Superficial Forgiveness?

A Brother Who Sins Against You

15"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
(Matthew 18:15-17)

The Bible makes it clear that we have been created for relationship -- with God and with one another. When the relationships that form our lives are broken because of wrongful acts, genuine confessions and loving forgiveness are the first steps toward repairing those relationships. This requires us to be honest with ourselves and with each other. It can be difficult -- but genuine love can settle nothing less.

Why? Is the path of pain so necessary in such cases of hurt and heartache? Yes, it's important to see broken relationships healed. It's also critical that we see hearts set free from bitterness (when having been hurt) or guilt (when having hurt others).

There is another reason, however. As members of God's family, we are called to represent Him in the world. The Apostle Paul put it this way: We are therefor Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).

As His representatives, we are to model His character and His ways in our dealings with one another -- including an honest and genuine means of restoring broken relationships.

When we do this, we do more than heal the hurting and bind the wounded. We do more than absolute guilt or relieve bitterness. In fact, we put God's perfect love on display -- a love that is deep, fair, just, and determined to move us toward His good desires for us.

Read Avoiding the Danger of Superficial Forgiveness.