I have been married to my gracious wife for nearly 42 years. We have three wonderful children and five grandchildren. If you are a husband, father, or grandfather, you understand how deeply you can love another person and desire the best for them. Although I work hard to assure the finest for these people whom I love most, I have disappointed and even hurt them in the past.
When I realize what I have done, I have had to humble myself and go to the one I have hurt and ask for their forgiveness. It is a wonderful feeling when they accept my apology and I know they are sincere, and we can move forward in our relationship. But I don’t walk away from those experiences without a stronger commitment to guard myself, so I don’t hurt them again. I am not always successful but am growing.
For those who are men of God, redeemed by the grace of God, you have had this experience with the God of the universe. You have humbled yourself before him and asked him to forgive your sin. You have also experienced the joy of knowing you are forgiven, and your relationship is on solid ground. If you have been on this spiritual journey for long, you understand that this is not a one-time event. Regardless of our best efforts, we will occasionally offend God with our attitude or actions. We then go back to him in humility and ask forgiveness, which he always grants.
These experiences should be a catalyst for us to grow toward a more consistent life of submission and obedience. In other words, if we learn from our mistakes and the process of asking for forgiveness, our failures should decrease and the need for confession should lessen.
Beyond the great feeling of being forgiven and the restoration of a right relationship with God, there is another result that should come from these experiences. We should learn to grant the same grace to others as God has offered to us.
In Matthew 18, we read this encounter, 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Jesus was not saying that once you reach the 490 mark of forgiveness you are free to strike back. Seven is the perfect number in Scripture, so Jesus was saying our forgiveness of others should be unlimited. This is a very practical understanding. We have been forgiven our offenses against a powerful, perfectly holy God. How much more should we be willing to forgive someone who offends us.
The world expects pay back and attack when they offend us. If we meet their offenses with grace and forgiveness, they are thrown off guard and the name of Jesus is honored. Even more important is our offering of forgiveness to another believer who may cause us pain. It’s easier to hold a grudge against one of the “family”. However, forgiveness offered in Jesus name shows just how powerfully God’s Spirit is at work in our lives.