Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church

Is Forgiveness Possible?

In the many years of my pastorate, I have probably had to do counseling and answer more questions about forgiveness than any single ethical or religious issue. As I reflect on this matter perhaps, this is true for two reasons: Forgiveness is not our strong suit; our DNA tends toward grudge bearing. Concomitantly, we are socialized not to forgive our transgressor, so forgiveness is our most difficult task. Secondly, the biblical concept of forgiveness has been so distorted that forgiveness is such an ambiguous concept for most people. We see forgiveness as a gift we extend to others rather than something we do for ourselves.
Desmond TuTu said in his book, No Future Without Forgiveness: “In the act of forgiveness we are declaring our faith in the future of a relationship and in the capacity of the wrongdoer to make a new beginning on a course that will be different from the one that caused us the wrong. We are saying here is a chance to make a new beginning.”

In spite of our shortcomings and sins, God does not meet us at our place of guilt, but rather at God’s place of Grace. Forgiveness is God’s irrefutable virtue to us, it reconciles us to God and to those with whom we are estranged. Jesus said, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mat. 6:14-15). Forgiveness is possible, but we must realize that it is a spiritual matter approached as spiritual.