Agents of Forgiveness

Christ has loved us deeply, and offers us forgiveness for our sins, and He has taught us and empowered 
us to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us. He says in Luke chapter 6:
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Forgiveness is not a transactional proposition - we don't forgive in order to get something in return; rather, we forgive because God requires it and because we are motivated with our hearts right before God in order to grant it. Unforgiveness is incompatible with a heart that is dedicated to God, so when it is present, it can do damage to our walk with God and can bring a weight that we are not intended to carry.  We, as God's people, are instructed to love, and have the capacity to do it.

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From our state of being declared holy and righteous before God, we are called to exemplify behavior 
that is consistent with our new nature in Christ. Colossians 3 states:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

A few years ago, Bret Lynn, who is a mechanic north of Philadelphia, returned to his home, he encountered a dangerous surprise that threatened his life - an intruder at his house.  According to Faithwire: 

Arriving home from dropping his kids off at gymnastics, Bret noticed a person attempting to break into some of cars in the lot of his family owned shop, which is in close proximity to his home. When he told the man to leave, the situation escalated quickly and before he knew it, Bret had been stabbed and was in critical condition.

In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, even in the midst of his pain, Bret Lynn was thinking about, of all things - forgiveness. He said, "If I couldn’t forgive when it really mattered, then I think my witness as a Christian would be hurt..."  He believed the Holy Spirit was prompting him to "resolve the conflict."  

Bret discovered that the attacker was experiencing difficulty in his life, and Bret asked the judge in the ensuing trial to allow him to address the man who had broken into his shop and attacked him.  The article relates that Bret told the guy in court:

...I essentially told him, I don’t want him to be in prison any longer than the state deems necessary. It ought not be on account of me, because he doesn’t owe me anything anymore. I told the court, the reason I’m forgiving this guy is because Christ has forgiven me for so much more than he had done to me. None of us are righteous, none of us are perfect, none of us are holy. But God is holy. God is infinite. He’s holy, he’s righteous and he’s perfect. My sins are against God, and so my debt is much greater.”

Are we committed to forgiving others in light of our forgiveness in Christ? Bret Lynn asks this penetrating question: “If we’re Christians and we’ve been forgiven for everything we’ve done then how can we withhold forgiveness?”

That can seem to be a tall order, right?  But, we can be confident that God will give us the love and capacity to forgive.  Because He has loved us and given us new hearts that are activated by His love, forgiveness can flow through our hearts and lives.

We also recognize that our failure to forgive has an impact on our prayer life. Unforgiveness inhibits our prayers, forgiveness allows the grace of God to flow.  And, because Jesus gave His life for us and we have received His grace, we are now called to exemplify the grace of God.