2010-02-09

The Old Gray Dog Ponders . . . Forgiveness. . . On Whose Terms?

 
 

 And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors. 
        For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matt. 6: 12, 14-15

 

 A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices.

Edward R. Murrow

 

    Be careful what you pray for . . . you might get it!  This is good advice to any praying this petition.

 

And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors. 

 

    Do we really want to be forgiven as we forgive others? Literally, the meaning here is:  Forgive us in proportion to how we forgive others.  Our experience of God's forgiving grace is in direct proportion to our forgiving others.  It is very difficult to receive the blessed gift of forgiveness if we harbor a hard heart toward others.

 

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

I Cor. 11: 27-29

 

    Scripture teaches us to respect our spiritual blessings.  We should not receive holy communion in an unworthy manner.  Neither should we expect to experience the peace and comfort of forgiveness if we are unforgiving.  It does not mean that the blessings are not real; it does mean that our hard hearts prevent us from receiving them.  When we deny others what we would receive from God, we deny ourselves the blessing.

 

    If we are to experience the peace and comfort of divine forgiveness, three things are necessary.

 

    First, we must learn to understand others.  However foolish, however misguided, people do things for a reason.  Forgiving others is much easier if we understand why they did the things they did.  This is not condoning their behavior; it is understanding it.

 

    Second, we must learn to forget.  That old adage, I forgive, but I can't forget, is a major obstacle to experiencing God's forgiveness. Harboring hurts prevents healing. We should never forget the wrongs we have done others; we should never stop trying to make amends, except when to do so would cause more hurt.  But we need to let go of the memories of sins committed against us . . . if we want to experience the peace and comfort of divine forgiveness.

 

    Third, we must learn to practice agapeAgape is unnatural, disciplined benevolence toward others.  It is not the sappy, sentimental emotion so often conveyed by the word love.  (What the world needs now is love, sweet love . . .)  Agape is the uncompromising commitment of a person to the highest good in others, regardless of how they treat us.  Such an attitude takes a lot of prayerful work.  It is not natural.

 

 

And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors. 

 

     How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself.

Syrus Pubililus

 

    The most difficult person for us to forgive is ourselves, when we know our hearts are hardened against others.  To experience forgiveness we must learn to be forgiving.  That is not a power human beings come by naturally.  It takes the power of Christ at work in us to accomplish this.

 

 

O Thou in whose hand are the hearts of Thy children:

Shed Thy peace and comfort upon us.

By the might of Thy Holy Spirit quench the pride and anger, lust and greediness

which cause us to strive with one another.

Instill in us forgiving hearts, that we might experience Thy forgiveness.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen

 

Blessed are the saints who are equipped with the sound doctrines of TULIP!


The Old Gray Dog
Jim Tuckett


The Westminster Fellowship
Clearly and Unequivocally Proclaiming What It Means To Be Reformed Christians http://www.westminsterfellowship.org



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