An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms, an oxymoron. To say that you’re a follower of Jesus Christ and yet harbor unforgiveness in your heart is simply wrong. This reality brings us to our final amazing truth in this week’s devotions: You are never more like God than when you forgive.
Alexander Pope wrote, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” We reflect the nature of God in a dramatic way when we are willing to forgive because He is a forgiving God. He makes this clear throughout Scripture.
Exodus 34:6–7 says, “The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, ‘Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’” He wants His people to know that He is forgiving. And if we want to be like Him, we must be forgiving as well.
Jesus touched on the issue of forgiveness time after time during His earthly ministry. It was a theme of many of His parables. He hammered on the issue repeatedly in His private talks with the disciples.
When Jesus taught us to pray, He used these words: “And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12). That’s how closely intertwined God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness must be. In that same passage, Jesus also said, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (verse 10). What’s going on in Heaven? The worship of God, the exaltation of Christ, and the granting of forgiveness. Therefore, we should be worshipping God. We should be exalting Jesus Christ. And we should be forgiving one another.
You’ll notice that God doesn’t downplay the seriousness of sin or the effect it has on our relationship with Him. But when we repent, He chooses to forgive, to restore the relationship—not with ulterior motives but rather with a sincere desire for reconciliation. This should be our attitude as well when we forgive others. God wants what’s best for us, even after we’ve done our worst.
