Focal Passages: Matthew 18:21-28, 32-33
There’s no denying that relationships can be messy. There is no avoiding letting someone down or being let down by someone else. Sometimes, the offenses we suffer are so egregious that they cause deep pain. This is why God’s call to forgiveness can seem so difficult.
Not only does God ask us to forgive, He asks us to continually forgive. By no means should we stay in a relationship that is abusive or harmful. However, forgiveness takes place at the heart level and is a picture of God’s love for us. But we are reminded with each offense that we too have received forgiveness.
Forgiveness first starts with remembrance. No one has been sinned against more than God. This includes the sins we may not have even known we committed! God has chosen to forgive us in Christ and no longer holds our sin against us. When we remember this truth, it should cause us to worship. It should also cause us to look with compassion on those who have offended us.
Ultimately, we should forgive the way God has forgiven us: unconditionally and continually. No matter how many times we sin against God, we can go to Him in repentancey.
Our sin was punished when it was laid on Jesus. Jesus absorbed the wrath of God that we deserved.
The deeper we dive into the gospel, God will help us to understand just how much mercy we have received in Christ. This same mercy given to us, we can give to others.