Corrie Ten Boom made her way to the back of the auditorium after sharing the excruciating treatment she endured at Ravensbruck, one of Germany ’s most brutal concentration camps during World War II.

As she reached the door, a man held out his hand to shake hers. She looked up to see the face of one of the former guards from the camp. In an instant all the abuse, beatings, ogling, and torture he and the other guards inflicted on her and the other women came flooding back. She recoiled immediately.

With tears in his eyes the man explained he had since become a Christian and asked Corrie if there was any way she could find it in her heart to forgive him. Forgiveness.Just thinking about that word stirs up all kinds of emotions. We like to receive it, but boy is it hard to give.This week we are looking at the statement from the Apostles Creed, “I believe in the . . . forgiveness of sins.”

The idea of forgiveness of sins is not unique to the Christian faith. Pretty much all religions have as one of their tenets that sins can be forgiven. What is unique is that only in Christ is forgiveness offered freely, without our working for it or doing something to pay it back. As a matter of fact, if we do try to work for it then we actually can’t receive it. It is by grace alone through faith alone.

We are born in sin. This keeps us separated from God, makes us a slave to our carnal nature and seals our eternal destiny to be separated from God in the Lake of Fire .

Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. In I Peter 3:18 we read, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God . . .”

As we accept Christ’s death personally as payment for our sins, we are brought into a right relationship with God. The benefits of that relationship are beyond comprehension.

Verses such as these come to mind:

II Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Although we do sin, we are no longer sinners but are now saints. We are His children and can come to Him as our loving Abba (Daddy). Our eternal destiny has been changed from one of torment to the joy of heaven with all its glories and wonders. And this doesn’t even scratch the surface of all we receive!

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, in his unparalleled eight volume Systematic Theology, identifies 33 works of God that take place in our lives the instant we are saved. Thirty-three immediate, supernatural, God-given benefits in our life the moment we accept Christ and are forgiven.

When God forgives, He forgives fully and completely. And not only does He forgive, but He also works to replace the bad, sinful areas of our lives with good, positive and uplifting qualities.

Stop and think for a moment. How much better is your life today because you have received God’s forgiveness and now have a personal relationship with Him? Undoubtedly you can look back and see ways He has changed you. Sinful things you used to regularly do now aren’t even a part of your life. Harmful attitudes that haunted you have been replaced by a positive outlook and encouraging thoughts.

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” And although we all still have a ways to go, I’m sure you can validate that statement many times over when you look at all God has done for you.

“I believe in the . . . forgiveness of sins.” God has been more than gracious in forgiving me. I don’t deserve it. I didn’t earn it. I can’t repay it. I just bask in the reality of it.

The question that comes to mind is, since I have received God’s forgiveness, how should that effect my relationship with others?

As Corrie Ten Boom later recounted the above story she said in that instant, as the guard held out his hand and all those horrible memories washed over her, the thought flashed across her mind, “If God has forgiven me so much for all I’ve done against Him, how can I not forgive this man?” She reached out, took his hand and truly forgave him.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not Corrie Ten Boom! I mean, sure, there are times I can forgive someone who has wronged me a little. But what about that person who really hurt me to my very core and didn’t seem to care, whose offence made scars on my life that won’t soon be removed. How do I forgive them?

Matthew 18:21-35 is a watershed passage on this issue. At the start of this section Peter asks how often we are to forgive someone who offends us. He offers seven times as the magic number, undoubtedly thinking he was being magnanimous.

Jesus’ response was not seven times but seventy times seven. Clearly He didn’t mean 490 times. He was using a play on Peter’s words to describe how many times we are to forgive. We will be offended an unlimited number of times so we must forgive an unlimited number of times.

In the remainder of the verses Jesus gives the motivation and understanding for why we must forgive someone innumerable times.

He tells a story of a slave who was called to settle accounts with his lord. The man owed the equivalent of $10,000,000 in today’s money. The slave, overwhelmed by the magnitude of his debt, fell before his lord and implored him to give him time to repay. The master felt compassion and released him from all the debt.

Fresh from being forgiven that enormous sum, that slave comes upon a fellow slave who owes him the equivalent of about $20. The first slave demands he repay it immediately. The second slave falls before him and implores him to give him time. The first slave however was unwilling and had him hauled off to debtors prison until he could repay that trivial amount.

There are at least three applications from this parable to help us understand what our motivation for forgiving others should be.

First, what others do to offend us is so miniscule compared to what we have done against our Heavenly Father, and since He has forgiven us for all that we in turn are obligated to forgive them.

Second, Jesus points out that it wasn’t that the first slave was unable to forgive the debt of his fellow slave but that, as verse 30 states, he was simply unwilling. Forgiveness is not a feeling it is an act of the will. We choose to forgive. And when they do something else that offends us, we choose to keep forgiving.

The third thing is found in verse 34. It states that the man was handed over to the torturers. In our lives, when we don’t forgive we live with that torture. It is the acid of resentment, the inner feeling of dislike (hate), that unsettledness we have when we think of that person or have to be around them.

At times when I forgive I must go to that person and tell them of my forgiveness. Other times I must go and ask their forgiveness. Some times they are not around to talk to or going to them would simply create more of a problem than currently exists. In that case I must forgive them in my heart before the Lord and move forward in that forgiveness.

If you are like me there are some people I just don’t want to forgive. I feel like if I do I am letting them get away with hurting me. The problem is, if I don’t forgive, it only affects me. My inner turmoil, my unsettled thought, and my relationship with the Lord. That they hurt me and didn’t seem to care or want to make it right is between them and the Lord.

I have also found it is often helpful to tell someone of my struggle to not forgive. At times as I verbalize it I realize how petty the grudge I’m holding really is. If nothing else, telling someone provides additional prayer support and gives you a person to be accountable to as you work through the process.

How do I know when I’ve forgiven? I know I have forgiven them when I made the choice to forgive and that “torture,” the acid of resentment in my inner being, is gone.

One last thought on forgiveness. Just because I forgive someone (truly forgive them) doesn’t mean I have to always to be around them if they continue to be abusive and offensive. Proverb 21:19 states, “It is better to live in a desert land, Than with a contentious and vexing (person).”

May God help you experience all the fullness of His forgiveness and may He give you the strength to forgive those you know you need to.
Mark