Forgiveness: When Hope Dies
When Jesus dies so do the dreams of those who counted on Him. Experience with Jesus’ disciples their Saturday of lost hopes.
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Forgiveness
Topic Description
Adam’s sin led to more than his exit from Eden; it warped us all and ruined a perfect world. Forgiveness, God’s answer to man’s rebellion is promised in Genesis, purchased for us on the cross, and celebrated at Revelation’s heavenly wedding. Forgiveness permeates the whole Bible. It’s also to permeate our lives.
The posts in this series take a close look at how God’s forgiveness unveils His character, confirms His trustworthiness, and models for us what it means to forgive each other.
Forgiveness: Sending Away Hate (And Offering Love)
We all know what hate looks like. But we’re less familiar with sending away hate. Thankfully, sending away hate is most familiar to God.
Offering forgiveness to the undeserving and unrepentant is God's way to soften hearts.
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Forgiveness: Sending Away Self-Protectiveness
Sending away hate and substituting love, while a difficult choice, nonetheless makes sense. But sending away self-protectiveness and substituting vulnerability? That seems not only dangerous but stupid.
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Forgiveness: Sending Away Vengeance
God models forgiveness for us by sending away hate (and substituting love), by sending away self-protectiveness (and replacing it with vulnerability), and by sending away vengeance (and in its place doing good). Substituting love for hate makes sense (difficult as it is to do). Replacing self-protectiveness with vulnerability raises more concerns. But sending away vengeance and doing good to one who’s wronged us? Nobody wants to do that. It seems so … unfair. It’s so unlike us – and so like God.
Read moreHe Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!
The empty tomb signals the truth: He is risen from the dead. He has paid the price. And now? Now He offers us eternal life with Him.
Read moreGood Friday Goodness: What’s GOOD About Good Friday?
“Good Friday goodness.” The phrase seems a crass contradiction. How can goodness and a horrible death share the same space? What’s good about Good Friday?
Jesus gave His life to buy our way into His arms. Has any groom ever paid such an extravagant bride price? Only one.
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Forgiveness: Saying Thank You
There’s more to forgiveness than just naming our sins and asking God to forgive us. Such confessing and asking are followed by being forgiven and made clean (1 John 1:9). What extravagant gifts! We recognize their bounty by saying thank you.
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