The necessity of forgiveness #2: ditching the superiority complex

God has used a recent situation where someone I know and love very much wronged me to show me how much of a superiority complex I have. Let me explain.

When someone hurts or wrongs you, and you're the 'victim', the innocent party, it's easy to slip in to a proud, Pharisaical mindset. You know you have to forgive them, and you do so out of a condescending 'I would never have done that' spirit.

But that's not the kind of love and forgiveness Christ has shown to us, and it's not the kind we should show to others either.

The story Jesus told of the unforgiving servant is particularly chilling in the cold way that the forgiven man demands such a small amount of money from the one in his debt who begs to be released (Matt 18:21-35). Had he learnt nothing from the grace he had been shown? And yet that's exactly what I'm like if I look down upon a fellow human being, a fellow sinner, and secretly desire 'justice' for them rather than mercy.

In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15), I am the elder brother. I'm the one who feels has 'got it right' and why should I celebrate that the rebel is restored?

I miss, then, how much of a sinner I really am too.

For me, you read the Scriptures and the question is raised clearly: How can we withhold forgiveness when God has shown so much grace towards us?

'Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.' Col 3:12-13

If we refuse to forgive, it's because we see ourselves as superior. And that's a superiority complex we have to ditch otherwise we haven't truly understood the gospel.

As Paul writes in Romans 3: 'all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;no one understands; no one seeks for God..." For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus'.

This passage reminds me, you think you're good enough for God? You want to stand before Him with your own righteousness? NO WAY!!! I need Jesus' blood as much as anyone else. That's why I have to forgive; because I am just as much in need of forgiveness as those who wrong me.

The necessity of forgiveness # 1: 1 Corinthians love

I've met a lot of people with estrangements in their family, a relative they haven't spoken to for years. Some almost seem proud of it. And I'm no stranger to having that kind of situation. My parents divorced when I was a toddler and since he remarried, I've hardly seen my Dad despite him living a short drive away. It's a situation with a lot of hurt. But time and again, when I've been tempted to stop bothering to send cards for birthdays and Christmas or other occasions, when I've been tempted to be indifferent and stop caring, God has done something to show me that I have to keep loving, and keep forgiving.

For many years I have prayed about being able to forgive my Dad. And there's times when I feel it's fine; I do forgive him. But there's also times when the deep, deep hurt is dragged up again. It still makes me cry. And I think, have I really forgiven? I have to keep taking it back to God, to my heavenly Father, again and again.

I was struck by an article on Revive our Hearts today about this very issue. The speaker had a similarly estranged relationship with her father. He didn't ask her for forgiveness, but she knew she had to forgive him anyway. She mentioned 1 Corinthians 13: love 'keeps no record of wrongs... It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.' (NIV) In the ESV it says 'Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.' (v7) To show the kind of love God has shown us towards others will require this kind of faith and perseverance, even with people who have deeply hurt us and are difficult to love. Whenever I think I may as well give up on my relationship with my Dad, this verse encourages me to keep going, to keep loving, because this will glorify my heavenly Father. As Ney Bailey says, 'we're most like Christ when we're forgiving.'

Ultimately I have to get the right perspective. Too often I feel it is my 'right' to have a certain kind of earthly father; the reality is that I have a heavenly One who is perfect. No one has a perfect earthly dad. And I have been very blessed in that my step-dad has always been a father to me; his family have always loved me and accepted me; God has more than compensated for this one breached relationship in my family by providing me with so many other loving people in my life. And I have to have faith when I pray for my Dad that God can still save him and still restore our relationship; He is the God of reconciliation.

The hope of the gospel

'Once you were alienated from God... But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.' Colossians 1:21-23

I was really struck by this phrase today 'not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.' I don't know about you, but I often feel discouraged by lack of progress. When I examine my behaviour over the week, I see myself falling into the same old sins. For every small victory, there are so many defeats. It's tempting to think that I'm stuck in bad habits forever!

But this passage brings an amazing truth: in Christ we ARE reconciled to God and holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. When we walk in faith, we are walking boldly in that truth that we are forgiven through Christ's death on the cross. If we are going to be people of faith and continue as established and firm believers, we have to be sticking to the hope of the gospel.

What is the hope of the gospel? It's that sinners can be washed clean through the blood of Jesus. It's that enemies of God can become His children. Our whole identity can and will change!

My character hasn't undergone any immediate quick-fix transformations or solutions, but day by day in His grace I AM changing and my behaviour is conforming to my status as a child of God. What an encouragement!

I also feel this is a massive encouragement when we are discipling others. Sometimes we can see brothers and sisters in Christ fall into sticky patches. They may be getting tangled up in sins from their past, or new temptations. But this is the hope of the gospel, that they CAN be forgiven, they CAN be restored to God, if they will continue in FAITH.

I need to stop crushing the hope of the gospel with cynical attitudes towards whether people can really change, because in the power of the Holy Spirit and walking by faith, they CAN!

How desperately our world needs to hear about this hope of the gospel. Let's pray for opportunities to share it and stand firm on it this week!

A message for Jade Goody

It is a certain sort of privilege that the nation is able to follow Jade's struggle with cancer and watch as she gets married, builds up a trust fund for her sons, not taking for granted any of her days on this earth.

Jade said, after her wedding, that she was ready to go to heaven now.

I hope she is placing her trust in Jesus, because the Bible says that is the only way we can be sure of going to heaven. He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to God except through Him (John 14:6).

Jade, I pray for you that you will know God's peace and forgiveness, and hand your life over to Him.

Your story teaches us all not to take a moment of our life for granted.

God of wrath, God of love?

"The Old Testament God is a God of wrath. He annihilates entire cities of people. How can you believe in a God like that?"

Ever been asked that question, or asked it yourself? I'm sure we all have.

The Bible is not an easy book to grasp. In the time of history that it spans, there are many events which seem difficult or troubling to the modern mind.

Joshua 11-12 is perhaps one example. Here the Israelite army, led by Joshua, respond to an attack of several cities by completely slaughtering everyone. God hands them over to Israel (6), and everyone back home in the city is put to the sword (11).

'They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed.' (11)

The author of Joshua makes it clear that Israel acted in obedience to God's command, and God Himself 'hardened ther hearts to wage war against Israel, so that He might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.' (20)

So what are we to make of this?

1. God's mercy is always offered to those who repent... but ONLY to those who repent.
Reading the book of Jonah, we have a situation where an entire city stands under God's judgement, and will be destroyed unless they repent. The Ninevites DO repent, and the city is spared.
This is what these cities in Joshua's time should have done. They had heard about God's miraculous dealings with the people of Israel, rescuing them from Egypt, and they chose to fight against God instead of repenting and worshipping Him (like Rahab). Because of this choice, they are destroyed.

2. God has the right to judge us.
He is the Creator of the universe, the sovereign omniscient Lord of power, and He is utterly and entirely pure. All humans are accountable to Him because of these things. And we all naturally turn away from God and go our own way (Romans 3). This is enough to deserve judgement, even without all the terrible things we think, say and do.

3. The reality of hell.
These episodes of destruction in the Old Testament reflect the eternal destiny of those who reject God: hell. If it's shocking and unpleasant to read about people being killed in war, then we're meant to see how much worse hell is. These accounts are there to shake us out of spiritual apathy and show us how much we need to repent.

4. Only through God's grace can any one be saved.
As the book of Romans in the New Testament seeks to argue, no one deserves God's mercy. It is a gift of His grace. If 10 criminals are released from prison unexpectedly, the public don't say 'Why wasn't every criminal released?' Instead they say, 'Why were 10 criminals released?' It's similar to salvation. Instead of asking why God saves some and not others, we should be asking why He saves ANYONE.

5. Only through Jesus can we be saved.
To say that the Old Testament is about wrath and the New Testament about love is simplistic and naive. The New Testament contains the biggest and most terrifying act of judgement God has ever done: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On that cross, God's wrath was poured out on His only Son, so that sin could be decisively dealt with and repentant sinners could be saved.
'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' 1 Tim 1:15

6. The whole Bible is linked together by God making promises and fulfilling them.
In Genesis we see God making promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the nation of Israel: to bless them, gie them land and bless all the earth through them. In one sense these promises are being fulfilled in Joshua, as the people claim the promised land. This is a positive thing because it shows the just kingdom of God rightfully replacing the unjust kingdoms of this world, who have usurped His rule over the earth (New Bible Commentary).
But in another sense, it is not until the New Testament that these promises are fully realised in Christ, as Jesus makes it possible for God's people to live under His rule and obey Him, through the forgiveness of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The lesson of Joshua 11-2 is that God's people need to trust in Him and obey His instructions. The same is true for us today.

Psalm 24-25: How to search for God... and find Him

Lessons from David: Psalms 24-25

In Ps 24, David reflects on God's purity and majesty and how men can worship Him. Earth belongs to Him (1), He is the King of glory (7), strong and mighty (8). Therefore 'He who has clean hands and a pure heart' (4) can seek Him and worship.

Ps 25 elaborates more on what it means to seek God. It involves trusting in Him (1), and looking to Him for guidance- 'Show me Your way, O Lord, teach me Your paths.' (4)

It involves asking for forgiveness (7) and deciding to live God's way instead (8). But it is not just one-way. God is loving and faithful to those who obey Him (10). He makes His covenant known to us (14), and comforts us in loneliness, and anguish (16-17). He actively rescues us and gives us refuge (20).

It is a relationship to wonder at and rejoice in.

Psalm 51: What to do when you mess up

Lessons from David: Psalm 51
David wrote this psalm after a series of disastrous events in which he demonstrated a spectacular lack of godly leadership and went from one sin (adultery) to another (murder). He had dishonoured God. And his attitude in this psalm is one we can copy when we too dishonour our Lord:
-Ask for mercy (1)- not because you deserve it, but because God is loving and compassionate.
-Acknowledge your sins (3)- particularly that they are against God (4)- and God's right to judge you.
-Ask for cleansing (7)- only God can make you 'whiter than snow'.
-Ask for joy and gladness (8)- which stems from an assurance of salvation (12).
-Ask for God to give you a pure heart (10)- only through His enabling can you be pure, along with His Holy Spirit's help (11).
-Share God's desire for purity with others and encourage them too to receie forgiveness (13).
-Praise God (14-15).
-Understand that instead of rituals or outward gesutres ('I'll go to churh more' etc), God wants a 'broken and contrite heart' (v17).
-Praise God that through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, we can come to Him for cleansing with confidence.

How salty are you? (Matt 5)

'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.' Matt 5:13

Every day we make decisions to either share God's light or not. Every missed opportunity is like the salt without its taste; in choosing to sin instead of to do good, we take the goodness out of the salt. We will never have the opportunity to re-live that decision. Once salt has lost its flavour, it doesn't regain it.

Moreover, sin makes us vulnerable to be trampled on. Salt preserves, just as the Spirit within us keeps the Word strong in our hearts. When we sin, we reject the Spirit and the barriers have broken down so Satan can get at us. We may lose our passion for God.

But the good news is that the Holy Spirit is constantly renewing us. Every time we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, God gives us another chance and we are a new creation, full of life and flavour. We just need to work on staying salty for as long as possible.

'God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.' Rom 5:5

Jesus the Hero -1 Peter 2

Who is your hero? And why?

It's an interesting question. Ask a child, and they'll probably think of at least three examples (okay so some of their examples will probably be comic book characters). Ask an adult, and you're more likely to run into problems. You see, as we grow up, people let us down. We learn not to idolise others, because we realise (the hard way) that they are human and make mistakes. Sure, there are some fantastic inspirational people out there, but in the grind of daily life at the office, there are slim pickings for heroic models.

That's why it's so awesome reading the Bible and getting to know Jesus better. The more you read about Him, the more you have to respect, love... and worship Him. Not even His enemies could accuse Him of sin (see John 8). And the Bible is pretty blunt about people who sin, telling us all about David's mistakes with Bathsheba for just one example.

Jesus stood out as being different, and this chapter in 1 Peter really highlights these differences, and show us why Jesus is a true hero.

He is infinitely worthy, and yet suffered rejection.

Have you seen Batman: The Dark Knight? Batman takes the blame for some crimes he did not commit, in order to preserve the people's hope in their hero (who is not Batman). He is turned into an enemy of the people, when really he is donning his suit, jumping off buildings and facing angry rotweilers to save those people of Gotham.

Now Jesus is INFINITELY GREATER than Batman. He's divine, and He never makes mistakes. But I'm drawing a parallel to emphasise the situation. We've all heard the story before: Jesus comes and is crucified. The impact gets lost. This passage reminds us that Jesus is PRECIOUS! He is 'chosen by God and precious to Him' (4); He is the 'chosen and precious cornerstone' (6). And this precious One suffered for US to be saved:
'He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might de to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.' (24)

Jesus is the most precious thing to cling to in this life. He is the means by which we are God's people, because He is the means by which we receive mercy (10). By Christ, we can leave darkness and enter light (9).

If we're ever going to value Jesus for His true, heroic worth, we need to focus on Him: His life, death, resurrection and all they achieve for us. Jesus is to be our great example to whom we can turn and imitate in all situations (21).

One final comment on the Batman analogy: the real tragedy of the film is that there are no heroes. The one the people honour (I'm trying not to spoil the story) turns into an anti-hero, Batman struggles with his human limitations, and the closest thing that comes to hope is the fact that the population make some surprisingly noble decisions. But look at verse 6: 'the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame'. Isn't it awesome, that Jesus will never let you down? He will never break a promise, and He has promised to give eternal life to all who come to Him. He is our true hero.

Why we should love Jesus -1 Peter 1

We, as God's people, have been 'chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father... for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood' (2). We have been chosen to be forgiven, by Jesus Christ's perfect offering and precious blood. The key for loving Jesus more has to be found in understanding more our sinful depravity, His holiness, and the enormity of what happened on the cross for our redemption. We have been redeemed 'with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect' (19). A lamb willingly slaughtered for our salvation.

The second key to loving Jesus more in this chapter is found in the resurrection. God has 'given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade' (3-4). The risen Jesus gives us hope, certain hope, of eternal life and an amazing future in heaven. When Jesus returns those who trust in Him will have praise, glory and honour for their love for Him (7). And that puts us now into a state of 'inexpressible and glorious joy' (8), for we are receiving salvation (9) and eagerly anticipate the 'grace to be given... when Jesus Christ is revealed' (13). The triumph of the resurrection helps us to love Jesus more as we focus on our eternal home and the final victory over Satan, the day when all trials will end.