“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ (in union with Christ) and God. When Christ, who is our life, is manifested, then you will be revealed with Him in glory.” – Colossians 3:3 – 4.
When your self-consciousness is that you are in Christ, then you see everything in life through the lens of Jesus. The fact that Christ is our life alters every bit of our reality. I was thinking today about the sometimes difficult hurdle of forgiving people who have hurt you. I have read or heard, so many Christians over the decades explain the steps you have to go through to forgive someone. Jesus said that we were to forgive people from the heart. Therefore, just saying the words “I forgive you” isn’t enough, and it sounds like some kind of formula that doesn’t match up with the reality that we are hidden with Christ in God, and He is our life. There should be something natural and flowing about our forgiving people. As new creations in Christ, it should be a part of our new nature. A lot of the models that we use to encourage someone to exercise forgiveness seem to be a lot like what an unsaved psychologist would say to an unsaved person. There has got to be something more supernatural about the way we live if it’s true that Christ is actually our life. So here we go!
Whoever it is that you need to forgive, it is important for you to understand that Jesus has already forgiven them. He actually did 2000 years ago. Therefore, since you are in union with Him, He has already decided for you concerning forgiveness for that person. You are not an independent self. That person died on the cross, and the new you is hidden with Christ in God. You are in union with the life that Jesus lives in relationship to the Father. In light of the fact that Jesus (who is your life) has already forgiven that person, I can honestly say that the decision to forgive that person has already been made for you. If you are one with Christ, then His forgiveness is your forgiveness, and your part is to simply say yes to His forgiveness for that person. When you live like that, then you can truly say that you are living and forgiving from Christ, not for Christ. Forgiveness is actually a Who, not a how. The Christian life is a miraculous journey enjoyed in Christ.