Mar 3, 2019
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:13
One of the ways life changes when someone becomes a Christian is that he/she becomes more forgiving of the offenses of others. What Christians are to 'put on' as God's chosen ones is the capacity and willingness to bear with one another and forgive each other. The foundation for having such a forgiving heart is the fact that "the Lord has forgiven you" (Col 3:13).
This injunction is a common exhortation in the New Testament. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph 4:32; cf. Mt 6:12,14,14; 18:21-35; Mk 11:25; Lk 17:3,4).
Colossians 3:13 is a good example of the relationship between theology and living. The Bible does not command a humanitarian morality, but God-centered morality. It is in realizing and experiencing what God has done for us in Christ and in understanding the character of God behind His actions, which become the driving force that amazingly changes our lives. Christians are not just good … they are Godly.
By the sheer mercy of God we have been forgiven a debt we owe to Him, which we could never pay. How can we experience and accept such forgiveness and then refuse to forgive some offense someone commits against us, no matter how often? Those who truly experience God's sweet, undeserved mercy will, at some genuine level, become more merciful toward others. Let us drink deeply at the fountain of God's mercy that our hearts might be softened.