Paul has this tendency to mix two different words to get to something super essential. He does this in Colossians 3.13 and Ephesians 4. This Greek word is charizomai.
Charizomai relies on the Greek word charis, which suggests grace. So, it is a sort of forgiveness that’s grace-laced. What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. Again, notice this. It’s a present that I give, that I act and take part in, and that doesn’t require anything from the opposite person.Â
Forgiveness must be framed as something that I take part in, that I’m doing, that I’m releasing an offense that any person else has done to me. And it is not conditioned upon whether or not they’ve repented, whether or not they’ve done this or done that, or whether or not they have not done this. It actually has to do with so much more of my personal peace and my personal sanity in order that I can move on.
Have you ever come to some extent where you bought bored with reading the Bible? Lysa TerKeurst understands the way it feels when your heart gets disconnected and Jesus seems out of reach. Studying the Bible on our own may be intimidating — but we’ll never grow in our walk with Jesus unless we make reading Scripture greater than just one other thing on our Christian checklist. Do you desire to dive deeper? Do you wish the Bible to make sense and make a difference in the way you live your life? This resource, “3 Bible Study Basics You Must Know” by Lysa TerKeurst, is for you.
Living within the peace we wish doesn’t come from the absence of pain and chaos, but by knowing Jesus is with us in those things. If you’re eager for this type of soul-settled assurance, join Dr. Joel Muddamalle within the pages of his recent book, The Hidden Peace: Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence Through Humility.
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