This post is a follow-up message from Pastor Ben's sermon entitled "Forgiveness in 3D". [Watch video]

Sunday we listed a number of common statements people make about forgiveness. One of them is, “We should just forgive and forget.” James Oglethorpe once said to John Wesley, “I never forgive and I never forget.” Wesley replied, “Then, sir, I hope you never sin.” We all sin, therefore we are all in need of forgiveness. When Jesus showed compassion for a paralyzed man and announced his sins were forgiven, the scribes and Pharisees actually got it right in saying, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus then healed the man to prove to them He was indeed God-come-to-earth who had the authority to forgive sins.

Our forgiveness of others however, is in another category. We cannot forgive others’ sins against God, only He can do that, but as those who are forgiven, we are to demonstrate said forgiveness by forgiving others. Friends, since we all sin against others, and others sin against us, we are to live a lifetime of forgiveness. Learn it now and live it daily. It is the way of love, it is the way of Christ. James Oglethorpe simply revealed a very human attitude, one which hangs onto hurts and refuses to let them go. The divine attitude is one of grace. “To err is human; to forgive, divine” said Alexander Pope, and we’ve heard it often. But don’t take that to excuse and minimize sin and then place forgiveness in a category belonging only to God. Eternal forgiveness is God’s alone; daily forgiveness is our divine calling, and daily grace is given that we might fulfill it. Forgetting? That’s something we will tackle more fully on June 12th.

I hope to see you all this Sunday, 10am at Valley Mission Park for “Church in the Park.” Singing, baptisms, communion, fellowship, food, and a look at how many times we should forgive someone, from Matthew 18:21-35.