FORGIVEN AND FORGIVING

          As the body of Christ we are a community of ones forgiven and forgiving.  Foundational to any Biblical discussion of the subject of forgiveness are the plain-spoken words of Christ recorded as part of His sermon on the mount:  If you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions (Mt.6:14-15).  Being forgiven and forgiving go hand in hand.  These unambiguous words of our Lord Jesus present us with the ultimate quid pro quo (something for something).  The formula is quite simple:  IF WE WANT TO BE FORGIVEN, WE MUST FORGIVE OTHERS.  Yet that which is so easy to read is often so hard to put into practice. 

          For all of us who call ourselves disciples of Christ, there is no other way.  Jesus’ example is clear and we must follow in His steps (1Pet.3:21).  If you ever find yourself tempted to say, “I’ll never forgive so and so!", bite your tongue and gird up your loins for you may be in a life or death battle for the very salvation of your soul.  To willfully withhold forgiveness to another is to stir up the wrath of God.  One of Jesus' most indicting parables confronts this abominable behavior.  The parable is a response to a question posed by the apostle Peter, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” (Mt.18:21).  This pictogram tells of a king who forgave a servant of an insurmountable debt (Mt.18:27).  In turn, that servant refused to forgive a rather minor infraction of one of his peers (Mt.18:30).  When summoned to stand before the king, the unforgiving servant was told:  You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.  Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you? (Mt.18:33).  In anger his master turned him over to the jailer until he should pay back all he owed.   Finally, the punch-line:   So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart (Mt.18:34-35).  Need we say more?

                                                                        Terry Siverd / Cortland Church of Christ