Forgiveness

Matthew West - Forgiveness (Official Lyric Video) from matthew-west on GodTube.

I heard Matthew West’s “Forgiveness” twice today. Perhaps it’s something that the Lord would like me to think about; so I have. Here are a few of my reflections and observations, some of which are mentioned in Matthew’s song.

Forgiveness:

• Neither denies nor excuses the sin
• Comes with no expectations
• Might be rejected
• Provides the potential for freedom
• Is an act of obedience
• Does not guarantee instant healing
• Comes with the potential of full healing
• Does not necessarily imply trust
• Has revenge as part of the picture (stick with me, I’m going somewhere with this)

Forgiveness neither denies nor excuses the sin – At one time, I hated the concept of forgiveness. I was sure that if I forgave those who hurt and/or offended me, I would be “letting them off the hook”; that they would somehow be excused. I was so very wrong. Forgiveness looks at the hideousness of sin directly in the face, acknowledges the pain and devastation it’s caused, writes a full account of the debt then writes off the entire thing.

Forgiveness comes with no expectations from the individual being forgiven – While looking that sin directly in the face and writing off the debt, forgiveness knows full well that it will walk away and wait for nothing in return. It was a lack of character that caused the offense in the first place. Forgiveness comes with no guarantee that the object of forgiveness will instantly develop the depth of integrity we long to see.

Forgiveness might be rejected – Not only is there the potential of nothing offered in return, the person might blatantly reject the forgiveness we offer. It's quite possible, in fact, that we'll be despised even more. Consider Christ. He died for the sins of the world, but not everyone accepts it. It's His beauty and love that stand in stark contrast to our inherent sin nature. It's that fact that makes Him... and us... enemies of those who have yet to know His grace in any practical terms.

When a person intentionally hurts us, they’re not interested in forgiveness; they want nothing to do with a healthy relationship with us. Forgiveness offers itself anyway.

Forgiveness provides the potential of freedom for both the forgiven and forgiver – As long I hold on to my hurt and anger, I become imprisoned by it. Been there, done that. It ate at my insides like a slowly boiling acid. When I was able to release that, I was able to move on and live my life in light of something other than the offense.

It also means that the offender is given a way out of his/her own imprisonment. The forgiver becomes an “agent of grace” that gives the offender the opportunity to walk away from his/her destructive behaviour and start all over again. Of course, the previous point is one to be considered, but the gift of newness is offered. No, the person doesn’t deserve it. Forgiveness gives it anyway.

Forgiveness is an act of obedience to the One that set the perfect example – If we’ve claimed Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we know His forgiveness. We know that what we’ve done cause unimaginable suffering for Him. God freely forgave us of the death of His Son. Knowing full well the crushing weight that forgiveness would be on Him, Jesus told us to forgive; in fact, He told us to love our enemies. How do you love someone who has destroyed your life or the life of someone you love? You look to the Saviour and ask the Master of Forgiveness to offer that gift through you.

Forgiveness does not guarantee instant healing – Wounds hurt, sometimes beyond words. Emotional wounds leave scars that don’t easily go away. Flashbacks of the event(s), scents, sounds, visual cues – they can all bring the pain rushing back. Those emotions can threaten to choke us again. Sometimes the forgiveness needs to be mentally and emotionally offered repeatedly. God's work in us can enable us to offer it every time.

Forgiveness comes with the potential of full healing – I’m not saying that we’ll be the same as we were before. As Jean Barsness, a former professor at Briercrest whose husband had been brutally murdered, said, we can become bitter or better. She chose to become better. She’s allowed the Holy Spirit to gradually heal her, resulting in a stronger, more mature Christian than she was before the murder.

Please understand that I am NOT saying that there is a beautiful, divine purpose in what we suffer. I am saying that grace sees a way out of the abyss. When God comes to fill those empty places left behind when precious treasures in our lives are stolen from us, we find wholeness.

Forgiveness does not necessarily imply trust – When the debt is released, there often (usually) remains the question of trust. When a person's sin nature is allowed to take control, only the Spirit of Christ can alter that. If any of us are unprepared to allow that to happen, we're sure to remain in our broken, damaging state.

It has been said that trust is like a bank account; call it a trust account. With every violation of our trust, a withdrawal is made. All too often, so many withdrawals have been made that there is no potential for trust; the account is empty. We can forgive anyway.

Forgiveness has revenge as part of the picture - This is actually the part of forgiveness that has occupied my mind a fair bit lately. The Lord said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” For the unrepentant, that is most certainly true, and I frankly dread seeing anyone face the wrath of Almighty God. Also consider, though, that He promised to have His revenge, and He did. All of God’s wrath was poured out on the perfect Son of God. God’s vengeance for all of our filth was satisfied in Christ’s death. As a result, we’re offered forgiveness. The only thing we give to Him in return is... well, everything, including our bitterness. The demands of vengeance have been met. Forgiveness is possible.