Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth [very] friends.
One of the most important messages of Calvary is that of forgiveness of sin. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the forgiveness of God this way: “I, [even] I, [am] he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25) Dear ones, this is how God forgives you. He blots out your sins. He remembers them no more. Glorious grace! As His children, God tells us to imitate Him in this matter of forgiveness. We are told to forgive as God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus is our example of what it means to forgive. Do you appreciate the forgiveness of God? Do you even begin to comprehend the enormous debt of sin and rebellion that God through Christ has forgiven you of?
In Matthew 18, Jesus teaches us about forgiving others as we have been forgiven. You know the story. What happened to the person who was forgiven all by God, but refused to forgive a fellow human being for their sin against them? They were tormented. Because of their short term memory of how God forgave them, they refused to forgive their fellow man. Jesus tied their refusal to forgive with a lack of compassion in their heart. Compassion forgives. Love forgives. No need to rewind or replay the incident that caused the hurt or the pain. When we forgive as we have been forgiven, love wins and Christ is glorified. Proverbs 17:9 in the NLT reads: “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.”
Reader, are you holding back forgiveness from someone this morning? Are you right now replaying the video and audio of hurt done to you? Destroy the video. Look up to the cross of Calvary. Forgive as you have been forgiven.
