"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John
1:19, NIV).
What wonderful news! We are more than "just"
forgiven!
Have you ever asked someone to forgive you for something,
and though they said they did, you still feel that the relationship has been
damaged? Or perhaps you might have "forgiven" someone for a wrong,
but you still hang on to the memory (and hurt) of it? I know I have.
There was an anti-bullying email that circulated a few years ago
in which the story of a school teacher's lesson is shared. Apparently, she gave
each of the students a blank piece of paper. She then told them to crumple the
paper up, put it on the floor, and stomp on it. She then told her students that
this is how the victim of bullying feels. She then told her class to pick up
the paper, and say "sorry" to it. She then pointed out that the
"sorry" didn't change much in the state of the paper. Finally, she
asked her students to try to make it better. They proceeded to try to open up
the paper and smooth out all the creases. Obviously, though the paper was
better, it still retained the scars of the abuse it endured.
Relationships can be like that paper. Once abused, it is virtually
impossible to restore them. The victim always carries a scar from whatever
incident damaged the relationship. When we sin, we are abusing our relationship
with God. John tells us that when we confess those sins God is graceful, and
forgives us, but He goes so much further than that. He "purifies us from
all unrighteousness!" It's as if He not only smoothes out the paper, but
gives us a whole new paper. Our relationship with God no longer bears any scars
of our past wrongdoing. That's awesome!
We no longer have to carry around the guilt and shame of past
sins. How cool is that!?!?
Of course, there's more to the story. We, having been recipients
of such grace, must endeavour to be as graceful with our fellow man. Oh, that's
a tough one. I used to foolishly say that I will forgive someone readily, but
if he persists in wronging me, I will save him from needing repeated
forgiveness by keeping my distance from him in the future. So I have been
forgiving, but not forgetting. Now before you say that we are not commanded to
forget, take a look at what Jesus taught: "Then Peter came up to Him and
said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and
let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not
up to seven times, but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22;
Amplified)! He wasn't saying we only forgive 490 times. He was saying 10 times
the square of whatever you think enough is. In other words, when we think we've
really forgiven someone enough, we've only scratched the surface.
How were we taught to pray? The Amplified version exposes
a nuance in the Lord's Prayer that is missed in other translations. "And
forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of
the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors"
(Matthew 6:12; Amplified, emphasis mine). The purification of which John speaks
was understood by the early church as being a natural part of forgiveness. If
we want the purification that God offers us, it seems to me that we had better
make every effort to offer that same purification to those whom we have to
forgive. In fact, Jesus tells us as much: "For if you forgive people their
trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and
giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you
do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins,
leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your
Father forgive you your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15; Amplified).
God grant us the strength to love our neighbours the way
that He loves us.
By Guest Blogger: Waldo Rochow
Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr Creative Commons
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