…and I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ
lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices….(2
Cor.2:10-12)
The Apostle Paul and those with him
were not ignorant of the devices Satan used to undermine their ministry and
take advantage of areas in their lives which were not in alignment with the
Word and Ways of Scripture. They realized
that un-forgiveness would put them at a disadvantage and undermine their
effectiveness in the preaching of the Gospel.
Are we ignorant of the devil’s
devises? Are we aware that not only does the devil undermine and gain a
foothold in areas of sin, but he is also sows discord within relationships. The devil is in the “extremes” and he
likewise magnifies pain. He keeps a person in bondage by encouraging them to
hold a grudge and blame others, rather than to grow.
Who walks upon this planet and has
not been a casualty of pain? Who has not suffered the consequences of someone
else’s action or harsh word? It is an
inevitable fact of life that we suffer because of the selfishness of someone
else, and that we cause others to suffer because of our own selfishness. The
one who dealt the pain seldom appreciates the hurt they have caused, and the
one who experiences the hurt and pain, seldom forgets it.
In a world full of people rubbing
against one another even with the best intentions, will injure others and this injury
eventually causes an insensitivity and callousness of feeling, much like the callous is formed on skin
that is constantly rubbed and irritated.
The only remedy is charitable love.
This sort of love acknowledges the hurt, but forgives the one who has
inflicted it. The trouble is that the devil that bore witness to the hurt,
whispers to the victim of offense all manner of charges and accusations about
the perpetrator in order to sow discord between them. It may be a person’s
intention to forgive, but the devil keeps stirring the pot. We’ve not a “sea of
forgetfulness” into which to cast the offense, as God has, but in Christ we
have access to all that is our inheritance.
God has committed all things to Christ who has made these very things
accessible to us, who abide in Him.
When we forgive, we may petition
the Lord also to forgive this person. It
is fair to acknowledge to God our suffering, but because Christ suffered on our
account, we relinquish all indebtedness. We may be justified in our complaint, accusation
and blame, but we rather suffer the wrong because of Christ’s suffering for our
wrongs. When we transgress we are like the instruments used to shred His flesh
and we become identified with the inflictors of His affliction. Christ has
forgiven us of a lifetime of sin, how can we then not forgive others?
If we are unforgiving, it is
because we do not truly appreciate what God has done for us. We may be
grateful, but we do not appreciate it. While we were yet sinners, Christ died
for the ungodly. (Rom.5:6) He loves us mercifully for we’ve done nothing to
deserve it, we are called to do the same. In doing so, we experience in a very
small measure the pain of sin in the world and share in the sufferings of Christ.
Whenever another offends us because
of self-centeredness and pride, our natural instinct is to defend ourselves and
“self” builds a fortified wall of defense with pride standing guard at the
gate. This natural process causes hardness of heart and an inability to love
unconditionally. We ought rather to bear
the injury, recognizing that our own sin has also injured others, and Christ.
With the cross in view, we petition the Lord to forgive, even our enemies, for
we ourselves are guilty and have been forgiven much.
The devil stirs the pot of anguish
and discord, our answer to this malicious agitator of humanity is this; “I
remember the cost of my sin upon the Son of God which afflicted not only His
flesh, but His very soul, which was poured out for my sake. He was entitled to
judge me, but He chose to forgive me. I likewise choose to forgive this
person. I will count this offense and my
suffering as a glimpse and insight into the pain that I myself caused Christ.” This
is the centrality of the Cross of Christ.
DJ
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