Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting.
If I cannot forget how do I forgive?
For the concept of forgiveness to really click, I must understand and accept that everything God provides me is for the Father’s business—good works, which are the glory and administration of God’s Kingdom: executing God’s mission, caring for God’s beloved people, and maintaining God’s great house (Luke 12:42-48).
Forgiveness is an accounting concept.
Imagine you’re a business owner, as we’re all outlets of God’s manifold grace.
The wares of your store are made available on credit.
But, someone takes something without honoring its worth. This results in a loss for you, otherwise known as hurt, and results in a debt for them, also known as an offense or a trespass.
You have a choice to make. You can either shut down their account, so they can no longer do business. Or, you can forgive the debt so they can continue to do business.
The decision usually comes down to what we’re working for and who. What do we want? What are we attempting to accomplish with our store? Are we working for our own personal profit or another’s? What is “profit”, and what does it look like?
The complexion of the matter completely changes when we’re operating from an economy where:
1. It’s the Father’s business (Luke 2:49),
2. We’re already rich (Ephesians 2:4-7, 1 John 4:26),
3. He’s paid it all (Colossians 2:13-14),
4. His endgame is unrivaled glory: 100% market penetration, to be the only name in the game through domination of all rivals and the redemption of all creation (1 Corinthians 15:22-28),
5. My payoff is My Father being pleased (John 8:29, Luke 19:17, Philippians 2:5-11).
In the normal course of business, when someone receives something of value, they reciprocate that value.
However, every so often we encounter someone who takes but has nothing with which to pay. They’re bankrupt and poor.
The Father’s business model accounts for this: grace.
Even in earthly economies, proprietors go into business ready to accept a certain amount of loss. They have a general ledger account dedicated to it called “Bad Debt” which they will write off at the end of each fiscal year.
But God has left us a blank check, constantly making available to us the boundless riches of His love and grace, so that we do not operate from a loss but have an abundance to continue His work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
God’s mandate is save the lost at any cost for His glory (John 3:16, John 15:8). His desire is that all men might be saved, that all would come to His supper, that His house may be full and that they all would commune with God (1 Timothy 2:4, Luke 14:15-24, Revelation 19:9, 22:17).
Profit is a soul delivered from the kingdom of darkness and brought into His house (Colossians 1:13).
“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
— Luke 15:7
So when someone takes something without honoring its worth, we have a column in our ledger to account their debt to: God’s ocean and immeasurable wealth of grace.
And, I can forgive.
And, I can continue doing business with them in hopes of heavenly profit.
God’s business strategy was to give it all away anyway to establish brand recognition and ultimately for the purpose of exchanging our dead existence for eternal life where He is made known through us that He may be glorified (Isaiah 11:1-9).
Therefore,
“Freely you have received, freely give”
— Matthew 10:8
Coming full circle to our original question, “If I cannot forget, how do I forgive?”
The answer is proper accounting.
The key to forgiveness is accounting the offense to the proper account, to the account overflowing with the riches of Christ that God had credited to me.
When someone offends me, it hurts and pain can be hard to forget.
So when I remember that hurt, I should let that serve as a reminder to get my books and recall where that debt is accounted to, and I should find next to their account: In Good Standing. PAID by the Father through Jesus Christ.
My greatest hope is that’s how I appear in God’s Book, understanding that when I do not forgive I lose that credit line (Mark 11:25-26, Matthew 18:21-35).
Consider Christ who, on the cross suffering the most egregious offense, in Luke 23:34 says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
With that He, through forgiveness, extends us grace.
Now Christ entrusts us with His enterprise and charges us:
“Do business until I come.”
— Luke 19:13
#forgiveness #heartwords
