“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24 NIV)

           “All have sinned” means no person is exempt from sin or capable of changing their behavior on their own.

           Being “justified” means being declared in right standing with God.

           “By His grace” means we are forgiven—through Jesus Christ our Lord—by the grace of God we are forgiven.  Simply defined as unmerited favor—receiving a gift or blessing from God that you did not earn and do not deserve for all are “sinners”.

           “Redemption in Christ” means the act of Jesus Christ paying the necessary price to free us from the bondage of sin.  Jesus Christ died so that all will be forgiven.

           We are all sinners.  So why do we need to forgive others for the wrongs they have committed unto us? The most direct reason is that “human forgiveness” is meant to be a response to divine forgiveness.  God has forgiven us; we are to forgive others as He has forgiven us.  

I think the bottom-line is this: as your relationship with God grows, the closer you get to God, the more you realize forgiveness is part of the journey.  We forgive because He first forgave us.  Simple but very hard to do.  

Today, think of all the people you need to forgive.  Think about how God forgives you—for you are not perfect.  Now forgive them as the Lord has forgiven you. God Bless. Amen.

denise