Recently I’ve been thinking about forgiveness. In community there are many opportunities to practice forgiveness. Alec Brooks, who visits us from time to time, shared with us this last week on this very topic. His message was a blessing to us and confirms the things we were seeing about forgiveness. The main idea is that forgiveness is not a duty that devoted Christians must do, but a natural expression of a life of grace. The key is seeing everything in terms of relationships versus having a legal outlook.
Here are a few quotes from Alec’s messages (they may not be exact quotes):
Forgiveness transforms people. If we treat forgiveness legally it’s over in a moment. Forgiveness is not about getting the slate wiped cleaned, it’s about transforming our relationships.
It’s never about spiritual bookkeeping. It’s about the grace of God which is personal and relational.
The primary image for forgiveness is manifesting and sharing redemptive grace. Grace is about intended well-being for the other. To forgive someone is to intend them good. The grace I’ve received I extend to you.
Forgiveness takes the person seriously and values the person. It says that I want to be in relation to you and I’m willing to pay the cost so our relationship can be restored.
You can download and listen to his messages here: