Forgiveness

Forgiveness is mentioned all throughout the Bible. It tells us that God has forgiven our sins and that we should forgive each other, but why is it so important? Why should we forgive the people who have hurt us? Why do they even deserve it?

Well, let’s ask ourselves this: Why did God forgive us? We didn’t deserve it either. We have all sinned and rebelled against God. It all started in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. In Genesis it says that God created heaven and the Earth along with the sea, land, and all the animals and plants. Then he created Adam and Eve. He saw that they were good (Genesis 1: 31). Adam and Eve lived in the garden with almost whatever they wanted except for just one simple rule: they weren’t allowed to eat the fruit from one tree. God called it the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He told them that “if you eat its fruit, you are sure to die,” ( Genesis 2: 17). They did not question this rule until one day when Eve was walking through the garden she was approached by a serpent named Satan.

He said to her, ‘“did God really say you must not eat the fruit from the trees in the garden?”

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied, “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said ‘You must not eat it or even touch it. If you do you, you will die.’”

“You won’t die!” the sapent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.’”

Eve believed him and took some fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to Adam and he ate it also. At that moment sin entered the world. They were banished from the garden of Eden ( Genesis 3: 1 - 5 ). This was the first time mankind sinned and it definitely wasn't the last. Every person throughout history sinned and listened to Satan’s lies just like Adam and Eve. It is in our nature, but God didn’t give up on us. He could have left us to deal with our sin but he didn’t. Instead he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to be born into our world and to die and pay the price for our sins ( John 3 : 16 ). He humbled himself by stepping down from his throne and becoming a small child. He grew up in a human family and when he was 33, he gave up his life to save us from our sin. He was betrayed by one of his own friends and given over to the Romans who tortured him and crucified him. He was mocked and accused of being a false prophet. You would have thought that he would have hated them, but instead he forgave them.

As he hung from the cross he cried out, ‘“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing,’” ( Luke 23 : 34 ). He didn’t just forgive them he died for them just like he died for the rest of us. He died for all of humanity. None of us deserved it, but he did it anyway.

So let’s go back to our original question: why should we forgive the people who have hurt us? Well, the truth is because our father forgave us first. The question isn’t do they deserve it? Because no one really does. That isn’t what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is an act of grace. It’s about love. We don’t have to earn it because we can’t. Forgiveness is showing mercy to the people around us because Jesus showed mercy to us first.

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