Knowing God’s HeartSample

God Loves to Forgive

Webster defines the word grace as unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. The word unmerited is key here, because it means undeserved. So, in the Christian faith, we’d say that grace is something we’ve been given that we don’t deserve. And one of the most amazing things we’ve been given by God’s grace is His forgiveness. 

In Luke 15, Jesus told a parable about an ungrateful son who demanded his portion of his father’s estate. The father granted the request, and within a short time the son left with everything he received. Living frivolously and recklessly, he squandered it all away and eventually decided to go back home. Much to his surprise, the father was watching for his son, ran toward him, and met him with a grace-filled, unexpected welcome. This story is one we love to read because it’s a story of love toward the undeserved. It’s how God feels towards us.

But we also find ourselves navigating the disconnect we feel when this son returns home and is met with a celebration. There were no “I told you so” comments or lectures on what the father will do if this happens again. There was just immense love, stupendous grace, and overwhelming forgiveness lavished upon a very unworthy son. It’s beautifully uncomfortable, isn’t it? 

That’s how God’s forgiveness works in the economy of the Kingdom of Heaven. God forgives us freely because of Jesus' perfect act of selflessness on the cross. We receive forgiveness because He gave. Our good works don’t earn us anything; Jesus' perfect work does. 

We want forgiveness but honestly don’t know how to accept it. We know it’s a gift but we want to do something to earn just a little bit of it. Because receiving a gift that we not only never earned but can never do enough to pay back is more than our finite minds can grasp. Thankfully, God’s forgiveness is for everyone who calls on Him. Everyone. 

Because God is a forgiving God, then it only makes sense for us to be conduits of that same forgiveness toward others. But forgiving others will cost us something. It will be hard. It will take effort. It will go against what we want. Our sin nature desires revenge. Not only that, but we think there is some kind of “sin system” where some sins are not as bad while others are extremely bad. All sin is bad. But not all consequences of sin are equal. Regardless of the intensity of the consequence, God hates all sin. 

But praise God, He does not hate us! He’s waiting for us, looking off into the distance for us  to come back home. He’s ready to run to us and celebrate and overwhelm us with His grace, acceptance, and forgiveness.