Grace–Simple. Profound. - Grace and ForgivenessНамуна

Forgive Those Who Have Hurt You

Jesus talks about what we should do if a brother sins against us; if he wounds or hurts us. Do you know the story of Edmond Dante from The Count of Monte Cristo? He was savagely betrayed by his best friend. Edmond's fiancée leaves him and he is wrongfully put in prison for a long time. A guy helps him escape prison and he builds his life back up, gets another name, and becomes rich. Why does he do all that? To move back into the life of those who betrayed him to seek revenge! Sadly, life doesn’t work out for him even after he has his revenge. 

Jesus offers a wonderful example of how we should treat those who have hurt us. He says to forgive them. Peter wants to know how many times we are supposed to forgive those who hurt us, and Jesus tells a story in the book of Matthew where an official owed the king ten thousand talents which now equal to $9 billion. The king ordered to sell this man’s wife, children, and all that he possessed to pay the debt. The official got down on his knees and begged the king to have mercy on him. The Bible says that the king had compassion on him, forgave the debt, and freed him. What do you think this man did after being set free? Throw a 9-billion-dollar party to celebrate his freedom? Nope! He goes to find his slave who owed him $17,000, nothing near the debt he had with the king; he grabbed the slave by the throat telling him to pay what he owed him.  Does that turn your stomach? Does it say to you “that’s ridiculous I would never do that!” But what if we turn this debt into wounds and  apply it to forgiveness?

Forgiveness is a process that’s based on an event. The event is the king canceling your debt. A debt that you couldn’t possibly repay. This is why Jesus gave the example of a $9 billion debt, because not in 150 lifetimes would this man be able to pay the debt. The event is the cross of Jesus Christ. When God himself died in your place, He cancelled the debt of sin that you could never repay. That’s the center of Christian forgiveness. That’s why Jesus could say “I want you to love your enemies.” God wants us to be like Him and demonstrate that we are His children by showing characteristics of Jesus, which means acting like Him. Love your enemies because God loved you when you were His enemy. Forgive those who have wounded you because God forgave you.