Forgiveness

I think back to my life prior to Jesus and the transformation he made in my life. I was a man who demanded justice, I had no respect for weakness, and I certainly had no mercy—particularly on my enemies.

I remember thinking to myself, “I hope that bastard gets exactly what he deserves.” I also lived a life that required me to mete out punishment to those who needed to be taught a lesson. I had no real concern for their plight, nor was afraid of one day receiving the justice I deserved.

The day I was saved, I knelt at the Alter and prayed for God to remove all the anger, all the hate, all the resentment, and all the things in my life that were troubling my soul and separating me from Him. Boy, did he ever answer that prayer. He answered my prayer in a way I would never have guessed and never expected.

God “surgically” removed me from my lifestyle within one week of that prayer. As I began my new walk with Christ, I was still filled with resentment against people, places, and organizations from my past. I still wanted justice to be served—but then, one day; God showed me the horrible truth to such a belief.

God is not really a God of justice, but rather, he is a God of mercy. If he were a God of justice alone, he would never have sent his Son Jesus to die on a cross. He would have simply sent another great flood or an asteroid and blotted out this horrid planet and the selfish, self-centered, and cruel population called humanity.

So, I began to study the word and see that even if I wore leather, even if I rode a Harley, and even if I still had enemies from my past—the old man had to die on the cross. I had to forgive them. I had to account for the plank in my own eye. I had to ask for mercy and give mercy, because it was so freely given to me. I didn`t have to become “milk-toast,” I simply had to become a man who was man enough to man up (laughing). No more folded arms in the corner with shades on—tough guy look; rather, I had to become approachable and humble.

There were a couple of scriptures that were loudly screaming in my head. The first one was Luke 6:32-33, which says, (32) “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. (33) And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” This particular scripture leaves no room for doubt—it takes a real man or woman to love those who hate them. This is where “the rubber meets the road.”

The second scripture was Mathew 5:23-26, which says, (23) “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, (24) leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (25) Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. (26) Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”

These two scriptures made me realize that I could not come before my Lord—and be real—if I was not willing to forgive and make amends where I needed to do so. Jesus forgave us even as he was dying on the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus was awaiting his fate, he was so terrified of the coming events that it is recorded in scripture that he was sweating out blood from his pours (Luke 22:43-44). Medically speaking, this can happen when a human body is under extreme duress. At one point, he called to his Father in Heaven, asking if the cup of redemption could be removed from his plate. He was every bit as human as you and I, except, he was without sin—truly amazing.

How can I ask for forgiveness from my Lord if I am not willing to forgive?