This week we have been spending some time thinking about the forgiveness that God gives to his children.
Today, let’s flip that coin and talk about the forgiveness that we can extend to others.
First, it’s important to remember that our approach to forgiveness is grounded in what we have first received in Christ. Paul makes this clear in Colossians 3:13: “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Just as loved people love people, so do forgiven people forgive people. It is a part of our spiritual D.N.A. You can only “pay forward” what you have first received. It’s not always easy, but it’s there.
Second, keep in mind that unforgiveness is about you just as much as it is about the other person. “Unforgiveness creates bondage,” says Doris Wagner. “Bondage is like a rope that ties up two things, in this case two persons: the one who was wronged and the one who committed the wrong.”*
She makes a good point. Quite often, when we carry around a spirit of unforgiveness, it impacts us too.
Third, forgiveness isn’t about saying “oh, that’s okay.” Nor is it about forgetting what someone did. The saying, “Forgive and forget” is wildly naïve. Forgiveness seeks to entrust resentment and a desire for vengeance to God.
Fourth—and this is something we don’t talk about very much—but forgiveness says something about the kind of world God is bringing into existence. N.T. Wright says that our “birthright” is “to breathe in divine forgiveness instead of the grimy, germy air that is pumped from all sides.”**
Ah yes. Imagine a world where the fresh air around us is perfumed with forgiveness—both received and given—instead of the grimy, germy air of disdain, impatience vengeance.
Think of specific people. Think of specific sins. Search your heart. Pray to God. Take a step toward liberation and fresh air.
“…as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Notes:
-*Doris M. Wagner, How to Cast Out Demons: A Guide to the Basics (Ventura: Regal Books, 2000), 61-62.
-**N.T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer (Eerdman’s, 2014), 63.
-Note: As of August 10, I am on vacation. However, The Up Daily Devotional will continue daily until August 21, then go on pause for 2 weeks, resuming on September 7, 2026.
-The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on August 17, 2026.
-Bible quotes, ESV.
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