The Powerful Force of Forgiveness

Through Christ, God offers us the wonderful opportunity to be forgiven.  The blood of Jesus, shed for us, can cleanse us from our sins.  But, if we are not willing to forgive others, we cannot experience
this incredible forgiveness that Christ offers. That is what He taught in Mark 11:
25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

We short-circuit God's best for us if we allow sin to take root in our hearts.  And, unforgiveness is sin - and there are severe ramifications.  We can lose our joy and peace, we will not be in right relationship with our Heavenly Father, not to mention the ones we fail to forgive.  We carry burdens that can weigh us down in our spiritual life.  Forgiveness is a powerful force, and it is God's desire that we as we realize what He has done for us through the blood of Jesus, that we will graciously forgive those who have hurt us.

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In Matthew 6, Jesus is in the midst of what we know as The Lord's Prayer.  He arrives on the topic
area of forgiveness, and expands on it following the conclusion of that powerful example of prayer.
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I believe that one of the powerful messages that believers in Christ can send to the world comes as the result of our demonstration of forgiveness.  Forgiveness not only reflects the love of Christ in our culture, but can heal wounds between individuals and groups of individuals, and can provide healing and security in an individual believer's heart as he or she is willing to release this powerful force.

The Daily Signal has produced a video featuring the pastors of three churches which were burned since this past June.  In those cases, arson was the motive.  Some of the church fires nationwide this summer have been characterized in the media as being racially motivated.

Church fires in Knoxville, Charlotte, and Macon were listed as arsons by fire investigators, and their pastors were featured on the video.

Mannix Kinsey, pastor of Briar Creek Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, said, "We have already forgiven the individual who started this fire.” He added, "God has taken the sourness of someone’s heart and He’s made it into a sweet lemonade,” referring to the outpouring of love their church has received from across the country.

The pastors of each of the three churches say they want their stories to be ones not of racism and hate, but of Christian love and forgiveness.

These church fires all occurred shortly after the tragic Charleston shooting, where nine people lost their lives in a shooting rampage.  A USA Today piece by John Dickerson, teaching pastor at the church pastored by Chip Ingram, brought out the forgiveness that church members extended toward the alleged murderer.  He wrote:

Did you see the families of the shooting victims in Charleston, S.C., confront the accused killer at his bond hearing Friday?

Did you see the video — them pleading with Dylann Roof through tears?

They said they forgave him — the very soul who, days earlier police said, held the weight of the gun, pulled the trigger and, having seen the mess of blood spurting from one writhing victim, continued to another. And another. And another. Until nine lay dead on the seats and the floor of a Christian house of worship.

The shooter did not slow to notice; their blood was the same color as his.

And did you see? One after another, the relatives of the slain, begging Roof to turn to God. One after another, they prayed for his soul. One after another, they forgave him.

It was neither expected nor explicable, that forgiveness. Such forgiveness is unseen in the animal world, is illogical in the rational world, is nonsensical to common human nature. Such forgiveness is humanity at its most human, or perhaps its most divine.

He relates that, "In a world where evil can seem unstoppable, these families from Charleston have demonstrated that there is still hope. Hope not only in the good fight against racism, prejudice and evil, but hope also in the good that overwhelms evil."

Throughout the piece, Dickerson refers to a number of instances where forgiveness was expressed, and he concluded with the story of an Iraqi Christian whose city was under the threat of Islamic State. He writes:

Through tears, the Iraqi Christian prayed these words to his God: ISIS doesn't know what they are doing, so please forgive them.

His words, and the words of so many from Emanuel AME, echo another famous forgiveness. Two thousand years ago, a man uttered these words, even as he was being crucified:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

There may be instances where something has been done that is so hurtful, that it seems that the perpetrator cannot be forgiven.  In Christ, though, there is hope.  And by taking the small steps toward Christ, we can discover that through Him, we have the capacity to extend forgiveness.

Sometimes that forgiveness will be expressed in person - there may be an occasion to communicate with one another and settle differences in a spirit of reconciliation.  Other times, forgiveness is an act of the heart, releasing the love of Christ and experiencing a new degree of peace.

Jesus was that great example for us of forgiveness, as He forgive those who put Him to death as He hung upon that cross.  Through the cross, we die to the desire that would cause us to hold a grudge or to carry the burden of unforgiveness.  Through His power, we have hope for the healing of our hearts.