Forgiveness
| Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Colossians3:13-15) |
Colossae was a small and socially insignificant city during this period. Christians there were drawn to Hellenistic mysticism, mystical cults, and certain mystical elements of Judaism. These cultural influences contributed to the challenges the author confronted in Colossae.
The text
This passage presents three key elements: bearing with one another, forgiving grievances as the Lord forgave us, and putting on the virtue of love.
Divine forgiveness
Divine forgiveness is the forgiveness of Christ. He forgives generously, completely, and without holding past offenses against us. Christ forgave even the most grievous offenses, despite being despised and hated without cause. He continued to forgive, even in the face of causeless wrong.
Application.
Only when we realize that God loves the world without exception can we understand forgiveness as a universal act, one that should be extended to all. Forgiveness is not about the superior forgiving the inferior, or the socially powerful forgiving the less privileged. It's not for the elite to bear with the poor, or the old to forgive the young, or vice versa. Forgiveness crosses all boundaries.
Forgiveness is your own act and freewill, to give it forth from you that it may go clean out from you. As the daughters and sons of God, we should strive to be like God, and have a forgiving heart.
Forgiveness, is also a painful process which implies the dismissal of the revengeful feelings which injury may have excited, and the revival of those feelings of goodwill which it becomes us habitually to cherish as W. Fleming said.
Brothers and sisters, the world we live in is deeply wounded and hurt, rife with human conflicts that lead to misunderstandings. Families are broken and divided, communities are at odds, churches are splitting, and nations are at war. These realities reflect our need to bear with one another, to love, and to forgive if we are to heal the world.
Conclusion
I encourage you beloved in the Lord that we may have a forgiving heart as our Lord God. Forgiveness leads to unity and peace; it leads us to live in harmony with one another and with God. Anyone who has this peace is most likely to cultivate love which binds us all together in perfect unity. Being at peace with one another and with God leads to true expression of ourselves to the Lord through worship, and in Christ our souls will find rest. Remember Christ promised us peace that supersedes the peace the world may give.
I will end this devotion with a quotation from an anonymous writer who says, "You need forgiveness yourself when you have offended. He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself has to pass. Besides, an unforgiving spirit is an injury to its possessor"
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Clarence Tungunu
Minister at Hatfield Presbyterian Church within the Presbytery of Zimbabwe
Married to Anna Tungunu with three kids two girls and a boy.
