The Heavy Burden of Unforgiveness
My dear reader, you were born into a world of sin. Every day you encounter sinners in the midst of a sea of sin. Sin is the norm not the exception. Every sin is an offense to God, who has established the Law that reveals our universal rebellion (Rom 3:23; 5:12).
Sin is so pervasive that it reigns over us (Rom 5:17, 21). It enslaves us (Rom 6:6). This includes our thoughts, words, and actions. We sin with our hearts, minds, and bodies. The Bible informs us that our very nature is sin (Eph 2:3). It is who we are. It is what we do.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, poisoned us all with their disobedience to God’s command (Gen 3). We have their original sin from conception in the womb (Ps 51:5; Rom 5:12). This inherited sin means the whole human race is condemned already (Jn 3:18). No one has right-standing before the Judge of the whole earth (Gen 18:25; Rom 3:11).
Sinners die and then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27). The sentence handed down from the Judge of the living and the dead is eternal punishment, the second death, in the lake of fire (Mt 25:46; Acts 10:42; Jude 7; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5; Rev 20:14–15). The Law of God finds everyone guilty and the prosecution of the case before God’s great white throne of judgment is opened and immediately shut (Rom 20:11). Humanity is doomed regardless of the volume or severity of sins (Rom 6:23). The Bibles asks each one of us, “Who will deliver from the wrath to come (Mt 3:7; Lk 3:7)?”
What I have written to you is not my opinion. It is what the Bible reveals about the human race. To ignore or deny the revelation of God’s Word is to one’s own peril. It is also important for us to recognize that sinners cannot change anything that pertains to the plight of man. What is impossible for man is, however, possible with God (Mt 19:26).
What sinners need first is forgiveness. Who can forgive sins? Only God can perform this act of mercy (Lk 5:21). The alternative is men seeking revenge against one another. As the Proverb says, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a citadel (Prv 18:19).” Sinners pay back sins of offense by returning one act of sin with another. The prophet wrote, “Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me. Strife exists and contention arises (Hab 1:3).” This never ends until both sides of a dispute have suffered enough loss — even death. Unforgiveness is highly destructive.
Words are the most common weapons in the warfare between sinners. Words have great power to give life and also to take it. The object of sin in action is to escalate self while simultaneously denigrating another. For the sake of advantage. We see this in every form of competition. All of it, of course, is vanity and chasing after the wind because in His sovereignty God sits in the heavens and does as He pleases (Ps 115:6; 135:6). He alone raises up and tears down kings and kingdoms. He alone makes rich and impoverishes. God is purposeful in all He does to accomplish all His holy will (Eph 1:11), for His own glory.
Through the precious blood of Jesus, shed on the cross of Calvary, forgiveness of sins has been issued to those whom God has chosen to receive such grace (Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:19). It is noteworthy that each forgiven sinner has an unfathomable debt of sin (Col 2:14). This debt has been paid in full by the substitute who bore our sins in His body on the tree (1 Pet 2:24). That is full forgiveness by the suffering of another who knew no sin, Himself (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15). This is why Christians sing of God’s amazing grace.
It is an utter travesty for one who has been forgiven so much himself or herself to withhold full forgiveness to all others. In fact, it is bondage, a heavy burden, for the one who does not forgive others in the same way God has forgiven him.
The unbelieving sinner does not share in God’s mercy and grace granting pardon. Therefore, it is unreasonable to expect reconciliation between mutually offended parties outside of Christ. Forgiveness and the power to forgive others is exclusively a grace of God’s indwelling Spirit at work (Rom 8:9, 11), conforming the Christian into the image of Jesus Christ, the righteous (Rom 8:29).
It is no longer the old man with his sinful ways, but Christ, the hope of glory, is now the life of God in the soul of man (Gal 2:20). When the world takes aim at a Christian it is probable that he or she will suffer loss (Col 1:24; Heb 10:34). As Christ increases, the Christian decreases (Jn 3:30). The mind and affections of the of the saint are fixed above (Col 3:2). The believer in Jesus is ever aware that he or she has come into the world with nothing, and departure will look exactly the same (Ps 49:17; 1 Tim 6:7).
As the worldlings around us wrestle for advantage over us and others, the Christian is set free from waring against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). The heir of God has an invaluable inheritance reserved for him in heaven (Eph 2:6; 1 Pet 1:4). Therefore, with food and clothing, the child of God learns to be content (Phil 4:11). His only ambition is to please God (2 Cor 5:9) and with full forgiveness of all others being an act of faith…God is pleased (Heb 11:6). Full forgiveness is motivated by love (Lk 7:47).
Dear Christian, if your brother sins against you then go to him with one purpose — the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:20). If he keeps sinning against you then keep going to him in the spirit of forgiveness (Mt 18:22). The benefit for you is peace…with God and your neighbor (as much as it is possible). There is no condemnation for you (Rom 8:1), O forgiven one with right standing before God, so release your neighbor, even now. Release yourself.
Forgive us our trespasses is our prayer for ourselves (Mt 6:12), but we must beware of seeking forgiveness from our merciful and gracious God if we remain unwilling to forgive others (Mt 6:14; 18:35). Who has released you from your sins by His blood (Rev 1:5)?
It is Jesus Christ who has the authority to forgive sins, and it is His Spirit who dwells within every born again soul. It is His Spirit who empowers you to do the same for others. May God grant you a year of jubilee, full forgiveness received and passed on to everyone who has ever offended you. Forgive and you will enjoy your forgiveness all the more. Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift…Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
September 28, 2021
