Last night I went and seen the movie Inception. It was an awesome movie that I would encourage people to see, but this post isn't about the movie. Its about a thought I had while watching the movie. A thought that was new to me and one that I wanted to explore more. A thought concerning forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not a new concept. Joseph was entreated to forgive his brothers for their ill-treatment of him in selling him into slavery. The psalms tell us that with God there is forgiveness. The Apostle Paul tells us that those who are forgiven are blessed. He also instructs us that we should forgive others just as God has forgiven us. We are told that if we confess our sins they will be forgiven and will not be remembered.
Forgiveness brings peace and unity. Forgiveness is just as important for the forgiver as it is for the person being forgiven. Perhaps it is more important for the forgiver. If I wrong you and you forgive me, you gain the peace that forgiveness grants whether I accept your forgiveness or not. In this sense forgiveness is not a conditional act.
I was reminded of this in the movie Inception. A character comes to the point of forgiveness and it is only through forgiveness that freedom can be realized and progress achieved. We are told that it is healthy for us to forgive others. That in forgiving those who wrong us we are able to let go of the burden of hatred and vengeance. The act of forgiving releases us from this weight, it frees us to be at peace and to love. It enables happiness and community. If we cease to forgive then relationship is impossible and the weight that bears down on us is a destructive force in our life.
We can see that for us, forgiveness is vitally important.
Does the same hold true for God?
This was my thought while watching Inception. That the act of forgiving is an important act for us for all of the reasons listed previously. The same must hold true for God.
When Adam and Eve sinned against God, communion with God was irrevocably broken. Only through God's forgiveness could the relationship be mended, because it was humanity that was the transgressor. God would justifiably be angry. No matter what Adam and Eve did or what what we do, forgiveness cannot be forced. Just as in human terms, forgiveness can only come from within the forgiver and then only freely. It can not be compelled if it is to be true.
This leads me to two separate thoughts, both of which have been previously articulated by the Apostle Paul.
The first is that one should not see our sinful acts as a way of bringing peace to God. While it is true that when we forgive we are blessed by being divested of our burden of anger and vengeance, we don't go about seeking to be wronged so that we can forgive. It is important and vital that we do forgive when wronged but nobody wants to be wronged solely so that they can grant forgiveness. The same holds true for God.
The second is that forgiveness cannot be achieved through our own efforts. The forgiveness of God leads to salvation and salvation is not the result of our works, but rather it is God's gift that can only be experienced through faith in Christ Jesus. Just as we cannot force a person to forgive us through our own actions, we can't force God to forgive us our sins through our actions.
As it turns out this idea isn't new to me. I may not have consciously thought of forgiveness from God's perspective in this manner but the path had been laid out before me to follow.
Forgiveness is a wonderful blessing and I'm grateful to God, that I can know God's forgiveness through faith in my Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus.
