Reading: The Cross of Christ, pg. 296-302
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12.14-21
In the light of the cross, Christians cannot come to terms with any attitude toward evil that either bypasses its punishment in an attempt to overcome it or punishes it without seeking to overcome it. Pg. 301
The so-called politics of forgiveness, developed by Haddon Willmer, is relevant here. Dar David Atkinson sums up this emphasis well:
“Forgiveness is a dynamic concept of change. It refuses to be trapped into a fatalistic determinism. It acknowledges the reality of evil, wrong and injustice, but it seeks to respond to wrong in a way that is creative of new possibilities. Forgiveness signals an approach to wrong in terms, not of peace at any price, nor of a destructive intention to destroy the wrongdoer, but of a willingness to seek to reshape the future in light of the wrong, in the most creative way possible.”
On the cross, by both demanding and bearing the penalty of sin and so simultaneously punishing and overcoming evil, God displayed and demonstrated his holy love; the holy love of the cross should characterize our response to evil-doers today. | Stott pg.302
What are some of the ways that you need to respond to those that have wronged you? Are you willing to forgive by showing “a willingness to seek to reshape the future in light of the wrong”?
God, in Your graciousness, forgive us as we forgive those who hurt us. Teach us to love in the way that we’ve been loved. Help us to forgive those who don’t deserve it just as we did not deserve Your grace. Amen