Forgiveness is one of the toughest subjects to write on, but the centrality of forgiveness in the life of a Christian is so vital I feel that it is important to talk about it at least a little. But before I get into forgiveness I want to talk about the difference between condemnation and guilt. What is the difference? I mean aren't both bad? Don't the both cause hurt and pain? Aren't both detrimental to us as humans?
I was at a bible study tonight and the leader discussed the difference between condemnation and guilt. Condemnation was defined as the final judgement--condemning you to be guilty forever....the Great White Throne Judgement. Guilt, or conviction, is the recognition of sin in our lives and the knowledge that we need to go about some way of solving the problem. Condemnation is the result of unbelief in Christ. Conviction is a spirit of sorrow that is instilled in our soul through the Holy Spirit. Condemnation is the final separation from life; conviction is the factor that draws us closer to Christ. Condemnation is the ultimate accusal of failure to follow the laws of God. Conviction, on the other hand, is our admittance to failing to obey God's laws. Only until we are convicted of our wrongs can we begin to go about the paths to forgiveness.
The teacher went on to say that in 1 John 1:9 it says "if (its conditional...its up to us) we confess our sins, he (being God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The faithfulness in this verse is one of an unconditional unwavering sense of faithfulness. One that will always be there no matter how badly we screw up. Faithfulness does not falter about commitments it's made towards relationships. No matter what we do, God will always forgive us. Forgiveness has often been defined as "acknowledging wrong doings and not allowing them to become a barrier against relationships." The teacher continued listing such verses as Psalm 32: 1-5,7, Isaiah 43:25, Psalm 79:9, and Lamentations 3: 19-24. The Isaiah passage makes clear how God forgave us at the cross and who will "not remember your sins." Forgiveness requires the strength to not allow sins to become a barrier against fellowship. This is huge because many of us will go through the motions of saying yeah I forgive you and shake hands or give hugs or whatever you do on the outside while on the inside you are still seething. The teacher gave an example of someone hurting her so badly in some way and then turning around and sacrificing her son as an atonement for the wrong doing and then continuing to forgive that person so completely as to never broach the subject or remind the person of it ever again. That in itself is the ultimate forgiveness, God's pardoning of his chosen people on Earth. I have often reasoned that since God is perfect it was his obligation to forgive us, and since it was no harder to forgive us than his creation of the Earth, that we shouldn't have to be held accountable to the same standard. But we are still held accountable to God's sovereign law. We forgive others because Christ first did it for us.
Her message was very inspiring, and I thought a lot about ways that I can forgive people who I have allowed to become distant through problems with mutual friends. Its helped me realize the importance of forgiveness and the freedom offered to our souls when we are forgiven and forgive.
In some ways we can't extend this perfect forgiveness exemplified in Christ because we are human. But isn't it wonderful to know that God isn't human and that He can and does forgive us. So even when we as humans fail one another we always have an ultimate hope. The teacher closed with this verse in Lamentations 3: "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is you faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'"
No comments:
Post a Comment