Forgiveness and sacrifice
Forgiveness takes sacrifice. Let's say I'm wronged by someone, and in the flesh I say I forgive them. Then later on, I remember that person, or I see that person again. Then the first thing that comes to my mind is what they did to me. I look at them imputing their sin to them. I tell myself, "What a jerk that person was. Man, they were such a jerk. Wait, I forgave them of this offence. Why do I still impute it to them?" Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins Heb 9:22. Forgiveness, true forgiveness, can only be found in the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ is the lone originator and source of true forgiveness. We can't find true forgiveness outside of the cross. We can excuse people of their sin, but then we put them under probation, and we don't really let the blood cleanse our memory through the power of the Holy Spirit and fearing the Lord.
First we need to apply the cross to ourselves. We see trust in the forgiveness of God, and beleive in Christ's death on the cross and what that cross did. God has forgiven me of every single sin I have ever committed, am committing, and ever will commit. I am perfect in His sight, once and for all because the resurrected Lord is in me, and I was in Him on the cross. So now I am willing to forgive that person as Christ has forgiven me, because I've brought my self-life to the cross. I have given up my right to be wounded, and I have given up my right to impute sin to people because I have gone to the cross. The cross was the place where Christ gave up that right and eternally decreed love instead. He eternally decreed that mercy would rejoice against judgment, and that decree cannot change. So if I want to truly forgive someone, I have to go to the cross.
Second, we apply the cross to them. We see them through the cross. We see Christ in them. If they are unsaved, then we see Christ crucified towards them 1 Cor 2:2. We don't judge them. We don't remember their sins. We don't talk about them behind their backs. Christ was crucified for every sin, past, present, and future. Do you grasp that sentence I just said? Repeat it, think about it. Say it to yourself and think about the gravity of every word in that sentence. Think it in application to yourself. Think it in application to others. We forgive others even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us Eph 4:32. With God, and even so with us, the basis of forgiveness is the cross, and the cross paid for it all.
In Christ,
Josh
First we need to apply the cross to ourselves. We see trust in the forgiveness of God, and beleive in Christ's death on the cross and what that cross did. God has forgiven me of every single sin I have ever committed, am committing, and ever will commit. I am perfect in His sight, once and for all because the resurrected Lord is in me, and I was in Him on the cross. So now I am willing to forgive that person as Christ has forgiven me, because I've brought my self-life to the cross. I have given up my right to be wounded, and I have given up my right to impute sin to people because I have gone to the cross. The cross was the place where Christ gave up that right and eternally decreed love instead. He eternally decreed that mercy would rejoice against judgment, and that decree cannot change. So if I want to truly forgive someone, I have to go to the cross.
Second, we apply the cross to them. We see them through the cross. We see Christ in them. If they are unsaved, then we see Christ crucified towards them 1 Cor 2:2. We don't judge them. We don't remember their sins. We don't talk about them behind their backs. Christ was crucified for every sin, past, present, and future. Do you grasp that sentence I just said? Repeat it, think about it. Say it to yourself and think about the gravity of every word in that sentence. Think it in application to yourself. Think it in application to others. We forgive others even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us Eph 4:32. With God, and even so with us, the basis of forgiveness is the cross, and the cross paid for it all.
In Christ,
Josh