Lasting relationships with people, more often than not, have an unspoken lean toward forgiveness. Forgiveness means that we forgo justice, when offended, for the greater benefit of the relationship. There can be a climate that, when there is an offense, it is not picked up by demanding justice. This is also a form of forgiveness. Jesus said, in the midst of injustice, and without being asked, “Father forgive them.” He died for transgressors while they were transgressing. Forgiveness is a form of death to self. God’s lean toward mercy is the grace that saves us.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Eph 2:4-5 (NASB)
