As god in christ forgave you

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

At times we might struggle to forgive someone who has offended us. Yet, how quickly we forget that we ourselves were forgiven well before we even asked God to forgive us. (Romans 5:6). Therefore, it is often easier to talk about forgiveness but a great deal more challenging to actually forgive.

Still, we thank our God that he is longsuffering and did not give up on us. For, he knew that the “light momentary affliction” was drawing us closer to salvation. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

And so, in return, we are encouraged not to give up on people as he never gave up on us. Yes, that can feel like it is asking a lot, but all things are possible through Christ Jesus. He has given us the strength to forgive and not just for the benefit of the other person. Insomuch, that while the pain of the offense pushes us closer to God, forgiveness roots out bitterness and resentment so that we can have peace in his presence. 

Spurgeon wrote, “Once more: reckon the longsuffering of God, when it permits the ungodly to slander and injure you, as salvation, because it tends to your salvation by driving you nearer to the Lord. It prevents you from making your home in this world. It forces you to be a stranger and a foreigner. It compels you to go without the gate bearing Christ’s reproach, and so, in this way, that which seemed so hard to bear brings salvation to you.”

This is why it is so important that we forgive, that we let it go, or “put away.” “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20a) 

GiGi❤️

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