A Thought on Forgiveness

Has anyone ever told you something about themselves that made you cringe—that repelled you instantly? I had such an encounter some years ago while serving as a pastor. Upon hearing the report from a past life from a transformed Christian, I came to recognize that this moment was a defining one not merely as a vocational minister of the gospel, but as a follower of Jesus. Would I reject this person, whose former life was repugnant to my soul? Would I dare to be less merciful toward them than Jesus was when He canceled the guilt of this tortured soul? It came home to me that if I am a gospel man, that I must accept this person—and not merely accept, but embrace.

It was C.S. Lewis in his essay “On Forgiveness” who wrote: “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” I wonder if you believe this? And if you struggle to forgive, as have often struggled, perhaps there is much for us to learn about the grace of Jesus, the triumph of his mercy, and the radical transformation that can only be found in the gospel. Perhaps God will bring you to a time of testing, as He did me in my account above, to teach you just how deep and serious the claims of the gospel are. May we ask God to help us to embrace sinners of every kind, remembering that God has forgiven our sin, and that forever. We are not held at arms length today. We are locked in the embrace of God who offers total forgiveness. What a gospel.