Forgiveness • Devotion 3: Heavenly Forgiveness Modeled
Pastor John Carter
We have walked through this aspect of forgiveness, comparing it to financial debt, and then we looked at how repentance plays a big part in our own forgiveness from God. Now, we will look at the application part of forgiveness, the actual modeling it out in our own lives. Let me warn you ahead of time, this is going to be tough, especially if you have been seriously hurt and have very painful memories of being hurt. Trying to do it in your own strength is not going to lead to a positive outcome. Let me encourage you to start this devotion by praying and asking God to give you the strength, through the Holy Spirit, to be able to walk through modeling His forgiveness to other people.
Today, we are going to look at James’ teaching to correlate some important things Jesus is teaching us in Matthew. James says this when walking us through forgiveness. He uses a slightly different word, but it has the same implication. The word “mercy” is closely related to the aspect of forgiveness. James 2:8-13 says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James really expounds on this idea of how to apply what may seem like an impossible statement. He starts off with the second greatest commandment given to mankind, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The way in which we treat others is very important to God. James commends his readers that if they are applying this aspect of loving your neighbor as yourself, “You are doing well.” It is always nice and encouraging when we can say, “Good job,” to other people. As you are reflecting on your own life, maybe you have already walked through some hard times and forgiveness. This may just be a refresher for you and maybe you can encourage others by sharing your story to encourage them to walk through it as well. If this is new for you, find a fellow believer and tell them some of the hurt you are walking through. Ask them to be an encourager and someone that will pray with you through it.
James continues to lay this important foundation that we are all transgressors of God’s holy, “royal law.” He is teaching this aspect of partiality. It is about how you would treat one person differently than you would treat another. James flat-out calls it a sin, but more importantly, God calls it a sin. Leviticus 19:15 says, “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.” Deuteronomy 1:17 adds, “You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”
I think God knows that we tend to be partial people, meaning we have people we like and people, well we do not get along easily with. God shows no partiality when it comes to the sinner. He has a single standard by which He judges, James refers to it as the “royal law.” Paul teaches much about the Judge of this law.
- “There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.” Romans 2:9-11
- “Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” Ephesians 6:9
Paul sets the standard that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, will not be partial in their judgment against sin. James then moves on to teach us the applications. He says to speak and act as those who are under the “law of liberty.” There is a two-part instruction, the way we speak and the way we act towards someone. They need to be rooted in this amazing “law of liberty.” I will paraphrase his next verse: merciless judgment will come to the one who has shown no mercy. This last phrase is very much in line with what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:14-15. So, here is the application. When you stand before God, will you receive His amazing mercy and forgiveness because of the faith you have in the work at the cross, resurrection, and person of Jesus Christ? If you have received the Holy Spirit because of your faith in Jesus Christ, then you can walk in this “law of liberty.” Since you have been forgiven such a great debt, God says you can also, through the power of God, forgive those who have wronged you on this Earth.
This application is very hard and you might say to me, “You have no clue what evil was done to me? You do not know my particular circumstance? How could you dare ask me to forgive such evil?” You are 100% right. I do not know every single person’s hardships or evil that they have had to walk through. I have my own story of hardships that are, more than likely, completely different than yours. What I do know is this amazing mercy that I received from the Father through the person of Jesus. I know the love that was shown to me and the forgiveness that was given to me by the Father through the debt that Jesus paid on my behalf. Because I know that, I am asked to reciprocate or to model that forgiveness to others. I am not to show any kind of partiality in how I distribute this forgiveness. I am to love every neighbor as though it was me. I love that James adds this last phase, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” If you are in the t-shirt business, that is a t-shirt I would buy. It could be said, “Forgiveness beats a grudge.” You might even say it like this, “Love wins over hate.”
As you seriously consider the subject of forgiveness, consider the practical application of these verses. Are you living out this forgiveness you have received from God? Are you holding a grudge against someone? Do you find yourself being partial to a certain person or group of people because of past pain? The application of heavenly forgiveness is to forgive the debts or trespasses others have committed against you just like God has forgiven you of your trespasses. This is a two-way street. Maybe you know you have done wrong to someone else, and you need to seek them out and apologize. Repent for the wrong you have done. This also means, that if someone has asked for forgiveness you do not withhold it.