Colossians 2:13-14
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Forgiveness is something that dramatically impacts each and every one of us. Unforgiveness can cause us to harbor bitterness and resentment, but true forgiveness can give us a freedom we would otherwise be unable to experience. The Bible teaches us that there are two different steps in our interacting with forgiveness:

First, we must accept the forgiveness offered to us by Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. God sent His only Son to pay a debt that we would never have been able to pay. Who Jesus was, what He did, and how He died was a sacrifice so that we may experience forgiveness of our sins and freedom to live in relationship with God the father.

Second, we must understand that to experience the freedom Christ died to give us, we must forgive others. The more we truly understand the depth and gravity of the debt for which we’ve been forgiven, the more we’ll understand how important it is that we forgive others. We were never meant to carry the weight of unforgiveness towards others which is why unforgiveness can take such a physical, mental, and emotional toll on us.

As simple as this concept is I know that it can be incredibly difficult to practice. It’s important to remember that our ability to forgive comes from keeping in touch with who Christ is and what He came to do.

Make it your prayer as you seek to offer forgiveness that you never lose sight of how your sins were nailed to the cross when forgiveness was offered to you.

Jeff Parish, Senior Pastor, Indian Rocks Baptist Church