Random unrelated thought: You have heard it said, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive others there sins against us." And again, "Anyone who forgives his brother, his Father in heaven will forgive him but anyone who does not forgive his brother, neither will his Father in heaven forgive him."
On the surface, to our cause and effect, law driven, karmaic little squirrel brains, these look like if/then statements. You do this, God does that.
But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that while were were dead in our trespasses, God became a man and died in our place and now sits on the right hand of God, forgiving the sins through his blood of anyone who believes in him. We were dead. We were enemies. God had to rescue us. That's not if/then. That's Grace! So if we don't forget grace how do we read these passages?
Well there's the rub, isn't it. In order to not forgive someone, i would have to forget the grace which has forgiven me. That while i was chief among sinners, Christ died for me. The only way i can refuse to forgive is to refuse the Gospel. I would have to avoid God and all he's done. i would have to make up lies about God. That he is pleased with me, but not with so and so. Or that God doesn't care about what has been done to me. These lies smash the sanctuary of Grace, they destroy the image of Christ in our minds, they chop up and smash to bits the Gospel! When we don't forgive, we lose our peace. We lose our faith!
Thank God he is steadfast and faithful to pursue us! Help him out, will ya? Put down the axe.
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