Devotionals

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“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Thus saith Alexander Pope. “I don’t get mad; I get even.” Thus saith the bumper sticker. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Thus saith the Lord (Ephesians 4:32, NASB). Which do you choose?

To the Christian, the answer is obvious: We choose Door Number Three. Pope’s quotation is concise and true, but not full enough. Bumper stickers are not the most reliable sources of wisdom. Only God has the complete and correct answer regarding forgiveness.

What does it mean to forgive, and why is this important? One of the Greek words translated “forgive” in the Bible is aphiame, which means depart, leave behind, send away, let go, disregard, yield up, and similar concepts. It is used of divorce. In other words, “It’s over—move on.”

Forgiving is not easy to do. When someone wrongs us, our natural inclination is to protect our pride and dignity and to fight back. We want to get our pound of flesh, even if the offender only took an ounce of epidermis. If we can’t exact revenge, we bring the matter up every chance we get so the person doesn’t forget what he or she did to us. We try to wring every ounce of regret from the person. After all, fair is fair.

Erring is indeed human. “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20, KJV). Sinning is far from divine: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13, NKJV). Animals do what animals are supposed to do, and God does what God is supposed to do; only man does what he is NOT supposed to do.

One thing that God does is to forgive unworthy sinners. You might have heard people say, “God will forgive me; it’s His job!” That’s not quite true. It’s God’s nature to forgive: “But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Nehemiah 9:17). There is a catch, and that is man’s part: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV). The trigger of forgiveness is confession.

It is hard for us to forgive one another, but it is certainly possible. But why should we forgive when vengeance seems sweet?

A recent article entitled Let bygones be health benefits is subtitled “Forgiving wrongs may improve heart function, relieve depression.” Duh. Once again, the Bible is proven timely and practical. Psychologist Fred Luskin is quoted as saying, “It’s a skill that can be taught.” Yes, it does not come naturally.

But why else, besides the potential health benefits, should we forgive? According to our opening verse, it’s an expression of kindness and tender-heartedness (there’s that heart function!). Removing our fingers from the throat of the offender is an act of compassion, just like God does for us.

We should also forgive because God forgives us. But notice the caveat: forgiveness comes only through Christ. “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). God’s forgiveness should motivate us to forgive because the price He paid was so great that it should inspire us to give up our little bit of pride in order to forgive others. Also, our transgressions against a holy, infinite God make our offenses against each other seem, in perspective, small. No matter how grievous the harm done to us by another, it’s little compared to how we’ve offended an innocent, loving God. How much more should we be willing to let go of each other’s sins.

God does something that we find even harder to do: He forgets our sins. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). They will not taunt or haunt Him, and He will never bring them up again. I don’t know about you, but I sense you have the same trouble actually forgetting offenses that I and everyone else have! This makes it all the more difficult to never bring the subject up nor hold it against the offender.

When one pulls a nail out of a board, the hole is still there. Even when a thorn is pulled out of our skin, the scar is still there, and often takes time to heal. Harboring bitterness against the offender is like irritating the wound and allowing it to fester. It does even more harm than the actual offense.

To err IS human, and only human. To forgive is divine, but can be learned and exercised. To maintain heart health and emotional well-being, learn to confess your sins and forgive others. Don’t be mired in bitterness—move on in betterness!

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