Forgiveness (2)

Ephesians 4:32-5:2:

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Last meditation I focused on what forgiveness is and what it involves. I also mentioned how hard it is to put that all into practice. So this meditation will expand on how we find the strength, ability, power and incentive to forgive.

That's found in the passage above. I'll start with Ephesians 5:2: “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us.” God has loved us. He has created us, given us food, shelter, a job, and many more blessings that we could not have received without Him. And to add to that, we were so depraved that we didn't deserve a fraction of it. That's love. That's love we should imitate.

God has given these blessings to everyone in the world. But something only the elect get is salvation. That's found in chapter 5:2b: “Christ also has … given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God.” We deserve death for our completely depraved thoughts and actions (Ephesians 2:3). But God has chosen His Son as a sacrifice in our place. That's cause to be thankful. That's cause to forgive others.

What about the ability to forgive? If we are completely depraved how can we forgive? That's found in chapter 5:1: “Be imitators of God as dear children.” God has transformed us from utterly helpless beings into able-bodied children of a great King. He's given us the ability to forgive. He's given us the ability to imitate Him. Just as our earthly fathers are a role model for us, so we must imitate God.

Chapter 4:32: “Forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” It is a great feeling to be forgiven by God. I hope you have felt that feeling. Or someday do. It's a wonderful thing. It's a promise and it's a reality.

But 'it is better to give than to receive'. And that applies to forgiveness too. The feeling of being forgiven is awesome. But the feeling of forgiving is better. That truly brings joy and happiness. Not only in this life but also in the next.

So let the forgiveness of God through Christ spur you on to forgive others. Be imitators of God as His dear children. He's given you the ability and the power and the incentive to forgive.