Forgiveness is a tricky thing. On the one hand, Jesus told us to forgive 77 times (or 7 times 7), and He said that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which was in response to some Pharisees saying that Jesus was in league with Beelzebul (Satan) in Matthew 12. Moses – a murderer – ended up on the mountain with Him, and a woman caught committing adultery (where was the other person?) was forgiven because, as Jesus said, “Let those without sin cast the first stone.” (John 8). Forgiveness usually comes with a person repenting and atoning for what they have done, but not always. Forgiveness is complicated.
Forgiveness can also be weaponized. Watch “Sins of the Amish” and you will see this done to evil perfection. The “I asked for forgiveness, so you have to forgive me” attitude is akin to saying it is easier to get forgiveness than permission. In my experiences conversing about faith with people who do not participate in a faith community, they will often say that God forgives everything, so they will be fine. They are partly right – going to church weekly isn’t a ticket to heaven, but I am not sure about all being forgiven. That sounds like universal salvation, which I strongly reject. It could happen, but I kind of doubt that Hitler or Attila the Hun will make the cut. My opinion, so do with it what you will. I’m not in charge of that.
Forgiveness can also heal the person doing it. Holding hatred in our heart can eat away at us and make us bitter. There are people I have forgiven who have no idea I did so, and that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that I have come to peace with my life, and nobody can take that away from me. There is power in forgiveness, but forgiveness can also be used to have power over others. I doubt that Jesus was okay with abuse of any kind; I will leave how abusers are handled up to Him. In the meantime, I will continue to move through life and do my best to forgive when it is warranted, and if I mess up, maybe God will forgive that. None of us is perfect, so…
Prayer – Holy God, give us the tools to live our best lives, and help us to seek forgiveness when we mess up, and help us to forgive others as You have forgiven us. Amen. Today’s art is “Forgiveness” by Deborah Nell