The heart of Christianity is seeing, enjoying, and showing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
The mechanics of this truth work like this: When we see the Glory of God in the face of Jesus by the means of the Word of God and the grace of the enabling enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, as a result we are graced by God to enjoy or appreciate Christ for all of His supreme worth. (God is most glorified when we are most satisfied with Him). As a result we become instruments of making His glory shown and known to the nations.
Paul describes this in Colossians 1:27,“To them( those who have not seen and savored the glory of God) God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What an incredible truth! More than any temple of wood and stone. More than any elaborate cathedral, God has chosen to display His presence and glory radiantly through you and me! Mike Mason says, “This is the heart of the Gospel: seeing and being the glory of God in human form.”
No wonder the Apostle Paul spoke with such wonder, amazement, and awe when he spoke in 2 Corinthians 4:7,“But this precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.” NLT
Or Jesus who said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
So if the essence of Christianity is seeing and savoring the glory of God, and if by this means we show His glory, then one of the primary ways that God is glorified through us is by forgiveness.“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
Forgiveness builds bridges between people. It restores and heals broken relationships. It eases the pained conscience. It frees us from guilt. It sets us free. Ernest Hemingway, in his short story, “The Capital of the World”, tells the story about a father and his teenage son who lived in Spain. Their relationship became strained, eventually shattered, and his son ran away from home. The father began a long journey in search of the lost and rebellious son, finally putting an ad in the Madrid newspaper as a last resort. His son’s name was Paco, a very common name in Spain. The ads simply read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the Madrid newspaper office tomorrow at noon. All is forgiven, I love you.” As Hemingway writes, the next day at noon there were 800 sons named Paco who were all seeking forgiveness.
Oh how many Paco’s there are in the world seeking forgiveness from someone else! Yet how many Paco’s are there seeking a “peculiar” forgiveness, our deepest need, from the Father in heaven. For receiving human forgiveness, heals our relationships with our fellow man, but receiving God’s forgiveness, heals our relationship with Him. When we know the Father in heaven’s mercy and forgiveness, we become free to know Him and glorify Him and bring His message of forgiveness to the estranged Paco’s of the world.
The highest forgiveness there is then, is the forgiveness that comes from God alone: a “peculiar” forgiveness. John Maxwell says, “The two great marks of a Christian are that they are giving and forgiving people. Show me a person who walks with God and I will show you a person who has a giving heart and is forgiving of others” God has called us to be forgiving people, because He is a forgiving God.
To be continued...
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