When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-17

A gift is something given willingly and without expectation of payment.  Everything we have is a gift from God – especially our salvation. We haven’t earned anything except condemnation for our sin, yet the Lord graciously pardons us through faith in His Son.

Just as God grants us forgiveness we don’t deserve and can’t earn, se we are to willingly give this same priceless gift to others.  I looked up “forgive” and two definitions popped up:

            – “To give up resentment against or stop wanting to punish (someone) for an offense or fault;”

            – “To relent in being angry or in wishing to exact punishment for (an offense or fault).”

No strings or conditions can be attached, or else it ceases to be a pardon.

One author wrote: “Unforgiveness is emotional bondage that consumes our mind with memories of past offenses and fills our heart with churning unrest and a desire for revenge. Its tentacles reach deep into the soul, affecting both spiritual and physical health.”  But the one who puts on a heart of love, compassion, and forgiveness will be given the peace of Christ.  When God’s Word dwells richly in us, thoughts of anger and vengeance will be transformed into praise and gratitude to the Lord.

We need to remember what Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-24:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Unfortunately, there are people who consider pardoning an “offender” (usually a ‘perceived’ offender) too hard to try.  But forgiveness isn’t something we have to manufacture in ourselves.  It’s freely given to us by our Savior, and our job is simply to pass in on to others.