Posted by Pastor Jim Fikkert

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. | 2 Corinthians 5:4-7

There has been a lot said over the last few years about privilege. By this, I mean the inherent benefit that some people have based on their gender, skin color, and even sexual orientation (among other things). Recently, I had someone refer to the privilege of being Christian. I wanted to respond by describing some of the daily privilege I experience as a pastor, but I controlled myself. As I have thought about it, I think they were right. Maybe not in the way that they meant it, but their is great privilege to being united with Christ. One of these comes from the identity that we take on. Being unified with Jesus means:

  1. We no longer have to EARN acceptance – Ephesians 2.8-9
  2. We no longer have to PROVE our value – 1 Peter 1.3-5
  3. We no longer have to STRUGGLE for power – Colossians 2.9-10
  4. We no longer have to WORRY about missing out – Philippians 4.4-7

What we are given through the gospel is the ability to live this life without some of the burdens of our humanity. God does not take us out of the world, but leaves us to live with privilege. We are given the opportunity to be God’s ambassadors: living the life He gives in a broken world. One of the main focuses of this MUST be: to act toward reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5.19). We must use the freedom that we have received in Christ to work toward healing relationships broken by sin. As we looked at Sunday, this begins with forgiveness. As those who have been forgiven, we have been gifted the freedom to forgive. Forgiveness is an act of privilege.

As you look at the world around you, and your relationships specifically, do not look for those who deserve to be forgiven. Don’t waste your time waiting for others to fix the broken relationship with you. Recognize your privilege and put down your defenses. Allow the gift of grace that you have been given to motivate you toward mercy. Forgive as you have been forgiven. We pray: FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS, to root ourselves in our privilege and to push us forward to use this privilege as ambassadors of reconciliation.

The struggle of this is that we don’t feel privileged…often times we feel quite the opposite. In our brokenness, we feel like we need to earn something. In our inadequacy we want to prove ourselves. In our weakness, we crave power. We are continually reminded of what we don’t have. All of this builds in us a self-defensiveness that makes us unwilling to ‘give up’ power through forgiveness. What if it doesn’t work? What if we get hurt in the process? What if someone uses our mercy as a weapon against us? This is where faith comes in:

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

As Christians, we must live by who God says we are, not under the burden of this earthly life. We GET TO forgive, because we have been given hope. The future reconciliation of all things must be the motivation for our actions now. Use your privilege well.