Day 379 · Year 2 · Life with God
As God in Christ forgave you
The model for Christian forgiveness is what you have already received.
Today's passage
Ephesians 4:31-32
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
32Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Paul does not give you a self-help technique. He says: forgive 'as God in Christ forgave you.' That is your model and your power source. Forgiving someone is rarely a single moment; it is usually a long obedience of refusing to keep replaying the bill. It does not mean what they did was fine. It does not mean trust is automatically rebuilt. It means you stop being the one demanding payment, because Someone has already paid yours. If forgiveness feels impossible, start by receiving again how completely you have been forgiven.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
Dietrich Bonhoeffer · Modern · 20th c. · Germany
Bonhoeffer warned against 'cheap grace' that ignores wrong, and against bitterness that ignores cross — calling the church to a forgiveness that names sin honestly and forgives genuinely.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What six things does Paul tell us to put away in verse 31?
- What is the model for our forgiveness in verse 32?
- Who do you need to begin the long obedience of forgiving?
A prayer to pray
Receive again the forgiveness you have been given. Ask Christ for the power to begin forgiving the specific person he brings to mind.