A Pardon for Others

But there's more to life than being pardoned by God through Christ. There is the pardoning of one another. But as you may have experienced, being pardoned by God is one thing but being pardoned by other people is something else. While God desires to set you free from misdeeds, indiscretions and sinful attitudes, some people are not as so inclined. God has His expectations and people have theirs. And just guess who has set the bar of righteousness higher than God?

Have you not found there are some folks who expect more of you than God? I'm not saying God doesn't look for righteous living. Repeatedly the Word of God reminds us, "be holy as I am holy." But have you come across individuals who have made it their responsibility to scrutinize your life more than their own? What they see may be in need of a little sanctified fixing up but it is rather insignificant in comparison to their own stuff.

But as I consider God's Word, I am reminded the gospel is not just about being pardoned by God but my pardoning of others. It is about the truth of Ephesians 4:32 which says we are to "be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, as in Christ God forgave you." And it is a wonderful thing to see when this truth is being lived out or becoming a reality.

We find it being flesh out in the New Testament as Paul writes to Philemon about Onesimus who had been a runaway slave. What he did was wrong. Paul admits Onesimus had been useless but now he has become a Christian. Paul would like to keep him but he recognizes Onesimus could really help out Philemon. So Paul encourages Philemon to take him back and forget about everything that had transpired in the past. And if there is any need for compensation, Paul says "charge it to me." In other words, Paul is encouragingly saying it is a time for a pardon.

Joel is one of my students who shared a story from his life with me one day. He was seventeen when he was hastily and carelessly driving his car one afternoon and accidentally struck and killed an Amish woman while she was riding in her horse and buggy. She had only been married a few days. Prompted by his parents, he went to the viewing where the husband embraced and said he forgave Joel for what had transpired. Over time, the Amish fellow remarried his deceased wife's sister, and Joel and his wife shared a meal with them several occasions. And when Joel and his wife went to the mission field, guess who was part of their financial support team?

Incredible? Yes! But should not the church look like that — a place of pardon? As people make their way through these doors, should they not be able to hear "not guilty?" Should not any sense of punishment and lingering regret that hangs over their heads be withdrawn? Should not men and women be set back on the path of wholeness? God intended His community to be a place where "there is no condemnation" and where individuals who have made wrong turns in life are able to "stand in grace" not only before God but with His people.