Torch, Fall 1989

11 ,, ·-~-- -- 1 jl * l ' l I I God's memory. But neither is there indictment for forgiven sin. Conse– quently, "therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). When I get to heaven ' s gate, my welcome will not be conditioned by whether or not God can remember selected events in my life. He will not greet me with these words: "Martin, it strikes me that I had some things against you, but I just cannot remember them. So, you might as well come on in." There is no hope in that fantasy. So, where is the hope? "The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (I John 1:7). That's forgiveness, and that's hope! God forgives when He removes the guilt, the culpability, from the life of the sinner. We often are faced with the consequences of our sins, and sometimes we have to deal with them for weeks, months, or even years. God knows our circumstances, and He answers our prayers for strength and wisdom as we work through the conse– quences. He does not forget the event or its consequences, but He takes away the guilt. The way God forgives us is the pattern for how we are to forgive one another. Consequently, if He truly forgives without forgetting , so can we . Ephesians 4:31-32 commands us: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage , and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." This passage teaches us that we are as responsible for our reactions as we are for our actions . We are challenged to put away all evil and bitter thoughts, together with all desire to get even. It is quite ironic that one who chooses bitterness punishes himself for someone else 's offense against him. Bitterness, which is unresolved anger and the refusal to forgive , eats away at the one who is bitter. In choosing to forgive, we commit ourselves never to bring up the offense again . Instead, as Ephesians 4:32 instructs, we do acts of kindness toward the offender. Difficult? Undoubtedly. But we plan and perform those acts, not because the offender deserves them, but because doing so fulfills God 's will and brings personal freedom to us. We are charged to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). We also are told to be compassionate, "tenderhearted," a decision to try to identify with the offender. There is no telling what would happen in our relationships if we tried to understand each other at least half as much as we try to change each other. Another motive to forgive is the recognition that, once we have accepted Christ as Savior, we ourselves have become forgiven people. Bitterness may stem from arrogance, the feeling that we, of all people, did not deserve to be offended. When we come to understand that we have sinned against God to a far greater extent than others have sinned against us, and have been forgiven , we are freed from the bondage of arrogance solthat we can forgive others. A forgiven person can never say to another, "That's unforgivable" (Matthew 6:14-15). God the Father forgives us "in Christ" (Ephesians 4:32). The blood Jesus shed on the cross on our behalf was/is sufficient for the Father to forgive our sins. Can we rightly demand another basis for our forgive– ness of others? His forgiveness is full and free and unconditional, the only condition and payment being infinitely satisfied in Jesus Christ's death on the cross and restm-ection from the dead. Can we demand more? Forgiving might be easier if we could merely forget the offense (and perhaps, the offender!) . But forgetting , in the sense of having a blank mind regarding the offense, is not necessary in order to forgive . We forgive others as God forgives us when we commit ourselves never to bring up the offense again, to practice kindness to the offender, to attempt to understand his struggles, and to remember that we ourselves are forgiven people. Few experiences in life offer so powe1ful a freedom as does the act of forgiving, and few offer such spiritual healing. Dr. Martin Clark is Vice President for Development at Cedarville College.