Love Like God Loves!
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God in
Christ forgave you."
Ephesians 4: 32
Jesus was a
Jew, so when He taught, He used
typically Jewish literary styles. For example, He
used comparisons for purposes of
illustration.
In Matthew 13 there are eight kingdom parables,
seven of which compare the kingdom of
heaven
to ordinary things: agriculture, seeds, treasure, a
fishing net, etc. So, Jesus illustrated something
complex by comparing it to something familiar.
Apostle Paul used a comparison illustrating how
we are to forgive others. We are to forgive others
“as God in Christ forgave you.” The question then
becomes, how did God in Christ forgive us? He
forgives us unconditionally, willingly, generously,
permanently, graciously, completely, sacrificially,
and the list goes on.
That means we're to forgive others the same way.
If that sounds daunting, it is. But, it also provides
insight into the depth of God’s love for us and the
love He expects us to extend to others in the
form of
forgiveness.
As God forgives others, so must we.
Rather than resentment, let forgiveness be
our response to any who have offended us.
"True forgiveness breaks a
man, and he must forgive."
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones