May 28, 2017 THE RELATIONSHIP
Luke 7:47: “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
There are two important truths found in this verse that are foundational for the believer. One is that even though the sins of one may be many, God forgives all of the sins when repentance takes place. Whether one sins once or sins numerous times, we all stand, or have stood in need of God’s forgiveness. The second truth in this verse is the one we will focus on today, and it has to do with the relationship between love and forgiveness. We will see that if we struggle with the issue of forgiveness, we will struggle in the area of love. The simple, but profound truth is that to the degree that we realize how much we needed and received forgiveness from God, is the degree of love we have for God and for others! The woman in this verse loved and worshiped God in an extravagant way because she was keenly aware of the fact that she had been forgiven of her many sins. When we come face-to-face with our sins, when we are broken and contrite over our sin and when we confess our sin to God, we find that He is a God who forgives. After we go through this process of being broken and repentant, and receiving His forgiveness, we are humbled and less likely to judge others when they sin. Jesus came not to judge, but to demonstrate the love of God that is expressed by His forgiveness. “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. With love comes forgiveness, and with forgiveness comes love. Once we have received forgiveness, we are to no longer focus on our sin, but we do need to remember that we have been forgiven by a loving God. As saints, or children of God, we also must demonstrate God’s love by forgiving others just as He forgave us. Love and forgiveness or much more effective in maintaining good relationships than withholding forgiveness in order to make the one who sinned ‘pay the price’ for their sin. Our unwillingness to forgive should be a red flag that tells us that there is something amiss in our spiritual health. We cannot explain away or justify un-forgiveness on our part. Contrary to what some say, to forgive is not difficult, but is a fruit of walking in the Spirit. Should we not know how much we needed God’s forgiveness, it may be an indication that we do not know God as Savior. The next time that someone sins against us, let us be quick to remember that we have been forgiven, and be quick to demonstrate the love of God by our full forgiveness of others.
Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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