“... for this
is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness
of sins.”
~Matthew 26:28 (NRSV)
Free to anyone—upon acceptance of God’s forgiveness for their sins, and a
responsive act of, and ongoing commitment toward, repentance—is salvation; though it was, is, and
will never be cheap.
Forgiveness has the same effect:
the bliss of grace for all. But it is not cheap. It costs.
It cost our incarnate Lord his
earthly tenure. What was intended by Satan to kill God worked precisely to the
reverse—it liberated humankind; anyone prepared to exemplify true
forgiveness.
Forgiveness is about liberation;
not simply for one party, but for both or all concerned regarding the conflict.
Forgiveness is all about redemption, reconciliation, the glory of God.
Blood, sacrifice, and redemption
are connected all the way through the Old Testament and, indeed, they signify
today the very same thing. Whenever forgiveness is to occur it will be
costly—it will require ‘blood’ and our sacrifice—in order for the redemption of
relationships; the forgiveness of sins; a clean slate.
Entreating the Depths of Forgiveness
Most people will have great
difficulty with the practice of forgiveness; the depths of forgiveness are
lucidly sparing in the context of our typically brash humanity.
The precious humility of Jesus,
realms beyond our skinny understanding, is not found easily, and it makes
itself invisible unless we come bearing the sanctity of unconditional
surrender.
Forgiveness is not about us; it’s
about God. It’s not about them; it’s about God. It’s about the glory going to
God by way of unreasonable grace. Such grace wins hearts.
The moment we truly and
desperately become ensconced to establish the purity of the practice of
forgiveness, the time when surrender before God becomes intrinsically essential,
is the instant the meaning behind a blood-spilt sacrifice becomes more
fully known and appreciated within our inner beings.
Such forgiveness, just like grace,
is not cheap. We must beg for the capacity for it, if necessary.
The depths of forgiveness, if we
struggle to attain them, really have to be entreated to the point where our own
selfish agenda is set aside unreservedly.
God loves such a heart—one so
contrite it cannot set itself against the will and purposes of the Lord. When
God receives such humble obedience we can know, in fathom-depths of faith, our
Lord will bless us with powers of forgiveness so far beyond our understanding
and explanation we will not be tempted to take credit; we will, instead, simply
praise God.
Life Where It Hurts
Forgiveness helps most where life
hurts like hell.
It is a miraculous outcome to
absolutely shelve all thought of self for the greater gain of God—to maroon
ourselves from the safety of caution, and martyr ourselves to pride.
Did Jesus truly want to drink from
the Holy Grail? He did not; but, our Lord knew it was the only way to reconcile
a seriously interrupted partnership: humanity with its God. Jesus chose to obey
the Father to give beyond what even the devil could foresee.
Jesus gave. So must we.
If God is to win in our contexts,
today, we must give—and that, without thought for portions of our self-designed
victory. In the completeness of forgiveness, the depths of sacrificial love, is
victory beyond the mind’s comprehension. We will never look back. Forgiveness
is healing for all, and yet still such loving power for the forgiver.
© 2011, 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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