Grace and Peace Episode 29
Presbyterian Church of Easton
April 4, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
Heidelberg Catechism
56Q. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”?
A. I believe that God, because of Christ’s satisfaction, will no longer remember any of my sins or my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, by grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.
The reason for forgiveness is that relationships are important to God. God forgives us so that we can be in a relationship with him. And God wants us to forgive others to repair broken relationships. The Apostle Paul called this the ministry of reconciliation. Here is what he said:
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So how are we to reconcile relationships that have been broken? How do we forgive someone? First, someone has to take the initiative, a first step. The person taking the initiative must acknowledge that the relationship is broken, recall how important and precious the relationship was, and reaffirm their love and concern for the other. If the other refuses to acknowledge this and receive your forgiveness there is nothing you can do, the broken relationship will remain unaltered. Only if both parties agree to restore the relationship will reconciliation occur.
The ministry of reconciliation is the ministry of the church. We are called to proclaim that the sins of all who profess that Jesus is Lord, confess their sins, and amend their behavior will be forgiven. And we are to embody this ministry by forgiving one another so that relationships within the church may be reconciled. The good news in all of this is that forgiveness is not up to us. God forgives us not because we are not deserving of judgment, but because he sees Jesus when he looks at us. Likewise, when someone hurts us and we want judgment, the Holy Spirit enables us to see the image of God in that person. Let’ pray.
Heavenly Father we ask for forgiveness for anything we have done or left undone. Help us to amend our lives and lead lives pleasing to you. And help us to forgive those who have wronged us. Just as you see Jesus when you judge us, help us to see the image of God in those whom we judge. All this we pray in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.
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