Do You Value Forgiveness?

We live in a time in history when interest in Christianity is lower than it's been in a long time. Perhaps there are many reasons for that: more broken homes, more social peer pressure, an increase and endorsement of immoral lifestyles and actions, etc. How do we as the body of Christ address this problem?

This is an age-old problem. The Israelites struggled with social pressure when they succumbed to Baal worship; the Pharisees rejected Jesus as the Messiah, even though they recognized the evidence for His authenticity. Countering culture isn’t easy because it's like stopping a truck rolling downhill. Once the momentum is going, it takes someone really “brave” to step in front of it. In fact, it will take many “brave” people stepping up to the challenge, and it won’t be quick or easy.

On the other hand, there are things that churches can learn to practice within the walls of worship which have less to do with worship elements and more to do with attitude. Whether it’s coaching (or being coached) through a season of doubt or dealing with a conflict within the brotherhood, dealing with these things in a godly way can help create an atmosphere that aligns with many of the things people are searching for within a church. But an equally important practice is to sincerely recognize the power of forgiveness.

Paul mentions this in Colossians 1:9-14, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The congregations that develop the right attitude in life will have a bigger impact on a culture that may indeed be searching for something that impacts their life--faith in Christ!

In the above passage, we could easily focus on the need to be continuous in prayer, or on knowing His will, which helps us “live a life worthy of the Lord.” That life may consist of helping people grow in maturity (bearing fruit), helping ourselves and others realize God’s goal for our lives (knowledge of God). All that together helps to strengthen people that are trying to live for God, which helps give more meaning behind our worship to God. But two elements that lend so much to everything we do as a collective body, is a recognition of the value (and importance) of Forgiveness and Hope. These two things fuel much of what makes the body of Christ truly attractive to the world.

Paul’s statement to the Colossians gives us much to help a lost and dying world recognize God’s power to “rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” We must help everyone realize that they can be forgiven! As Jesus said in Matthew 6:15, “...if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Thank God for the model of forgiveness in Christ!