March 11, 2019: Forgiveness
Forgiveness means different things to different people. How do you define it?
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines it as: “To stop feeling anger toward someone who has done something wrong; to stop blaming someone.” Is this a proper definition of Biblical forgiveness?
Like the textbook definition of forgiveness, I know I’ve forgiven someone when the memory of them or what they’ve done doesn’t trigger any feelings of anger, resentment, or bitterness anymore.
It’s like a piece of skin that’s irritated or has a cut — I know it’s healed when I can touch it without pain.
Part of forgiveness, I think, is to take responsibility for my future actions towards this person and their offense against me. I may still think that they are at fault or to blame for hurting me, but I no longer give them the power to hurt me further.
Biblical forgiveness, however, seems to take this human definition of forgiveness further.
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”
— Corrie Ten Boom
Biblical forgiveness, if we are to use God’s forgiveness of our sins as a model, is about a rift-less reconciliation between the offender and the offended. Corrie Ten Boom, a victim of the Holocaust, forgave her worst captor face to face when he apologized to her.
The Bible commands us to forgive, regardless of what we feel. It tells us to let go of the hurt, the bitterness, the desire for vengeance. If we really believe that God is in control over all things, biblical forgiveness commands us to then take matters out of our own hands and to put our trust, our rights, and our sense of injustice into the hands of God.
