Two Essential Messages for this Moment

Every human effort to obtain God’s forgiveness without Christ is ineffectual and repugnant in the sight of God. He said through the Prophet Isaiah, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Paul enlarged by saying, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 3:5-6).

The world with all of its forces and minions would urge us to stand strong in our own efforts and rights. But the world has always been wrong, being an instrument of the enemy. Man, exerting himself in every human achievement and in every good work, cannot procure the blessing of the Father’s forgiveness by such means.

How unutterably foolish it would be for us to arrogantly assert our rightness in the face of the righteous Majesty on high. As the Psalmist said, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (Psalms 2:4).

To come to the Father requires that we be stripped of every human right and work and that we simply cling to His cross, casting ourselves on His mercy. As the hymn writer penned, “Nothing in my hand I bring, but simply to thy cross I cling, O Jesus I come to Thee.” It is at that point that His wonderful work of forgiveness reaches our human heart liberating our human conscience. Christ is then formed in us and we become new creations.

For us to forgive others is an urgent outgrowth of His forgiveness of us. Paul taught that we are to “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

To forgive others is the most Christ involved thing we do in our works of human obedience. The same as He did not cling to His rights when hung on the cross so we should take every human resistance that finds birth in our hearts and permit it to join Him in His crucifixion. We will find that as He forgave those who rejected, tortured, and murdered Him in the experience of the cross, so we will be both filled with the desire, and will be enabled, to forgive those who have been hurtful to us.

Our forgiveness is inevitably hindered by our persistent claim to our own rights. We should remember that Jesus, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

For us to forgive others is the most essential work of Christian obedience. Without it we are hindered in our fellowship with our Heavenly Father, we make a mockery of the work of the cross, and we find ourselves faltering at everything else we would do in our service for Him.

A word of caution. It is easier to forgive others for the “big things” they do that are hurtful. It is the little things that we tend to pass over, feeling justified to countenance the little daily angers and offences as being an acceptable part of living. We should remember that it is the small fly that pollutes the whole pot. No tinge of unforgiveness must be permitted to find lodging in our attitudes.

The most difficult thing we do is to set aside our rights and forgive others for every hurtful thing they do or say, no matter how small or insignificant it may be. That, however, is precisely what Jesus did and because He did, so we are enabled to do the same by His work in us.

Jeff