Forgiveness 2

 ...and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven… He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven… They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven… They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven. (Leviticus 4: 20, 26, 31& 35)

 

            And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  (Matthew 6:12)

 

            I thought of skipping the verses from Leviticus 4, but the verse in Matthew came to mind. As you read through the Exodus excerpts, what is clear is that there was a price that had to be paid for forgiveness. There was a sacrifice that had to be made. To make that sacrifice, one had to admit or confess the sin and make atonement, and the sacrifice that constituted the atonement was very specific.

            Jesus’ teaching in Matthew continues the theme that forgiveness requires sacrifice. In His lesson to the disciples about prayer, He states that to be forgiven, they had to forgive. In other words, they had to sacrifice their revenge, their claim to “justice,” etc. – even if they were right and the harm was great. That person murdered your spouse or child and hasn’t shown even a half-a-second’s remorse, and the law has let him go! You must forgive him if you want forgiveness for whatever you’ve done.

            This is why, when someone posted something the other day about “forgiveness being easy,” I had to disagree. Forgiveness isn’t easy, and it can be costly. But the cost of not forgiving is always higher because it chains you to the pain and the one who caused it. Years ago, I faced a decision that I think must have been this type. I don’t recall the subject matter. I remember telling God I could not let go of it – whatever it was. I don’t know how long I circled this matter. I remember there were days when I would tell God I could let go with one hand but not the other; or I could let go for just one second – oops, it was over.  I told Him that I couldn’t let go, but He was welcome to come to take it. Eventually, if I recall correctly, I was able to let go, and I let it go to such an extent that I can’t remember what it was.

            And that brings me to one last point. To be forgiven, you have to admit/confess your sin and forgive the sinner – even if that sinner is you. This doesn’t mean that you shrug off the sin as unimportant. It doesn’t mean you don’t seek to atone for your actions. Some people all-too-quickly dismiss their sin and pretend it either didn’t happen or doesn’t matter. Others, however, will hold on to their sin for the rest of their lives or remember with great pain something everyone else forgave them for decades earlier – but the memory returns. We must remember to forgive ourselves, to sacrifice what might be called a negative glory by releasing it – by letting go of how bad, evil, unloving, or sinful we are. Otherwise, we can’t stop being those things.