Discern Daily
Ep. 30 - Christians Can't Not Forgive Others
Forgiveness should be a mark on the life and mind of every Christian. No Christian forgives perfectly, but we should strive to be known as forgiving people. On this episode, we are highlighting Brandon Hanson's article for 1517, titled, "Out of Ammo." Let's seek the truth together.
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Quotes From Brandon Hanson
“We expect the world to shoot its wounded. But not even the world expects Christians to shoot their wounded."
"Scripture teaches us to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and that Jesus isn't for winners, but losers. The Church, as the embassy of heaven on earth, teaches unearned, unmerited favor and forgiveness.”
“How often God freely forgives men who return the favor by only forgiving others based on a catch-22 of as many or more conditions. And still, God forgives us, again, and again, and again. For all our talk, maybe our trouble to forgive isn't that we haven't been taught and lectured and preached and talked at enough about forgiveness; perhaps it's that we don't actually believe God in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself."
"Maybe it's not that we don't intellectually understand the concept of forgiveness, but that we disbelieve that kind of forgiveness has really been extended to us. We don't take that check to the bank. We're afraid it will bounce. So we stuff it in our Bibles along with another 20 checks there from earlier Sundays this year where we heard the forgiveness of our sins proclaimed. No wonder when we have to forgive others, we can't do it. We have nothing in our spiritual banks to forgive others with."
"We can only forgive others as God in Christ has forgiven us. Maybe the command isn't as much of an imperative as it is a call to recognize an obvious fact. When you forgive, you are only forgiving because God has forgiven you in Christ. As you are in Christ, so too are you able to forgive. If God hasn't forgiven you, and if you aren't in Christ, then any attempts at forgiveness are going to be pointless. You will fail to forgive because you've failed to grasp the fact that you've already been forgiven by God of more sins you've committed against God, than all the sins the world could ever commit against you."
“A bank account full of forgiveness means your ammunition to shoot others has run out."
View Brandon Hanson's full article for 1517 here.
Episode Highlights
The world is about winning or losing — defeating or being defeated. Therefore, it's about survival of the fittest. However, the Church is supposed to be sacrificial and withhold forgiveness from no one.
What do people know you by? Are you known for holding grudges and gossiping? Are you known for being gracious and humble? It's beneficial to examine ourselves.
"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:19-20).
If we are going to make a difference in the world, we need to be known as forgiving. We aren't going to make many disciples without it.
Withholding forgiveness has consequences. "If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).
Share Your Thoughts
Did anything stand out to you in the episode? Have you seen any good or bad examples of forgiveness lately? What did you think of Brandon's article? Share in a comment below, and help share this episode on social media if you found it useful.
