2 Sundays ago, Steve preached on Paul’s letter to Philemon and called his sermon ‘How to change the world’. The idea behind such a big call of a title is that when God’s people consistently act with His amazing grace within our relationships, this impacts the world. It sure had the potential to impact Onesimus.

Steve finished the sermon with a list of definitions helping us understand what forgiveness is and isn’t. We thought it would be useful to reproduce it here (see next post) but I also wanted to add a couple of extra thoughts from our personal experience…

We had to carefully think through forgiveness about a year ago when we were in danger of practising the opposite – unforgiveness. I believe God gave me a breakthrough of understanding one night just before bed as I was mulling over the issues. By His Spirit He worked in my thoughts to help me understand that forgiveness is ‘giving up my right to hold this against you’ (whoever the ‘you’ may be).

Because the truth is, the need to forgive only arises if someone has sinned against you. It’s therefore ok and appropriate to feel exactly that – sinned against – to feel hurt, grieved, perhaps betrayed. But the thing about forgiveness is that it doesn’t end there. Because God has shown us incredible forgiveness in Christ – exchanging Jesus’ righteousness for our sin if we trust in him – He commands us to show this kind of forgiveness to others. He effectively says – because I’ve given up my right to hold your sin against you, you must do this for others.

Now simply because He’s done it for us and He commands it – we should. But in God’s condescending grace He illuminated for me a further principle. We can forgive others not only because of what He’s done for us in the past, but also because of what He’ll do in the future.

As Steve pointed out, our forgiving others doesn’t necessarily mean reconciliation of relationship will occur. This is hard. It’s terribly tough forgiving someone who doesn’t care about how they’ve hurt you – but we are called to do our part, and the reason we can go ahead and do this is because God will also do His part.

In Romans 12:19, Paul says: Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Read verses 17-21 too – it’s all amazing stuff)

God is a just God, and He promises throughout His word that He will bring justice to and for His people on a great and dreadful day (when Jesus returns). He will make all people pay for their wrongs – either by themselves, or Jesus will declare that he’s already done it on their behalf. Justice will certainly be done – and it’s on the basis of this future hope that we can also freely forgive others now - even when they don’t ‘deserve’ it. Instead of being vengeful and bitter and unforgiving, we are to trust God to bring about justice in His timing and His way, and in the meantime we are to return good for evil, to overcome evil with good.

Extraordinary isn’t it?! It’s extraordinary what standard God calls us to, but also extraordinary that He makes it possible by giving us His Spirit. But can you also see what extraordinary things are possible if we only obey? If we take this call seriously? Slaves can be restored to the masters they’ve wronged. Evil itself can be overcome. The world can be changed. We can be called sons of God. And Jesus will be made to look like the awesome Saviour and Lord that he is.