Believers seem to forget all too often that God forgives

By Greg Holt

“³ For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. ⁴ But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; ⁶ which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; ⁷ that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  Titus 3:3-7

(ICB)  The wondrous grace of God, where I ask would we be without it?  Everyone alive has sinned, it’s impossible not to.  One sin, and your eternal destination without the grace and forgiveness of our Lord and Savior is Hell.

Since God who is perfect and needs no one and no thing decided to forgive us our sins, and even went so far as to pay the price for those sins that we owe and not Him – why is is that so many believers cannot seem to forgive?

Believers seem to forget all too often that God forgives.  If you have been divorced, and I have, then chances are you have a had a large taste of this very unforgiving attitude.  This is in no way meant to say that divorce or any other sin is ok because it’s not.  Nor am I pointing to the above verses to imply that it’s ok to sin, God will forgive you anyway right?  I shouldn’t have to point these things out but if I don’t, someone will be sure to do so for me.  Rather that God does forgive, so why is it that those who follow Him often can not or will not?

It’s unfortunately said that “Christians” (I no longer use that term as it’s meaning has been thoroughly sullied) eat their own, we’re worse than the world is.  This is a true witness.  If you want to see unforgiveness and hard hearts, just have a look around at your local church.  For a supposedly loving people, we tend to be very judgmental and quick to attack.

If it sounds like I’m not to impressed with today’s Church, that would be because I’m not.  Today’s Church resembles the Pharisees much more so than it does Christ.  Not only has the Church become on a wide basis unbiblical, there are also serious problems with hate, unforgiveness, a serious lack of love, using the Church to showcase one’s own talents, using the pulpit to amass lucre and ride the waves of fame etc.

It’s only my opinion, but I think if the Apostle Paul were alive today (on earth of course) he would deliver such a blistering tongue lashing to the Church, our hair would be smoking and our skin would be crispy.

Now this isn’t to say that there are not good people, good believers in and out of the Church, because there are.  The problem is in many churches the bad outnumber the good.

This is also why the group known as the unchurched continues to grow, people are leaving the Church in droves.  The one place that should be a hospital for the sick, is instead a place of gossip, back-biting, and judgment.  The Church should be a sanctuary and is often anything but.

It should then be no surprise that the world is so critical of the Church, meaning the ones who lash us for being hypocrites etc., not the ones who obviously have it in for believers and God Himself.

Some things need to be said, and they need to be said in love, and in this I do struggle I admit.

The next time that you are tempted to say things you ought not to (or think them), repeat after me:

“Look in the mirror when you say that.”