"there has only ever been one perfect man, the Lord Jesus, and we killed him. I only missed a putt."
Forgive one another
Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13The whole basis of our relationship with God is the fact that God has forgiven us. Yet often we struggle to forgive others. In our society the idea of ‘forgiving’ is an alien concept. We are encouraged, not to get people let away with things, to stand up for our rights. Paul, on behalf of Jesus, urges us to forgive.
And the motivation is that Jesus has forgiven us. But it is also a command and a warning. Jesus said: If you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14, 15
Jesus re-inforces this point with the so called “Parable of the unmerciful servant” who is forgiven his debt but then refuses to treat someone who owes him money equally graciously and then has his forgiveness revoked.
Jesus’ conclusion from the incident is: This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from the heart. (Matthew 18:35)
This is not a passage which makes us feel comfortable or blessed. It is one which challenges us. Perhaps we need to reflect on whether there is someone in our team or training group that we need to forgive.