Hennie Symington

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him. Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22

He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died. Acts 7:60a

“To err is human, to forgive divine,” are the immortal words of the poet Alexander Pope. Sadly most of us are all too human when it comes to forgiveness. Even as we are confessing our sins, we contemplate evil. Even as we pray we begin to rationalise our sin with arguments such as: “I gamble, but I don’t covet my neighbour’s wife.” Or: “I can’t help it, but I am a racist.”

Yet confession of sin and forgiveness of sin form the cornerstone of our Christian faith. God forgives sin. That is the reason Christ came to earth and why he died on a cross. But it’s not as simple as that. God forgives but he cannot ignore sin. He cannot look the other way and pretend it did not happen. God is holy and righteous and cannot abide evil. God also cannot deny that sin pains him deeply. But being our loving father he simply cannot bear to deny his love for us or give us up for a bad job.

To truly understand what forgiveness is, we need to look at it in the light of God’s very nature and being. He has to forgive because he loves. He cannot forgive, because he cannot tolerate or overlook sin and evil. Therefore he sent his son to clear our debt of sin and allow us to walk free. From now and forever more. If you are looking for miracles and wonders, look no further for true forgiveness is a miracle – something that cannot be explained in human terms.

Prayer:Lord, we cannot conceive of forgiving others unconditionally. Therefore you sent your Son to do it on our behalf. Teach us to practise forgiveness until it becomes second nature to us. Amen