3 Radical Reasons to Radically Forgive

In our fractured world, I can think of at least one thing that every human heart has in common: the need to forgive. 

It’s not just followers of Jesus who must wrestle with forgiveness. Every person on God’s green earth has been hurt, offended, mistreated, and dismissed. We all have to decide if we’re going to let that eat us from the inside out or if we are going to choose to forgive. 

How we forgive is fairly universal. Why we forgive is distinctly different for those of us who are in Christ. So if you have someone to forgive today (you do), don’t try to muster the courage in your own strength (you can’t). Look to Jesus, the pace-setter for grace, and consider these three radical reasons to radically forgive.

Forgive Because You Have Been Radically Forgiven 

In Ephesians 4:31, Paul wrote, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (ESV). 

No need to get out your concordance or compare the ancient languages here. All means all. Paul said to take all your bitterness . . .

All your wrath . . .
All your anger . . .
All your clamor . . .
All your slander . . .
All your malice . . .
. . . And put them away. Get rid of them!

Here’s how: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (v. 32 ESV). 

Through His Word God gives us a parallel progression. Bitterness left unchecked will progress through dark stages to malice, but you can choose a more Christlike path. Start with kindness. Ask the Lord to keep your heart tender. Then you will be able to take the much harder step of offering forgiveness. 

This requires consciously remembering that we’re all trophies of God’s grace. Revisit the words you just read, “forgive one another as God in Christ forgave you.” Grace receivers become grace givers. 

Forgive Because Human Justice Is Limited but God’s Justice Is Perfect

Some of you who are reading these words have been abused by a person in power. Some of you have experienced being sinned against as a child in ways that rewired your brain. All of you have been lied to. Many of us have had something stolen that we can’t ever get back. And there is some justice in being angry toward the person who sinned against you. It’s one way, at times the only way, we can enforce the consequences for someone else’s sin. 

Here’s the problem: human justice can only ever be imperfect justice. (Just ask anyone who serves in the criminal justice system). 

But consider Deuteronomy 32:3–4, 

For I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
    ascribe greatness to our God!

“The Rock, his work is perfect,
    for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
    just and upright is he.” (ESV)

Moses’ words have practical application in our battle to forgive. First, start with giving God glory. Ultimately, we only have three options for where we direct our thoughts: 

• Out at others
• In at ourselves
• Up at God

As long as you are proclaiming the deeds of the one who sinned against you, or lingering on your own hurt and anger, you will struggle to forgive. But what if every time there is something you need to forgive someone for, you seize the moment and decide, “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. I will ascribe greatness to our God”? 

Why? Because: 

“The Rock, his work is perfect,
      for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
      just and upright is he.” (v. 4 ESV)

You never have to worry that someone is going to get away with something. God’s work is perfect. He is a faithful, sinless God. He is just and upright. You can set aside the gavel and let God handle the justice.

Romans 12:19–21 puts it this way, 

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (ESV)

Radical, right?

Forgive Because of the Cross

You’ve heard it said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It’s true that unforgiveness does have a corrosive power on our inner lives. And as I’ve already stated, we give grace because we get grace and because we can trust God to deal with our offenders. 

That’s all correct, but the truly radical reason we must forgive is what Jesus accomplished at calvary. 

Linger on Isaiah 53:5–6 for a moment. 

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. (ESV)

Every sin that has ever been committed against you and every sin that will ever be committed against you, was laid on Jesus at the cross. He willingly took it even though the price to redeem that sin and the sinner you are struggling to forgive was sky high. Jesus was arrested for that sin. He was humiliated for that sin. He was beaten for that sin. Ultimately, He died for that sin. 

When we withhold forgiveness, we are committing spiritual double jeopardy and expecting someone to pay a price that Jesus already paid. 

Romans 5 tells us that because of Jesus’ blood, willingly poured out on the cross, God’s wrath has been fully satisfied. 

I love the hymn lyric that speaks to this:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For every sin on him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.¹

Jesus did not have to hang on the cross one second longer for the person you are struggling to forgive than He did for you. It’s been taken care of and it’s radical, but one of the most Christlike things you can do is to extend forgiveness to the undeserving. When you do, you’re not making a statement that what was done to you was okay. You’re not making a statement that you’re weak. You’re making the statement that the cross is sufficient. Is there a statement more worth making? 

We live in a world consumed by anger and bitterness and a culture obsessed with our “rights,” including the “right” to stay angry at those who hurt us. Forgiveness is an act of radical rebellion against the powers of darkness. It is a countercultural way to show the beauty of Jesus to a broken world. They are watching. What is your life teaching about the beauty and power of forgiveness? 

Jesus, thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that you are just and you will avenge all wrong. Help me to forgive. Amen. 

¹ Lyrics from “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, 2002.