Forgiveness - Part 3

More from John MacArthur's letter on forgiveness:

"Real, biblical repentance comes from confronting the realities of your sin, the pain it has caused, and the high price of restoring the relationships you've damaged. It's not about self-preservation. It's an attitude and an act, the produce of humble grief over your sin. It's not merely a single step or moment in the restoration process--genuine repentance means living out a pattern of transformed behavior. It's not a means; it's the end. [Note: words in bold are underlined in the original letter]

"True forgiveness is equally vital. The restoration process can't begin until you've set aside the wrong that was done to you. The pains that others have caused you may take time to diminish, and some may never fully go away. But forgiveness demands you set aside your wrath--even when it's justified--for the sake of restoring the relationship. When you fail to forgive someone fully, you hinder his or her repentance. Instead of being the victim, you become the culprit.

"The fact is, forgiveness can be much more difficult than repentance. We're not naturally prone to setting aside our pain and wrath when friends and family sin against us. It takes discipline, prayer, and faith. Outside of a right relationship with the Lord, it's impossible to have a proper perspective when someone sins against you--when you realize what He has already forgiven you, it's far easier to forgive others.

"Right relationships with friends and family are not a luxury--they're a vital testimony of your faith in the Lord and your love for His Word and His people...

"Some people might tell you there are simpler, more practical ways to repair broken relationships. Perhaps they'd point to some twelve-step process of reconciliation, or try to convince you that you can't love others until you love yourself.

"But that is dangerously, even lethally, wrong--and it's a classic example of why we need to understand what the Bible teaches. Biblical knowledge isn't a cul-de-sac, and theology is not an academic pursuit. For better or worse, your understanding of eternal truth always shows up in how you live from day to day. It guides and defines everything you do at work, at home, and everywhere in between. In simple terms, what you believe about God and His Word is the most important thing about you."