 reminds us that we have access to a profound resource in forgiveness, which can … (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
Today’s meditation is on Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Being kind to one another, we understand. Being tenderhearted, yes, we know that we need to love one another. But forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave us. Now that’s a bit of a snag, isn’t it?
Because when somebody wrongs us, offends us, treats us badly, what we actually want, instinctively, is revenge or justice. Especially, as Christians, justice. And justice is right and fair. But if it’s held in our heart over another person, then really, it’s revenge disguised as justice. The way that God forgave us in Christ was to send Jesus to pay the price for our sins and to forgive us all of our debts, all the debts that sin demanded, before we said sorry, before we had made amends in any way.
Now, in order to achieve salvation, yes, we have to accept Christ, but the forgiveness was there. It was done at the cross. How can we forgive people like that? God should have been there talking to the angels, talking to Jesus, talking to the Holy Spirit, saying, you see these sinful people? They’re awful, aren’t they? I should smite them.
We have been forgiven everything. And out of our gratitude, out of our relationship with Christ, out of the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are empowered to forgive one another as God in Christ forgave us.
Lord, help us please in our weakness to forgive just as we have been forgiven. Amen.
