MAN'S FORGIVENESS by J. H. Durland

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 12, 1892

MAN'S FORGIVENESS.

By J. H. Durland

BY ELDER J. H. DURLAND.

BE ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Eph. 4: 32. See Col. 3: 13.

"Even as God hath forgiven you" is the rule we are to be guided by in our forgiveness. In a previous article we found that God's forgiveness puts the offender in the place that he would have been had he never sinned. Then, when we forgive those who have trespassed against us, we are to put them in the same relation to us as God puts us to himself. Our forgiveness of others must not be partial, but exercised towards all, and multiplied in its times. "If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." Luke 17: 3, 4. We are only authorized to ask the Lord to forgive us just as far as we forgive those that trespass against us. If we ask for more than this, we have no assurance that it will be granted.

But human nature cries out against this. Resentment is so easily cherished. Like the man that owed his lord ten thousand talents, we find it much easier to plead for forgiveness for such a large amount than to grant forgiveness to the one that owes us the small sum of an hundred pence. Why is this?—Self is not dead. We look upon our great transgressions as of less importance than our neighbor's lesser sins. If we do forgive the one who has asked our forgiveness, how easy it is to think of it afterward! How often we suspect the forgiven one, and think he will probably do so again! If God should look upon us the way we look upon others, and we knew it, how miserable would be our lives! There are some that think that God is such an one as themselves, and by fearing he has not forgiven them they are continually asking him to forgive, but never have faith enough to believe it is so. There come times when for a few moments they think they believe him and are made to rejoice. But how soon doubts come in and they give up all hope!

How often these same ones speak the word of forgiveness to the offender, but still look upon him in a distrustful manner, expecting him to repeat the offense! How can such persons be happy? They cannot believe God forgives them, because they know they do not grant a full forgiveness to their fellow-men.

We are to forgive as God has forgiven. This means to look upon our neighbor as God now looks upon us. His word of forgiveness justifies us from all sin. Our word of forgiveness should free our fellow-man from all his past offenses against us. This will fulfill the words of the Saviour, which say, "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." How beautiful, how divine, how far surpassing anything that is worldly and human, is Christian forgiveness! To what a high standard is he raised who exercises it! He who has never forgiven one that has offended him, has yet to experience one of the richest pleasures of the spiritual life, and to be graced with one of the choicest excellences.

When we read of Joseph forgiving his brethren the cruel treatment they had practiced upon him, David forgiving Saul his persecutions and Shimei his curses, Stephen forgiving his murderers, and Paul forgiving his false accusers, what an additional luster it adds to all the other traits of their character! Was not the spirit of forgiveness exercised by Christ one essential proof of his Deity? "Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin," was one of the attributes of God's glory, as revealed unto Moses. Ex. 34: 7.

When Luther had wrongfully treated Calvin, he said, "Well, let Luther hate me, and call me a devil a thousand times, yet I will love him, and acknowledge him to be a precious servant of God." What a happy church, what a peaceful world, if this spirit universally prevailed! May we ever seek the Lord for that holy, forgiving spirit to dwell and rule in all our hearts.