Malice, gossip, lies, broken objects, broken promises, broken hearts, cruelty, prejudice, negligence, selfishness?Even in the church, we often sin against each other as we live and worship together. Besides, we’re not always really loved by others. We’ve all been seriously injured, sometimes seriously.
Thus, in the midst of the commandments to welcome, serve, encourage, and love one another, we are given a commandment when our Christian brothers and sisters fail us in these same things. Our mutual responsibilities in the church do not cease if others break In Ephesians 4:32, the Apostle Paul guides Christians offended by sins: “Be rather kind and compassionate to one another, forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you. “
Think of yourself
Usually, my first reaction when someone sins against me is to think of me. My complaint, my rights, my loss and my suffering consume my mind. Like Miss Havisham of Charles Dickens, I collect and appreciate every ancient sign in the way I do. was aggrieved.
It may be surprising, then, that the Lord tells us to react to mistakes first thinking of ourselves, but how did God forgive you in Christ?Paulo is not an incitement to self-pity. Looking closely in God’s mirror does not reveal the extent of my wounds, but the extent of my wounds (Isaiah 53:5); not the ways in which I was offended, but the long list of my own offenses (Romans 4:25); not my feelings of rejection, but how I have already rejected God (Isaiah 53:3).
Many commentators usefully relate Ephesians 4:32 to the parable of Jesus of the uncompromising servant (Matthew 18:21-35). The servant is a family biblical character. With his huge debt canceled, he immediately demands payment of a much smaller debt to another servant. What was wrong with the ruthless servant? He forgot about himself and the amount of his own debt.
Think of your savior
My second answer when someone sins against me is to carefully limit the terms of forgiveness. I want escapes and exceptions. I can forgive him a little if I have to, if he does things right first. Like Peter, I want to keep forgiveness in small and small doses: seven times, Lord?(Matthew 18:21).
This commandment once again reorients our reflection as it impels us to ponder our Savior: “how God forgave you in Christ. “Our God’s forgiveness in Christ is incredibly great. The Bible tells us that it is in favor of many people (Matthew 26:28). ), forgives all kinds of iniquities (Psalm 103. 3; Colossans 2. 13-14) and throws sin infinitely away from the sinner (Psalm 103. 12) God’s forgiveness is complete and irrevocable (Hebrews 10:17-18) It is seventy times seven times seven. You, who have been forgiven, must do the same, Says Paulo.
Think of your brother
However, Jesus is not only an example of forgiveness, he is the source of our forgiveness. This is good news, because having been called to forgive, I want to sit down and protest: “Can’t I?!”
Earlier, in Ephesians, Paul reminds us how Christ reconciles distant people: “Having broken the wall of separation that was in the middle, enmity?(2. 14). By his obedience, his death and his resurrection, he reconciled us with himself and also reconciled us with all the other peoples who reconciled with him. Although Christians are called to be willing to forgive even non-Christians, “forgive one another?”(Ephesians 4:32) has a special meaning for the Church. Our brothers and sisters are branches of the same tree (John 15:1-17), stones of the same building (Ephesians 2:18-22) and parts of the same body (4:15-16). We can live in peace with each other. Why, is it our peace? (2. 14).
Christ’s work changes everything. When my brother’s sin is nailed to mine on the cross, forgiveness is not only a matter of resusing his debt in a ledger, of concentrating on the columns, but of contributing positively to his well-being. “Be kind to one another, benevolent, compassionate,” Paul writes (4. 32). In Christ, I embrace my brother, sinner but repentant, as someone for whom Christ also died. In Christ, I respond tenderly to the needs of my brother (Romans 12:13), I pay attention to his interests (Philippians 2. 4), humbly consider him more important than me (Philippians 2. 3) and actively seek his good (Galatians 6. 10).
Brothers and sisters, forgive each other
By: Megan Hill. © 2016 Ligonier. Original: forgive yourself
This article is part of the March 2016 edition of Tabletalk magazine.
Translation: Joel Paulo Aragono da Guia Oliveira. Critic: Yago Martins. © 2016 Faithful Ministérium. All rights reserved. Website: MinisterioFiel. com. br. Original: Forgive yourself
Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.