Volume 26, Issue 4
The Greatest Sermon ... (Continued From Page 14) WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 15
Ok, a second word used in the New Tes- tament for forgive is:
motivation to succeed or worse, to get even.
is genuine in heart, who is authentic, who is not a phony. Such a person will see God.” Jesus is telling us to be real. He’s not saying “get real” like we do to each other. We can be real because of the Holy Spirit living within us. We are “real,” Jesus is calling us to act like it! Real people see God.
2) charizomai — to be kind, benevolent; to grant forgiveness, to pardon; to give graciously, give freely, bestow; to forgive; graciously to restore one to another; to preserve a person in peril. What is interesting about this second word for “forgive” is that it is from the same root word for “grace” — charis. So the idea in this second case is to give something that is not de- served; to forgive the unde- serving. That is radical folks!
Brothers and sisters, none of this is biblical. We hold onto things sometimes for the sole purpose of justifying the way we choose to think about a person. We need to let things go.
Another step in forgiving people is con-
Being real for the Christian means being as close to Jesus in word and deed that you possible can. It means that you are being nurtured every day in your relationship with God to manifest the characteristics of Jesus.
This begs the question of “what is real,” doesn’t it? What is authentic Christian- ity? Some people believe that “real” means “letting your hair hang down.” You know the type — whatever they feel like saying or doing that’s what they do because they’re just being “real.” Is that what it means though? I don’t think it does. Being real for the Christian means being as close to Jesus in word and deed that you possible can. It means that
Now if you’re like me, one of the questions in your mind at this point is “why would I do that” and the other question might be “how do I do that?” Let me answer the why ques- tion first by again citing the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15.
frontation. As difficult as this is some- times it’s the only way to move beyond the hurt to being able to let go of things. One thing that I’ve discovered over the years is that there are times when I do go to a brother; I find out that there has been a misunderstanding. I find out that my perspective of things was not entirely accurate. Clearly forgiveness is not an option that we decide to exercise IF we feel like it. When we’re able to forgive and receive forgiveness then we can experience and demonstrate verse 8. “Pure” in this context means “real or undiluted.” We could translate this verse: “Blessed is the man or woman who
you are being nurtured every day in your relationship with God to manifest the characteristics of Jesus. You see, being pure in heart is what Jesus was and nothing characterizes the Christian better than mirroring Jesus. When you begin to grasp these two qualities – being a gracious and forgiving person and living in such a way that you mirror the character of Jesus, you radi- ate peace.
The principle is this: if you refuse to forgive you are intentionally placing a barrier between you and God. If we do not treat others with the same attitude of forgiveness that God has shown toward us, the consequences are horrible — our own sins are left hanging over us, result- ing in alienation from God. Now for the “how” do I forgive answer. It starts with “letting go” of your hurts. I know that this has become an even big- ger challenge today than it was in years past because we have so many self-ap- pointed experts in human relationships and behavior telling us to vent and hold onto our anger. There are therapies that counsel people to use their anger as a
(To be continued)
Dr. Mike Spaulding P. O. Box 3007 • Lima, OH 45807
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