Forgiving As We Are Forgiven, Pt. 1 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. Welcome to a new week and every weekday morning this week, we’re going to be talking about the theme of forgiveness.

Now, the Bible speaks right into our lives, doesn’t it? And one of the biggest areas we need help and guidance on is the area of forgiveness. It’s hard to forgive, isn’t it?

People offend you immediately. Your emotions respond and you want to lash out, get even, demonstrate that you’re right and they’re wrong. All of these things. How does forgiveness fit into all of that? And what does the Bible have to say about it? Do you know that as a Christian, God wants you to build your life around Him. He doesn’t just want you to go to church. He doesn’t just want you to have the name of Christian and have some Christian activities. He wants your whole life to be built around Him.

Forgiveness as a lifestyle

And do you know what shines so brightly in this world is a person who has learned to forgive. This really demonstrates the work of God in your life. So let’s look this week at forgiveness. Today I want to see that forgiveness and grace go together. God is the great example of forgiveness, isn’t He?

Sometimes people think of God as just harsh, judgmental, but in reality, if you actually read the Bible, God is all about forgiveness. Well, forgiveness and grace go together. Let me read you a few verses out of Romans chapter 5, verses 6 to 11 about God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives.

Listen to this:

Paul says, for while we were still weak. At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly, for one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows His love for us. In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since therefore we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

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What a passage.

Did you notice the four descriptions of the kind of person that God has forgiven? While we were weak. That’s when Christ died for the ungodly.

God shows His love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, just look at that. The forgiveness that God offers, it’s all about grace, isn’t it? It’s not about us deserving God’s forgiveness and that we have the right to God’s forgiveness because everyone can just do what they want and realise their own sense of morality and goodness. No.

We were weak, ungodly sinners and enemies. That’s when Christ died for us. That’s when God reconciled us to Himself. Well, that’s all about forgiveness, isn’t it? Listen, forgiveness is not about what the forgiven person deserves.

As you relate to people in your life, they offend you, they make you angry. Remember, it’s not that they deserve forgiveness. It’s about what the forgiver gives. It’s an undeserved gift. That’s what we call grace. An undeserved gift is always an expression of love.

And maybe you would say, well, in that moment, I definitely don’t love that person. But love is much more than a feeling. It’s a commitment to the welfare, to the good of other people.

This is why every now and then you hear a story of a Christian who is deeply wronged by a criminal. Who later meets with that criminal and tells them, I forgive you.

So often the criminal breaks down in tears. Why would you love me? Why would you forgive me?

Well, that’s grace. Forgiveness and grace go together.

I’m John North.

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