CS Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”
At the heart of the good news of Jesus is forgiveness! And there is no doubt that the Christian ethic and emphasis on being forgiven and then forgiving others, has influenced our western culture.
Yet now it’s not uncommon to consider this an outdated story and ethic, which forces just another burden on victims in our society and let perpetrators free, be unaccountable and so ruins the possibility of any meaningful justice. How does Christian forgiveness then actually work? Over four weeks we will consider the following topics and Bible verses…
- The fundamentals of forgiveness, Matt 5:1-12; 18:21-35 (June 7th)
- Our need of forgiveness, Genesis 50:15-21; John 3:16-18, Psalm 32 (June 14th)
- Receiving God’s forgiveness, Psalm 51, Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9, Luke 3:7-11; (June 21st)
- Granting and extending forgiveness to others, Luke 7: 36-50; 15:11-32; 17:3-6 (June 28th)
