The Spirit of Forgiveness.

Bethany M. Faburada

International Church of Christ – Cebu, Philippines

^“ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

“Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.^”Luke 11:4

When I think about God’s forgiveness, I could imagine a father running to meet his lost son coming home from his wanderings, or a shepherd joyfully singing as he carries his lost sheep close to his heart, or a woman dancing till daybreak when she found her lost coin.

I believe that stories in the Bible are also written to show us that from the moment Adam and Eve sinned, God has always been making a way to rescue His creation from condemnation, hopelessness, and darkness because of sin. Time and time again, God has never failed to fulfill his promises to save his people. And when the time came that burnt offerings and sin offerings were no longer pleasing in His eyes, Jesus said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” Because of the love of Jesus for us, He traded His mansion in heaven for a manger, offering forgiveness to those living in the darkness, forgiving even the worst. 

And God willingly allowed His son to be tortured and crucified by the people He wanted to save. And that’s all of us.

We were all shackled to the darkness we once lived, a life without God, and held captive by an enemy who was unceasingly accusing us day and night. But forgiveness came, and it came through the crucified Christ. His broken body and spilled blood taught us the meaning of forgiveness. 

Without God’s forgiveness, all of us are inevitably doomed to darkness and destruction. Praise God that He ushered us into His kingdom through the blood of our Lord Jesus. God didn’t have to forgive us, yet He chose to forgive us.

The word “forgiveness” sounds sweet to the forgiven, but there is that other side of it that we have to struggle with and one with which we experience difficulty in complying: when God commanded us to forgive those who have wronged us. 

Even as Christians, we are still susceptible to hurt, bitterness, and insult, inside and outside the Church. Just scrolling through the feeds of our social media accounts, we see things that could cause us to be bitter, angry, and resentful toward someone. And whether we like it or not, Christians worldwide face harassment, inequity, abuse, insults, torment, imprisonment, and even death. It is for this reason that we could still struggle endlessly with and unforgiving heart to people who have wronged us. 

In Luke 11:4, Jesus shows us the importance of the connection between asking God for forgiveness and extending the same forgiveness to those who hurt us. Our God knows that we sin against Him everyday and people also hurt us in the same way. Luke 11:4 is in some ways the hardest bit of the Lord’s prayer as we need not only to repent of our sins but also to forgive others in order to be forgiven. 

Jesus showed us that God stands ready and willing to forgive us but also asks that we extend the same forgiveness to others first. And He showed us an example to follow when He prayed from the cross for people who tortured him.

Forgiveness reveals God’s heart, but it also reveals the depth of our relationship with Him, for it is in our capacity to forgive that we show we are grateful and have understood God’s forgiveness.

My father was very strict and disciplinarian to the point of inflicting physical pain on his children as a form of discipline. It was an atmosphere where failures and mistakes were considered signs of weakness and foolishness that need correction and condemnation. I was taught that lingering guilt and shame are necessary to avoid repetition, and earning forgiveness can only be had after you have paid for your shortcomings. 

My father’s own brand of discipline and justice made me believe that God also metes out identical treatment in dealing with sins and shortcomings. So growing up, I used to picture God as a distant God—like a huge policeman in the sky—feared and untouchable because of His power to inflict punishment to anyone who crosses Him. 

When I studied the Bible in 1995, I heard for the first time the phrase, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner.” It made sense to me then and even up to this day. Indeed, God loves people, even those who fell into sin. When I truly understood and embraced the gravity of God’s forgiveness, my heart was changed. I became a follower of Jesus. Forgiving my father brought peace to my heart and restored our relationship. He became a disciple years later and died in the loving arms of the Lord. 

Let us always remember that God does not want us to wallow relentlessly in lingering guilt and shame but he delights to forgive us and gives us peace as long as we come from a heart that hates sin and feels sorrow for the pain our sins have caused. 

Our sins destroy connections to God and those we love. But God’s forgiveness allows us to repair connections with Him and others, and it also brings personal healing and peace.

People will hurt us, that’s the fact of life, but we can choose to respond to trespasses biblically. We can choose to forgive. Forgiving is not forgetting nor denying a wrongdoing, but it is choosing to overlook and get past the hurt once its ugly head starts to come out, and focusing on Jesus. 

Forgiveness is why Jesus came. He wants us to follow in His steps and walk the road to forgiveness that leads to peace.

Merry Christmas!!

Questions for Reflection:

1.  Has there been a time you didn’t feel forgiven by God? What do you think was the root of it? In what way do you respond to it?

2. Can you think of at least one person in your life that you struggle to forgive?  What characteristic in your life might indicate that you have not fully forgiven that person?  

3.  Describe a time you have been the recipient of forgiveness from another person.