Life in General – Forgiveness

Hi All,

Well it has been a long time since I have blogged. A lot of stuff has been happening in my life so unfortunately I have been unable to do much work on my history of the Bible project. Will do heaps of work on it in the coming weeks hopefully.

A lot has been going on. I started a new job which is going really well. I get to drive around and fix people’s computers. It’s great because I really love driving and I really love fixing computers and seeing the joy on people’s faces when they are able to use their computers properly again is something I don’t think I am ever going to get tired of.

There has been a lot of emotional turmoil lately as well. I won’t share what it has been about but I have come to a new understanding of the human body; how our emotions and physicality interrelate and how difficult it is to seperate the two. Whoever said that when you go through some crazy emotional trauma that you will still have the ability to function normally is either really sick or isn’t really emotionally traumatised. I guess it really depends what the circumstance are but I am actually really thankful for the things that have been happening. I am a totally different man. Like I still believe the same things and still hold the same views but I think the way that I now understand people and what they do and say has totally shifted. My understanding of a lot of doctrinal stuff has changed too. Like forgiveness, mercy, grace, trial, pain, perserverance, hope and love.

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday about forgiveness in particular. How hard it is for us fallen human beings to forgive when we are wronged normally. We have this attitude and understanding from both culture and our fallen nature which I guess is one in hte same cause, that we will forgive only when we can get something out of it. Look at this picture for a moment. We are sinners. All of us. Noone is exempt and noone can say they have never sinned. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). ALL. We are given this amazing gift of forgiveness from God. This free gift of forgiveness. God gives it to us for us to receive. The problem is is that people don’t want it. People either think that they can handle their own sin or that they are “good people”. But the Bible says no, that is not the way it works.

As my friend and I were discussing this massive gift of God’s forgiveness, I came to an understanding that I had known but not understood. God’s forgiveness is given regardless of what we do. There is nothing that we have to give God. God already has everything he needs. This is mind-blowing. God does not need us, He is not some poor old man who needs friends. He is not some sad little person who sites in a corner and cries over not having anyone to have as company. He is GOD. If He wanted He could have wiped us all out when Adam and Eve sinned. He could have started again with new creation where there was no sin. Where there were still humans but no sin. Perfect relationship with God forever from the beginning. But no, God wanted all this to happen. God wanted us to see how great He is. He wanted us to fall down on our faces in complete adoration and love and to be totally blown away by His forgiveness for a pathetic humanity.

We need to be like this. We need to forgive. We need to understand that God’s forgiveness isn’t bent on a if and then agreement. (If and then is like when we are praying and we say to God, “Dear God, if you do this for me then I will do this”) We are not meant to forgive like this. People suck, people hurt, people cause pain. Jesus was in pain. Jesus was in extreme pain. Emotional, physical, unbelievable pain. What did He say? Forgive them Father for they know not what they do. Unconditional, sacrificial forgiveness.

I pray with all that I am that we all will smash this pre-conceived notion that our culture has on forgiveness that we have to get something out of it. That we will totally shatter people with our ability to forgive and that we will point people to Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice for our forgiveness of unrelenting non-stopping sin. That we will be able to forgive our enemies just as Jesus did and they will wonder why and we will be able to say because Jesus is awesome and you should meet Him.

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