One of the greatest blessings God has bestowed upon mankind, and specifically upon you and me as members of God's Church, is the forgiveness of sin.

The death penalty that the entirety of mankind has earned as a result of sin has been paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Two scriptures summarize the process for each person. First in John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." Second in Acts 2:38 Peter said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Before God calls a person and places that individual into the Body of Jesus Christ, that person is an enemy of God. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.... when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son..." (Romans 5:8-10).

An essential aspect of God's character is the attitude of forgiveness.

God is merciful, gracious and forgiving. Because God is reproducing Himself through mankind, He expects these same attitudes of mercy, graciousness and forgiveness to grow and develop in us. In fact, God says that He will not forgive us our sins if we are unforgiving toward others.

However, apart from God's intervention in one's life, man rarely forgives others, especially those who are considered enemies. Many plan and seek either an active or passive form of revenge against their real or perceived enemies. Man likes to put down his enemies and those who pose a threat to his success and well being.

If someone kicks dust in your face, you kick dust right back.

If you criticize my kid, yours is fair game.

Secretly and compassionately forgiving someone from the heart for any offense and then forgetting the misdeed are rarely if ever done because this kind of forgiveness is a godly quality not naturally accomplished in human beings.

However, for converted Christians, real forgiveness of others who have offended or harmed us is necessary in order for God to be able to forgive us of our sins and offenses toward Him during our life of overcoming and growing spiritually.

In the outline for prayer found in Matthew 6, Christ teaches us that in order to be forgiven, we must also be forgiving toward others. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.... For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:12, 14-15).

God has indeed called us to a high calling—a calling that is impossible to attain by human strength alone. Members of God's family will be forgivers, full of mercy, kindly affectioned to all others, full of love as God is love.

The high calling of God requires that we learn to be forgivers now in this life through living faith in the power of Almighty God working in us through His Holy Spirit. We must not allow ourselves to remain or become hardened, calloused and coldhearted toward anyone, including those we perceive have done us or others wrong.

Our ability to be forgiving toward others will continually grow more and more difficult if we allow ourselves to become hardened because of the sinfulness of our surroundings.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

We must turn away from the degenerating ways of the society around us, but we must not turn our fellow man away. Christ said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).

Lines in the Sand

Where do we draw the line in the proverbial sand when it comes to forgiveness?

What deed has someone done to us, our family, our friends or our world that sticks in our craw so we can't forgive?

When we think back about some of the painful occurrences of the recent past in the Church, which ones are we still harboring without forgiveness?

When we hear of sins in others' lives, including the lives of ministers or deacons, which one or ones are we keeping in the file drawer tabbed "unforgiven and unforgotten"?

What sin that we hear about in another can we not forgive? Do we keep a "trump card" of a person's past mistakes, very likely repented of unbeknownst to us, in the back of our minds for future reference?

Let's see what Jesus Christ instructs us regarding harboring an unforgiving attitude toward anyone else.

"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?' This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

"But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

"Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

"When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more'" (John 8:1-11).

Could Christ write something in the sand about you or me? You bet He could!

We have a lot of growing to do if we intend to be in the Kingdom of God and working with our High Priest Jesus Christ.

How Many Times?

Let's look at another example of just where Christ expects us to grow in forgiveness as an integral facet of our character.

"Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven'" (Matthew 18:21-22). Christ requires an unlimited amount of forgiveness toward those who offend us.

Then Christ gave this parable found in Matthew 18:23-35 as an example illustrating the consequences of being unforgiving. We are all familiar with this parable—the account of the forgiven servant persecuting the one who owed him a pittance in comparison. In the conclusion of the parable, Christ warned the unforgiving servant that his attitude was unacceptable.

"Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" (Matthew18:32-35).

Through the years, how many have we proverbially grabbed by the throat instead of forgiving? How many have we thrown to the ground, holding their mistakes against them, castigating them or shunning them instead of rushing to their aid to give comfort and support as they come out of their difficulty with a weakness?

We have not been given the ability to read minds and hearts. Christ instructs us not to judge others. "Judge not, that you be not judged... First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:1, 5).

This is not to say that we cannot make a judgment regarding other people's actions as to whether we should follow their example.

This scripture illustrates the point that we must not condemn others openly or in our hearts because what a person does today, especially a converted person, will very likely be repented of by tomorrow. Isn't that the case with the mistakes and sins we commit daily?

"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:36-37).

How do we become the forgivers God expects us to become?

• Admit to God on our knees that we are not forgiving and that we need His power and strength in us in order to become more forgiving.
• On a daily basis, ask God to forgive us of our sins as we forgive others. Realize that God will not forgive you or me unless we are forgiving. We could stand a good chance of missing out on the Kingdom of God-if we remain unforgiving.
• Realize that God will give us the ability to forgive if we ask Him in prayer to build in us the power to forgive others and then to forget and just let it go.

God teaches us how to forgive in the Sermon on the Mount. If someone smites you on the cheek, turn the other cheek, for example. Obviously Jesus isn't saying invite a mugger back to assault you some more. He is showing how the converted mind acts. Praying for and loving those who despitefully use us is part of how we forgive people. Another part is to not seek revenge, but to be willing to treat the person as if these abuses hadn't occurred.

As we grow up to the forgiving stature of Jesus Christ, our effectiveness as a Church, as ministers, as deacons, as members and as the work of God will increase exponentially—by leaps and bounds—because God will be able to bless us and use us more effectively to His honor and glory. Additionally, our sins will be forgiven daily and we all will be in the Kingdom together serving with Jesus Christ forever.

Always remember Jesus' example when it seems practically impossible to forgive another for whatever reason: "Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).