Forgiveness First

Nothing is more vital to our ability to navigate and recover from the universal problem of pain, discord and division than forgiveness!

In the aftermath of forgiveness, life-long pain and deficit patterns fall apart. We most often hear from those who cross the forgiveness bridge with us—I had no idea there was so much to forgive! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off.

For Christians first, forgiveness is the central dynamic of God’s redemptive action in our lives. Jesus’ directive to extend to others the same forgiveness that He has extended to us is made real in our alignment with His divine mandate—Forgive as you have been forgiven. If you do not forgive others, then neither will your heavenly Father forgive you.

This hard truth finds its soft landing at the cross. Here we gather as the body of Christ to minister the reality of the bought and paid for work of forgiveness that Jesus established at the cross—where together we discover the layers upon layers of grace, life and healing that are ours in Christ.

Only in this way will we fulfill—individually and collectively—our ultimate identity and destiny in Christ. Only by recovering the lost art of living mercifully can we hope to align with the life-giving power of God in our lives and communities—first for the church, then for the nations.