Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Are you a risk taker? Risk contains the concept of an unknown outcome. Except in rare occasions when the outcome produces neutral results (you end up in basically the same situation you started), the unknown outcome is either positive or negative. You win or you lose. Typically, the bigger the risk you take, the greater the margin of win or loss.
If you’re not a risk taker, you’re probably very uncomfortable with the unknown, and you struggle with the concept of losing. For those of you who are risk takers, the potential benefit of a win or positive outcome is worth dealing with the unknown. The most successful risk takers assess what is known about the issues related to taking the risk, and based upon their feelings toward the known, they believe this narrows the consideration of whether or not the risk is worth taking. Please keep in mind where you stand on risk as you read the following.
The primary focus of Jesus’ mission was forgiveness. Giving Himself up to be crucified was the one and only sacrificial act that the Father would accept to give us complete forgiveness for our past, present, and future sins. Think about that – the only begotten Son of God, denying his glorified position with the Father in heaven, came in human form only to be ridiculed, scorned, beaten, tortured, and murdered – all for the sake of forgiveness. That should give us a sizable hint as to God’s belief of how critical forgiveness is to a positive human life experience.
Forgiveness takes place in two realms – spiritual and human. When we believe in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, repent of our sins, and accept Him as our personal savior, we are forgiven for all our sins against God. This is spiritual forgiveness, and its importance to our lives cannot be overstated. Being forgiven by God brings us peace with the Creator of the Universe. That can’t be bad. Another benefit of God’s forgiveness is we have access to the Father at all times. With Jesus as our advocate, we can take to the Father whatever is on our heart anytime we want. Finally, we receive the Holy Spirit which gives us the power of God to overcome those things (sins) that cause distance in our relationship with God and equips us to serve His will for us.
The Holy Spirit also gives us the power to forgive other people when otherwise it would seem impossible. This human forgiveness can be more difficult than spiritual forgiveness because the pain that was delivered from the sin or offense can be overwhelming. When we don’t forgive others, we not only hold onto the pain and grief that so often accompanies unforgiveness, we are granting the offender continued power over our peace in life and our relationship with God. Jesus specifically speaks to the link between spiritual and human forgiveness in today’s verse.
So what do forgiveness and our attitude towards risk have in common? Based on what Jesus says in today’s verse, there is a real risk that we are jeopardizing our relationship with the Father when we don’t forgive others. Additionally, our showing a lack of forgiveness is putting at risk the power of a witness to Christ’s forgiveness to those around us – and even to the offender whom we can’t forgive. Finally, we are risking going through the rest of our lives shackled by the chains of the pain of unforgiveness. Is forgiving difficult? Yes. It is it impossible? No – not when we have the Holy Spirit. No one in history was more wrongly accused and offended that Jesus Christ. Hanging on a cross, Jesus looked upon His accusers and asked His Father to forgive them. You might say that He was able to do that because He is God. That’s the point – with the Holy Spirit abiding in you as a believer in Jesus, you have God and His power to forgive. Take the chance to forgive – it’s worth the risk.