Forgiveness, the Holiness of God

Humanity has a common and collective desire.  It is prosperity.  But the reality of our lives is far less certain.  With threats to our financial, physical, and emotional safety—among several other needs—life is riskier than most of us would like it to be.

There is a chasm between 
our innate desire for peace and 
the harsher reality common to life.

There is one thing that would assure us of our individual and collective prosperity, and that would be if only we were all “like God” to the extent of God’s holiness.

The two most basic theological facts about God and humanity are fundamentally contrastive:

Humanity (each person) is made IN God’s image, 
YET God is completely “other-than” humanity.

The first fact says we are made of the same stuff, and this is in tension with the second fact, that we are nothing like God in one particular way: we are not holy.  But amazingly, Scripture still calls us, as a steady and consistent refrain, to “be holy, as God is holy.”

The central premise of the gospels is not only 
to “believe” in Jesus, but to “follow” Him.

God desires to transform in character 
all those who are made in God’s image.

Sanctification is the name we give 
to the process of becoming holy.

Discipleship is the name 
we give to this craft.

Jesus commands His disciples 
to MAKE disciples.

~

GOD’S HOLINESS IN FORGIVENESS

One of the key differentiators between us humans and God is the forgiveness in God’s grace.  The truth of God’s grace at the Cross boggles the human mind.

No human heart can truly comprehend it.

God forgave humanity completely in the most sacrificial acts—the giving up of His own Son.  In such a plan, God loves humanity so much He does not spare a thought.  Indeed, the Son was intimately involved in the plan from before the very beginning of creation.  God thought nothing of sacrificing Himself for His precious and beloved creation.  It was the only thing that love could do.

Well before creation came into being, 
God knew humanity would need to be rescued.

God was willing to sacrifice all of Himself
to save His precious creation 
and this demonstrates the purity 
in the love of His forgiveness.

Yet, it’s completely different for us human beings.  Humanity often cannot forgive petty grievances.  If we are honest, we can think of times when we struggled to forgive someone for something very minor.  The behaviour of a fellow road user who has had a lapse, for instance.  Someone who has cut in front of us in a queue.  Often whether by mistake or deliberate.

When humanity shares God’s character in ease with forgiveness, that humanity bears God’s holiness; “they are holy as He is holy.”  But something must happen for humanity to bear this grace.

God must transform us 
in the likeness of His holiness.

Only God can do the transforming.
It is a miracle of His grace.

~

BEARING THE HOLINESS OF GOD IN OUR FORGIVING OTHERS

The honour we have living this life is the opportunity of holiness, to “be holy as God is holy.”  No human being should deprive themselves of this opportunity, for it is the halcyon peak of human experience.  It is true transcendence.

But we can only achieve this level of otherness-with-God when we give up what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose.  And what does that mean?

Only when God is the most important thing in our lives does He command our focus and attention to the degree of our allegiance.  We must ask ourselves, “Will I always be prepared to do what is true and right and just and appropriate to honour God?”  This is what it is like to be holy.

To honour God at every point 
is a commitment toward holiness.

Often the hardest thing of all in life is forgiving.

This is because we have been transgressed, and rarely in these circumstances have the transgressors owned what they did.  More commonly they dismissed it, or said “get over it,” or worse, said “it never happened.”  It is hard to forgive as God forgave and forgives.

We have the opportunity 
not only to bear God’s image, 
but to exemplify God’s character.

Exemplifying God’s character 
is not about being “like God”.
It is about BEING the humility, 
the mercy, and the compassion of God, 
exemplified in Christ who died for us, 
though we were, still are, 
and always will be sinners.

We will only know what it was like for Jesus on the Cross when we bear His holiness in forgiving others their trespasses against us.  Read that again.

There is no way we can empathise with God—that is FEEL as God feels—without giving ourselves and our justice away.  It runs counter to how the world would have it, and how the world insists we live, and it also runs counter to our own intuition and ‘logic’.

But it is what it is.  There is no getting around this.  Judgement is God’s!

What is it about this way 
of being the BEING of God? 
It overcomes the seven deadly sins.

It overcomes our pride, for in our humility we accept the transgression and forgive it, just the way God has forgiven us.

It overcomes our anger, because self-control is a form of heaven, so we accept the transgression and forgive it, just the way God has forgiven us.

It overcomes our greed, for we know greed gets us nowhere other than far from God, so we accept the transgression and forgive it, just the way God has forgiven us.

It overcomes our envy, for understand the transgressor has won nothing, so we can accept the transgression and forgive it, just the way God has forgiven us.

It overcomes our sloth, for we understand that demonstrating diligence is godliness.

It overcomes our gluttony, because we know that stuffing ourselves with our own wanton desires is just another form of hell.  And it overcomes our lust in the same way—out of control desires are the epitome of hell.

Back in the day, when I was going to five AA meetings a week, so often I would hear people say, “Just give your all to this program for three months, just promise yourself that, and you will never look back.”  It is so true.

Living the holiness of God to the extent of forgiving as God has forgiven us need only be done under the same conditions.  If we give our heart and soul over to God in these ways of living the love of God, we will not turn back, for the Spirit of God will convince us that there is no life on earth like heaven on earth.

Heaven on earth is possible, 
as in the Lord’s Prayer—
on earth as it is in heaven.

The only way is to LIVE it.

~

CRAVING A DIFFERENT WORLD

The cravings of the holy person are of realities of another world brought to life in this world.  Truly this is “on earth as it is in heaven.”  The truly holy person believes so much in this way of living it becomes the purpose of their being.

The more we believe for this kind of reality, the more God opens the eyes of our hearts to the possibilities.  Can there be a better purpose for being?

We crave a different world when we are sick of the violence, the pain, the dysfunction, the corruption, the selfishness, and the evil.  Yet, while we are here God’s holiness invites us into realities that transcend the disparaging nature of this world.

The purpose of our being 
is to bring heaven to earth.

This starts in our own lives.

This is the call of holiness.

Forgiveness, the Promise of God

God keeps His promises.  This is one four-worded statement that the Bible proves true.

“When dreams come true,” is another four-worded statement that sums up the fulfillment of God keeping His promise—the provision of humankind’s salvation.  The statement reflects each of our hearts from the very moment we are conscious of desires we cannot avoid—good desires for safety, for prosperity, and for wellbeing.  These desires are human needs.

God knows these are human needs.

Salvation is the meeting of these needs.

He who created us, He who formed us, 
knows us, and He made us this way, 
and God has also made a way for us.

As is God’s nature, we have been given 
what is central to our need and our condition.

Our need is salvation,
for our condition is sin.

Our need resolves our condition.
There is salvation for our sinful nature.

The promise of God in salvation is one of those dreams come true—a deep desire and wish in us that our lack of goodness might be somehow understood, forgiven, absolved; we, who desperately WANT to be good.

The promise of God in salvation fills a gap that we ourselves cannot fill.  The promise of God in salvation achieves something that we both need but cannot achieve on our own.

THE FIRST GOSPEL – GENESIS 3:15

Interestingly, the first gospel comes way before the biblical gospels, and well before even the biblical prophets.

Protoevangelium (noun) is “a messianic interpretation of a text,” according to Merriam-Webster, “presaging [humanity’s] ultimate triumph over sin through the coming of a savior—used as the first anticipation of the gospel.”

Genesis 3:15 is the protoevangelium— 
the earliest foretelling of the gospel of God 
rescuing a humanity that cannot live up to its image.

Importantly, the elements of the first gospel feature God’s enamoured demeanour toward the first humans.  God does not curse them, but he curses the serpent and the ground.

The first humans were deceived, 
just as we today can be deceived. 

It is better to be deceived than be deceptive.

~

God prophesies in Genesis 3:15 that, “He (Jesus) will crush your (Satan’s) head, and you (Satan) will strike His heel.”  Ultimately, Satan “bruised” Christ’s heel at the cross, but Christ’s death and resurrection “crushed” Satan, a decisive victory for all eternity.

TWO TYPES OF SEED

There is so much theology in Genesis 3:15 about the fall and God’s plan to redeem His beloved humanity.  One of the clearest signs that this theology is true is how it translates in life.

There are two types of seed in this spiritual life: 
God’s sheep and wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The former are those who try to do the right thing 
and repent when they don’t.
The latter are not interested in doing 
the right thing and they do not repent. 

There is God’s seed represented by Adam and Eve who have God’s seal of love, who are further represented by those who receive the gospel (receiving God’s forgiveness) which powers them to live in the light because they seek relationship with God, accepting and living in His grace.

There is also Satan’s seed represented by the serpent, and there are those who are counterfeit Christians who seem to “believe” in Jesus but do not follow His ways.  Theirs is a way of breaking relationship even if they feign affection—these are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They resist the gospel’s work in their lives even if they say they work in its power.

God’s seed is committed to contrition.
Satan’s seed manifests contempt.

Jesus Himself makes the case for those who have Satan’s seed in this extended passage from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:15-23:

“Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’”  (NIV)

It is hard as a pastor to preach about the things that Jesus spoke of, but it is plain in what we read. By their fruit we will know them, not always by what they say or promise, for their words are cheap in comparison to the evidence in their actions.  And not everyone who does things in God’s name is one of God’s people.

God knows the heart and 
deceivers do not deceive God.

Indeed, it is folly for a deceptive one 
to cry foul in the cold light of day.

~

GRATITUDE FOR PROMISES KEPT

We can be grateful to the extent that we appreciate that God is true to His character.

What more can be given for the grace-gift that has been given to us?  It has ALL been given.  There is nothing left to give.  It was all done at the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished,” because once Jesus died, the resurrection was only a matter of time away, because death could not hold the Son of God down.

The promise spoken forth back at the 
beginning of creation has been kept.

Nothing is required of us other than 
our allegiance to follow the way of Jesus.

This is simply about God 
leading us in the way everlasting.

The truth is, gratitude is its own gift.  Especially when we consider that gratitude is built on the truth of a promise kept that we depended on being kept.

The foundation of this promise kept is the forgiveness we needed but could not grasp for ourselves.  In the delivery of the promise—the forgiveness of God—just so happens to be the promise we can make back to God:

“I will never be perfect, Lord, 
and thank You that I do not need to be.
But what I can do is forgive 
those who sin against me, 
just as in fact, 
You have done for me...
and, by doing so I trust You, God.”

Agreeing to live by the model God has given to us through His Son, we do not live an absurd example, even if the world might say we are mad to forgive someone who will neither appreciate the gift of our forgiveness nor repent.

We may forgive and thereby live according to the model we have been given, but our forgiveness will never cost us like it cost God.  Our forgiveness is a token in comparison.

Besides, our forgiveness is a promise made back to God, that we promise never to judge as we accept in this that God alone is judge.

In such forgiveness, as benefactors of the eternal promise of redemption, we are freed from the bonds of requiring a certain variety of justice—that we cannot procure.

In forgiveness is wisdom, 
for in forgiveness is freedom.

THE WISDOM IN FORGIVENESS

Death teaches us to live this life lightly.

Not only is death inevitable, but we also leave this life with nothing.  What is written as our life record matters.  How we live our life has consequences.

Forgiveness in this life matters.  It is significant beyond this life, just as it is significant in this life.  There is wisdom in forgiveness.  Indeed, there is only wisdom in forgiveness, and no folly.  But there is folly in unforgiveness.

Wisdom proves itself right by faith.
That is, when we apply wisdom, it works out right.

But we must apply wisdom by faith,
because rarely is wisdom vindicated beforehand.

There is life in trusting the path of goodness,
that all things will end well when ventured by faith.

~ ~ ~

Forgiveness, the City of God

Living and loving is the heart of God exemplified in humanity.  Nothing pleases God more than His people living and loving as the Holy Spirit empowers them to—and all the same, nothing pleases us more than when we are heartfully devoted to living and loving.

This is precisely a graciousness from Jesus Himself that is a hope that surprises the entire world when it encounters it.

This is seen through the eyes and felt through the heart of an individual who is utterly unprepared to experience this grace firsthand through being forgiven when they feel they don’t deserve it.

Oftentimes it is all it took to sway a heart toward Christ, for they have experienced Him.

It is the undeserved mercy 
of grace in forgiveness for us all.

Forgiveness absolutely shocks the world. 

The world is always unprepared for mercy. 

Yet the mercy in forgiveness 
is life for those who need it.
And for those who take advantage, 
those who do not care,
their record is written.
They happily stand condemned!

Those who forgive are the acquitted.
They ARE the City of God.

~

God has nothing to do with hate, hateful attitudes, or separating good from good.  Among other things that need not be said, but will be said anyway, God is preparing a people like a place, and that people will be His... His Holy City.

What is this Holy City like?

THE HOLY CITY, THE BRIDE

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
—Revelation 21:2

What does the bride look like who is prepared for Jesus, the husband.  “Dressed” means ready.  Ready in this context means she is holy as He is holy.  Adorned “beautifully” and, in other words, appropriately, to BE with God, in God’s inimitable presence.

As we re-read Revelation 21:2 a few times and meditate on it, thinking in matrimonial imagery, surely, we are encouraged to consider what it would be for the entity of “the bride” being a match for God—she is the “Holy City,” the “New Jerusalem.”

The whole aspect of “husband” and “wife,” as we appropriate these terms in marriage between human beings, can be a distraction to what is going on in Revelation.  The point biblically is that “the bride” is a match, or an appropriate partner, for husband Jesus.

Of such unity of the City of God, I am immediately taken back to Jesus’ final night before He is tried, scourged, condemned, then crucified.  John chapters 13 through 17 capture truly what is Jesus’ most intense teaching about the Father Heart of God.

Both a command and a deep wish, Jesus repeatedly told His disciples to “love one another...” as He Himself had loved them, who was about to give Himself up for them.

This love that we are to share 
with one another is the unity in God.

The City of God (or the bride)
is to love itself (others) as God loves it.

When we behave with such love, 
we ARE the City of God.

~

THOSE WHO ARE THE CITY OF GOD

Those who are the City of God are of the character of God, Himself.  They do not meddle in petty affairs.  They look high, not to the moral high ground, but to praise the One who was, who is, and who is to come—the eternal One.  They are devoted to truth.

They stoop low also.  Not to repeat the dregs of society, but to spend time and to give love into the brokenness of humanity and situations that scream aloud for the hope in God alone.  They go to where God goes, and they keep going where God will always go.

The City of God are God’s people.
They are the ever-present witness of God.
They are gloriously safe, 
welcoming, esteemed, regal, 
holy, friendly.

The City of God executes 
the mercy of their Maker,
because, due to their character, 
they see far beyond a selfish justice.

~

What we approach now is the interwovenness of forgiveness with wisdom.  Life itself joins itself to these intertwined principles.  Once we understand the power in these concepts, we are free—perhaps for the first time in our entire lives.

Those who ARE the City of God have truly come to comprehend the magnanimity of their humanity as they are built in the image of God.  Those enshrined in the City of God are intrinsically generous of spirit, whole, and nurturing of character.

FORGIVENESS IS A CENTRAL TENET IN WISDOM

Of those who inhabit the City—of those who ARE the City, no less—what is it that characterises them?  Is it their kindness, their compassion, their wit in trying circumstances?  It is their gentleness, their diligent care, their resolve to do what is right?  Is it their capacity to love others, their desire to be accountable, their humility to forgive themselves when they get it wrong?

They are all these.  They embody the wisdom of forgiveness.  Nobody can forgive others until they can first forgive themselves.  They know there is life in redemption, and their whole life oozes with the character of the second chance.  There is an openness of heart, of mind, of being in the forgiving person—theirs is life and abundantly so.

There is a wisdom in forgiveness
that the world in its ‘wisdom’ cannot see.

The world sees in forgiveness a folly 
that cannot be called “wisdom,” 
never comprehending that wisdom itself
is a God-construct – for ALL wisdom is of God.

~

HEARTS AT THE READY

Jesus told us to come to Him, to follow Him, to be ready for Him, we who are the City.

Our hearts are to be at the ready.  Our hearts stand to attention when we are willing to live in servitude to goodness and grace.  Dwelling in these locales of character, appreciating the good and being gracious, abiding by these, God does something wondrous in us:

As we mirror the goodness and grace in God, 
God allows us to emulate such goodness and grace.

Hearts at the ready,
feet skipping to the dance,
no matter what travails us,
we live ready to forgive.

As we give to God,
God gives right back to us,
always remembering what we give
was ALREADY given to us.

Hearts at the ready is truly a representation of God’s own heart, eternally ready to forgive us.  And perhaps this is why we know that forgiveness IS the wisdom of the ages.

“We love because he first loved us,” it says in 1 John 4:19.  Anything and everything good and praiseworthy came from Him and then to us.  None of our goodness and grace is our doing.  It is all because God came and did it first.

We do our good through the power, 
the motivation, the inspiration of God.

~

We know what it is like to be forgiven.

It feels good. 
It can be a dream come true. 
It is a prayer answered. 
It is also a miracle.

~

So we ought to want to forgive others, 
and not least ourselves, 
knowing again that if we cannot forgive ourselves, 
we cannot receive God’s forgiveness somehow, 
which is FREE for all,
we cannot and will not want to forgive others. 

Forgiveness, therefore, can be seen in reverse.
Forgiveness is central to the City of God.

Not that we are people pleasers!  On the contrary, we want to gift others what we ourselves have already received—that which is utterly good and life-giving.  We know they would appreciate it: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you,” is the golden rule in Matthew 7:12.  There is no coincidence in Jesus saying this one maxim sums up the Law and the Prophets—a huge chunk of the established Scriptures of His day.

It is a glorious thing to 
embody the glory of God:
the City of God.

We do it when we give to others what we 
would reasonably expect they would give to us
if only they could.

~

Being the City of God:
this is our role and goal.

Forgiveness, the Truth of God

“You can’t handle the truth!”  It is the legendary line of script that Col. Nathan Jessep (played by Jack Nicholson) barked in response to the goading of Naval lawyer, Lt. Daniel Kaffee (played by Tom Cruise) in the 1992 motion picture, “A Few Good Men.”  As it happened, truth won the day in that story.  Eventually.

“A Few Good Men” shows the power of truth, to bring about justice when truth is finally revealed, and how it keeps people in situations of subjugation when it is hidden.

Truth is like wisdom.

“Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does,” said Jesus in Matthew 11:19.  In this verse, wisdom is profiled operating as truth.  It eventually arrives and once it does, it reveals.

There is nothing more compelling over the 
face of the earth or in heaven as truth.

Truth is the very basis and dividing line of righteousness and wickedness, good and evil.  Revealed, it has the power to condemn or acquit.  Hidden, people are protected who have no right being protected.  Covered up, harms are done to the most vulnerable, and those harms continue and are compounded by the scarcity of justice.  And yet, when truth is brought to light, there is great potential for freedom, for healing, for justice.

The truth is costly.
God spares no expense defending what is right.

~

Truth is a light like a lamp at night.

Truth facilitates the fullness of true sight.

Truth brings forth opportunities to decide.

Decisions based in truth are powerful,
just as decisions will be weighed 
according to the measure of truth.

~

Forgiveness is foundationally conversant in truth.

Once truth is determined and faced, 
relationally, forgiveness is possible.

~

A SHARED TRUTH THAT CAN BE CELEBRATED

Once a relational situation is understood for what it is worth—once the truth is determined and accepted—forgiveness is the next logical outcome for parties close to God.  That is, when two or all parties accept the truth, or it is a shared truth that can indeed be celebrated.  When this happens, there is true celebration, even in the heavenlies (i.e., Luke 15:7), for truth has won the day, and all may share in the love that truth opens the door to.

Truth facilitates love.
Where truth is welcome, love prevails instantly.

Shared truth that can be celebrated gives all parties power to love because all parties have received love.  The relational safety enjoyed is a bountiful blessing to all.  Forgiveness, we can be sure, has been inherently part of these interactions.  “The Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.”  (Acts 20:35)

Relationally speaking, truth offers relationships fresh opportunities at reconciliation, but for that to occur there is a need for mature parties on all sides to be humble enough to own their portion of contribution to conflict and to be gracious—to seek to be forgiven and to forgive.

Truly the power of truth in relationships 
is for the mature one 
to reach forth in humility, 
offering their wrong to 
the other person to be forgiven, 
so then justice is done, 
healing commences, and love holds sway.
PEACE.

~

TRUTH TESTS US ALL

Truth presents many uncomfortable realities for all of us.

None of us live this life without needing to face truth.  No matter how much we might be tempted to deny the truth, the truth will inevitably need to be faced.  And yet there are so many temptations to deny it.

The truth can be very painful—very much in the vein of us not being able to handle the truth.  We are tempted to come up with all kinds of justifications and even excuses to defend ourselves, and of course it can be difficult to discern the difference between someone speaking truth to us and them treating us harshly and unjustly.

Truth tests our discernment, 
it tests our humility, 
and mostly it tests our heart.

Even how we receive injustice toward us 
is a truth about who we are,
and where our heart is at.

The truth is we ALL face injustice.

~

Whether a truth threatens our confidence
or the truth is something we cannot change
the truth can seem larger than we would ever like.

But, still, it is the truth that will set us free.
Only truth.

Only in facing the truth is there 
the power of transcendence.

The truth that sets us free
is the truth that we face.

Truly nothing stands against us when we can face the truth.  But standing in all the truth is often too much for us.  Praise God that perfection is not expected of us.  But at least we may enjoy opportunities to journey in the truth day by day.

Each new day and indeed each moment ushers forth new choices for courage.  If we have enough courage to party with the truth, and enough composure for kindness and graciousness, we can speak and do deeds of truth in love.

Forgiveness is at the intersection of both—truth and love.  Only after the truth has arrived are love and forgiveness possible.  Forgiveness is the grandest exemplification of love.

The epitome of the concept of forgiveness is love, 
in its very nature, the Cross of Christ.

~

TRUTH INVITES HUMILITY

Truth, of course, is an ever-present invitation.  How will we receive the truth as it arrives on our doorstep?  Will the truth find us willing hosts as it enters?  Or will it feel unwelcome?  Humility is the key.

The first truth we must deal with if we are to party with both truth and forgiveness is humility.  We must overcome, or at least acknowledge, our sinful pride.

A grand paradox 
in terms of personal character:

It takes humility to acknowledge pride.

We cannot transact with the truth without dealing with that externalisation of locus that sees us want to cast the blame AWAY from ourselves.  But every time we cast the blame toward others, we lose all power and agency to receive the impetus to change necessary that truth might actually change us.

Humility is the bedrock of growth.
There is no empowerment for life 
without humility.

“A look within,
honesty for sin.”

Humility is the biggest ongoing test of our lives.  That, or truth.  Perhaps we can imagine truth and humility being close cousins or even brothers or sisters.  When we are humble, truth is no threat at all.

Truth demands humility.
To face truth we need humility.
But equally...
Humility prepares a heart for truth.
Humility is agency for truth.

Truth finds an ally in a humble person.

~

GOD, TRUTH, JUSTICE, FORGIVENESS

It does need to be said that God is bringing forth justice in this post-#MeToo and post-#ChurchToo era.  God is more interested in truth and justice than any of us can imagine.  We too easily forget that God sees everything, including our own sin.

Where people have been abused, harmed, and traumatised, God is bringing justice to those situations, and the antecedent to such justice is our recognising that we ought to be out of the way of such judgements by not adding OUR sin to it as much as we can exercise self-control.  We get out of the way when we give the assailant and predator over to the Lord in forgiveness, essentially trusting that God’s justice is truer than anything we could execute.

When we forgive, we honour the part of truth 
that affects us in terms of our response.

To react to the abuse is an abuse.
Reactive abuse is still abuse.

It is up to us to take the teachings of Jesus seriously.
Followers of Jesus know an-eye-for-an-eye 
is inconsistent with the ways of Jesus.

There is perhaps no better example 
of trusting God 
than of waiting patiently for His justice.

God understands and empathises with 
our anger at the injustices done to us.

~

TRUTH URGES US TOWARD THE LOVE OF FORGIVENESS

God is a God of truth, and He urges us to live a life worthy of the love of forgiveness because this life transacts with the truth.  Think of the significance of the word, “worthy,” as in “living a life worthy of your calling,” per Ephesians 4:1.

Truth calls each of us forth into The Day—the Day the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24).  It shines like that light in the night, making visible what was concealed by darkness.  Light that reveals what is plainly seen gives us the opportunity to transact with the truth and reconcile matters.

All of life depends on the love that is in forgiveness, for anything else in this hard life leads to bitterness when the heart is hurt.  Life is in reconciliation, and forgiveness deals not only in truth but it leads us onward in truth in that truth continues to herald the way to freedom.

Truth reveals many stark realities, yet there are so many people living so many versions of life that do not resemble life at all.  So many people despise the truth, reflecting a point-blank refusal to transact in and with the truth.

Truly one of the best ways to ensure 
we transact with the truth is to forgive.

To forgive is to face the inconvenient and 
uncomfortable truth and to believe for even better.

To forgive is to invest faith 
in truth prevailing, ultimately.

The God of truth heals us even as we forgive.