Forgiveness: Pass It On

Our greatest need as human beings is forgiveness for the things that separate us from God and from one another. This month, Jewish people are seeking that forgiveness in the context of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Even people who are not especially religious will be contemplating their need for forgiveness, thinking about reconciliation with God and with others they may have wronged. Sadly, at the end of the day many, if not most, of my people will have no sense of certainty that God has lifted the burden of guilt, because they do not know His grace through faith in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). This is what drives us Jews for Jesus to pray and to relentlessly pursue God’s plan for their salvation.

There Is One Way to Lift the Weight of Unbearable Guilt

Only the mercy and grace of God’s forgiveness through Jesus frees us to live without the weight of unbearable guilt. The need for such reconciliation is urgent—and so very obvious in these days of conflict. Reconciliation may seem out of reach to those who don’t know the Lord, but for those of us who are followers of Jesus? We can experience God’s forgiveness in Jesus each and every day and pass on that forgiveness to those who need it so desperately. And while that desperate need exists in the hearts of people who don’t know Jesus, you’ll still find it among believers in just about any congregation or ministry.

A Surprising Insight into Reconciliation

Many years ago, I helped facilitate reconciliation between two key leaders in Jews for Jesus. These men had once been about as close as any two brothers could be, but over the years, much had happened to undermine that friendship. I sat between them at a long table laden with sushi. They were at opposite ends of the table. After a few awkward moments, the older of the two began, “What you did really hurt me.” The younger responded, “Well what you did really hurt me.” For several minutes, they aired old grievances about who said or did what hurtful thing. Then came a pause. Finally, the older man admitted, “Well my memory is not so good these days.” His colleague chuckled, “My memory is not so good either.” They smiled at each other, eyes tinged with sadness—resentment had hijacked the joy of their friendship for far too long. Then we dove into the sushi and talked more about the present and the future.

Those men showed me something I never forgot. Reconciliation does not always include a perfect understanding of—much less resolution to—whatever wrongs were committed. Sometimes our limitations make it impossible for us to see and agree on what actually happened. That’s when reconciliation requires a mutual willingness to overlook the past and focus instead on the present and the future.

Forgiving as God Has Forgiven Us

God alone sees everything, has no memory problem, and is 100% accurate about all our wrongs. We have no excuses before Him and no way of making restitution for every transgression. Yet He offers to forgive our sins once and for all—and tells us to forgive others as He has forgiven us.

Colossians 3:13 (NLT) tells us, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” In some translations “make allowance” is rendered “bearing with.” That’s what God does with us. It’s important to confess our sins, but can you imagine having to answer to the Lord for each and every sin you ever committed? Thank God that He forgives us all our sin without requiring us to regurgitate all the gory details of our past. In fact, the ministry of reconciliation “is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Forgive Out of Gratitude

We need to be gracious to others because that is how God is to us. If we are determined to prove how right we are or to exact retribution for every wrong done to us, we will never be able to do what God wants us to: forgive out of deep gratitude for how He’s forgiven us. Let’s prayerfully recommit ourselves to sharing the life-giving, burden-busting, transformative grace of God and the forgiveness He extends to us, not just on the High Holy Days, but each and every day. And may God use our love and forgiveness to help reconcile many people to God and to one another, through the love and forgiveness of our Savior, Yeshua.