Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 9Sample

Today we are focusing on 2 Corinthians 2. Specifically, 2 Corinthians 2:10"

"If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven — if there was anything to forgive — I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake."

Paul is adamant that when we forgive, we must also be able to forget. True forgiveness forgets. We truly need to understand what forgiveness is. We often hear people speak about forgiveness in this way, and this attitude reveals a lack of understanding of what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is a promise we make to the person we forgive that our opinion of them and relationship with them will no longer be governed by the offence, never to be brought up again. Forgiveness also does not share the offence with anybody else. When it is forgiven, it is also forgotten, never to be spoken of again. Forgiveness becomes a commitment you make to yourself that when you think about it again, it will not have the same power over you. You will remind yourself that it belongs to the past. We can forgive because we have been forgiven. We can be kind and compassionate because Christ forgave us.

Let us conclude by asking ourselves the question:

Do we forgive from the reality that we have been forgiven and that we no longer allow the offence to influence our lives?