Forgiving My Father, Forgiving MyselfSample

Forgiveness Displays the Character of God

The concept we all need to grasp when it comes to forgiveness is this: when we forgive, we are displaying the character of God. Forgiveness reflects His nature. That’s what He did for us. That’s what He wants from us. That is what He is doing in us. 

Forgiveness is a sacred sacrifice you offer to God, a gift you give to Him. It is an opportunity to practice a divine quality. Let’s elevate forgiveness to the realm of the holy. It’s about having the opportunity to model and display God’s character to a broken world in desperate need of true forgiveness.

This perspective not only provides a great motivator to forgive but taps into the ultimate purpose of God’s people showing forgiveness—to glorify God and make Him known to others. Doing so means saying, “I’m going to make my decisions not based on what I want, such as validation or revenge, and not based on what I feel, such as anger and bitterness, but based instead on my purpose, which is to glorify God.” 

We are transforming our approach to forgiveness by making our wounds sacred. We are elevating forgiveness to the realm of the holy by understanding that forgiveness displays the character of God. Now let’s experience forgiveness by participating in a miracle.

I love how Webster’s Dictionary defines a miracle: “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.” Forgiveness is certainly an extraordinary event displaying God’s intervention in human affairs. If we choose to show mercy when wronged, we are tapping into God’s mercy. If we choose to pardon the offender, we are imitating God’s pardon of us. God sent Jesus to earth as the one blood sacrifice to atone for all our sin—the ultimate divine intervention in human affairs! Miraculously, then, you and I are forgiven for our sins while we are yet sinners.

God invites us to participate with Him in this miracle. We play a part and make choices—when we submit our wounds for transformation to His holy use and choose to display His character to the world, God intervenes and changes our hearts from bitterness to love, from resentment to restoration. Jesus extends this miracle to each and every heart.

Have you accepted Christ’s invitation to become part of something bigger than yourself?