Practicing Biblical Forgiveness

Forgiveness is both an act of obedience and an expression of faith. If we know that our brother has something against us, our first priority must be to go and confess our sin. Even if our offense comes to mind in the midst of worship, we should drop everything and quickly seek restoration. In the same way, if we recall that someone has sinned against us, we are to joyfully and immediately model the very same full and lavish forgiveness that God has shown to us in Christ. If we are to follow fully in the steps of our Lord, we cannot hold on to unforgiveness. We must forego retribution, let go of all bitterness and anger, and freely release the offender of any debt he owes us. How is this an expression of faith? When we release the offender, we give him over to God, trusting that the Lord will do what is right. Does that seem hard? Better to take the hard road than risk developing a hard heart. Trust and obey, Christian; for there’s no other way.