I Am Forgiven

Last night we talked a lot about forgiveness.  We can be fully forgiven for every sin against God.  Past, Present, Future - all of the wrong we have done, are doing, and will do is wiped away by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

It is that forgiveness that we find real freedom.  We find that we are free from our performance as something that has to be done in order to gain favor with God.  Performance is the opposite of grace.  There is nothing we can do to earn favor with God.  It is given freely to us through Jesus.


We also find that we are free to forgive others who have wronged us.  Not forgiving those who have done evil to you leads to bitterness and wrath that well up inside you and ultimately control you.  The release comes when you offer forgiveness.

In the book "Who Do You Think You Are" Mark Driscoll tells us what forgiveness is and what it isn't.


Forgiveness is:
Canceling a debt owed to you
Removing the control your offender has over you
Giving a gift to your offender and yourself
Forsaking revenge
Leaving justice in God’s hands
An ongoing process
Wanting good for your offender



Forgiveness is not:
Denying sin occurred or diminishing its evil
Enabling sin
Necessarily a response to a repentant apology
Not covering up sin committed against us
Not Forgetting
Not Trust
Not reconciliation


Who do you need to forgive?