“And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” (Ephesians 4:32)
In today’s New Testament passage, Ephesians 4 is so rich in talking about how the body of Christ is unified and gives us practical advice on how to live at peace with others. Each verse in this chapter is so helpful for each of us as we live transformed lives ready to serve Jesus. Since we just want to highlight one verse, I believe verse 32 encapsulates everything that God would want us to do. By far, this is the most difficult thing for us, Christians, to do on a daily basis.
Being transformed by God, we seek to show the same kindness, tender heartedness, and forgiveness to others that God has freely shown to us. If we treat others the way that God treats us, we fulfill every thing that Paul told us to do in today’s passage. But this is sometimes so difficult for us to do. That’s why it is so important to focus on those last 8 words of the chapter, “just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Our forgiveness towards others is mirrored after the forgiveness of Jesus to us. When we pause to remember and think of the amazing way that God forgives us, we should feel shameful when we withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged us.
Reflect on these truths of God’s forgiveness towards us:
1. God holds back His anger and bears with us for a long time though we sorely provoke Him.
2. God always makes the first move in forgiveness, trying to reconcile even though the guilty party isn’t interested.
3. God forgives our sin knowing that we will sin again, usually in the exact same way.
4. God reaches out to bad people (like us) to woo them to Himself, and attempts reconciliation with bad people (like us).
5. God’s forgiveness is so complete and glorious that He grants adoption to those former offenders.
6. God’s forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor. God loves, adopts, and associates with those who once wronged Him.
7. God puts His trust in us and invites us to work with Him as co-laborers when He forgives us.
As we reflect on God’s forgiveness today, let us be obedient to His word and rely on God’s strength to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to one another. This is a God-sized task that requires us to seek His help every second of the day.