The Power to Love
As followers
of Jesus Christ, we live in the forgiveness of
God. That is not to say that God will not
discipline us to correct our wrong conduct;
however, Jesus paid our sin-debt on the cross
so that we could be forgiven for all of our
trespasses. What’s more, His substitutionary,
atoning death covered every sin for all
mankind. How, then, can we as Christians not
forgive someone else’s sin, for which God
Himself has paid the price?
Think about how undeserved
Jesus’ horrible death by crucifixion was.
Despite His absolute innocence, His enemies
conspired to have Him killed. Yet, as He hung
on the cross, what did He say about His
executioners? “Father, forgive them for they
know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). He
didn’t hold it against them—He was able to
forgive.
You might be thinking, But
you don’t know how I’ve been mistreated. I
just can’t forgive. Yes, you can. Forgiveness
is a choice that you and I make. As children
of God, we have God’s love on the inside,
flowing through us to others. That is the
power of love, which enables us to forgive
when we have been wronged.
Then you might ask yourself,
If someone continues to wrong me, what is
the limit? How many times am I to forgive?
But “limit” is not even in God’s vocabulary.
If we harbor an unforgiving spirit, we
ourselves are held prisoner by it. Allow the
Lord Jesus to be your example, and forgive as
many times as you are wronged, no matter what.
