Game Changing Words: Forgiveness

Good Morning,

Scientists have been studying the patterns of forgiveness and reconciliation in the animal kingdom. They often find that after fighting with each other they later embrace and continue their companionship. Researchers have found only one species of animal that doesn’t seem to ever forgive - domestic cats. If you are a cat lover, sorry. If not, then this makes perfect sense to you!

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we are called to do. It is also one of the most freeing and healing. It is critical to our spiritual, relational, emotional, and even physical health. It really is a game changing word. 

For a moment, try to forget everything you have heard or assumed about forgiveness. Focus on a single word in your mind: the biblical word, the new covenant word, in Greek it is aphesis, in English, release. To forgive means to choose to take someone whom you have been holding in your debt, holding in resentment and bitterness, and release him or her. It means we release our hold on them for consequences knowing that God is the judge, not us.

While we cannot begin to unpack all that goes with forgiveness this morning, there are a couple keys that can help us understand what goes with it. First, forgiveness is a choice. Look at the actions of Jesus on the cross. After being beaten, mocked, spat upon, and abandoned by his closest friends, he makes a profound choice.  In Luke 23:34 we read how Jesus, hanging there on the cross, utters the almost unbelievable words, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  The choice to forgive is frequently not easy. However, it is a choice not born out of feelings, but out of conviction. Let that last sentence sink in a moment. Forgiving others is what Jesus demonstrated. It’s what we are called to. 

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph. 4:31-32

Secondly, forgiveness is more than an action, it is a lifestyle. In Matthew 18, when Jesus is asked how many times we should forgive someone he says essentially, there is no limit. It is not about a certain number of times, but a spirit of forgiveness that permeates our life and our relationships. Jesus says that forgiveness is a pattern of living. And it is a pattern of living that can not only liberate us, but it can change the very atmosphere of the places we live and work. It can even improve our physical and emotional health. It is that dynamic.

This morning let me ask you: Have you let the power of forgiveness liberate and heal you?

Questions to ponder:

1. Is there someone you need release, to forgive? What is the cost of not doing that?

2. To what degree, is forgiveness a regular pattern of your life?

Live on purpose, Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC