Eph. 1:7, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
Col. 1:14, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Micah 7:18-19, Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in unchanging love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
It is impossible to love someone and have unforgiveness in your heart towards them. You can say that you love them, and I hear Christians say that all the time about people they still are bitter towards, but they are simply lying to themselves. Again, you can’t have unforgiveness in your heart and love them. It is because God delights in unchanging love that He delights in forgiving our iniquities and casting them into the depths of the sea, because it would be impossible for Him to love us with an unchanging love and yet, carry unforgiveness around in His heart towards us.
Let’s understand a little bit about forgiveness. Forgiveness is a tough one for us to walk in, and it is big boy and big girl Christianity because it is the highest expression of the unchanging love of God in Christ. As believers, we are in Christ, and therefore, we are held to His standard when it comes to love and forgiveness because we are in union with His ability to do it. It’s really important that we don’t dummy down what forgiveness is all about just so it’s a little bit easier on us.
The word “forgive” in the Old Testament simply means “to take.” In the New Testament it means “to send away.” In the book of Leviticus we are told about the scapegoat on the day of atonement, where the high priest laid his hand on a chosen goat and confesses all the sins of the people, then has the goat sent away into the wilderness. Once the scapegoat is sent away, it is simply not there anymore, which was a picture of the Jewish people, in the eyes of God, their sins for the previous year was not there anymore. We know that the ultimate scapegoat was Jesus, and He didn’t just rollback sins one year at a time. Instead, He took away all our sins forever.
We are told in 2 Corinthians that in Christ God no longer holds our sins against us. Even when we as believers do sin, He does not see us through the grid of sin, but sees us in Christ, where there is no condemnation. When God forgives, as far as He is concerned, the sin has been sent away. It is, therefore, no longer there. Not only that, but forgiveness carries with it redemption. And redemption is all about hope for the future. Redemption says, not only is the sin not there anymore, but there is restoration of destiny in Christ.
When you and I look at someone who has done something wrong, especially something wrong directed towards us, and all you primarily see is their offense, then you have not forgiven them. If you do not look at them with hope concerning their future in Christ, then you are not looking at them through the eyes of redemption. I understand that, depending on the nature of their offense, they may have some proving to do and some borders may have to be established, but it still doesn’t mean that you have the right to see them through the eyes of their sin without any hope in your heart towards them.
Are there risks involved in this kind of unchanging love? Of course there are! Aren’t you glad though that God risks believing in you again and again when you fail Him. I would hate to think that God only sees us through the eyes of our failure instead of through His eyes of grace and redemption. The fact that He never stops believing in us and our destiny in Christ, is often the thing that lures us to get up again and take the next step.
You might be saying, this is impossible for me to do in light of what that person has done. I would say to you that the whole Christian life is impossible, and this is just one more impossibility that only Jesus, who we are in union with, can accomplish. That’s what makes Christianity such a delicious adventure. It is at its very core a miraculous and supernatural adventure going where no unfallen man has ever gone before.