This message marks the first in a series of 11 messages on the topic of forgiveness— inspired by Tim Keller’s book Forgive. As we progress through the series and come to understand what forgiveness looks like in our own lives, we have to start with a broader exploration of what forgiveness even is—renouncing revenge and being open to reconciliation. Many people— inside and outside the Church—have different opinions of what forgiveness is, but we must come to understand how it is portrayed in Scripture.
Human forgiveness is dependent on divine forgiveness. There is a vertical aspect of forgiveness that starts with God’s forgiveness of us that translates into an internal aspect as we understand God’s forgiveness. That leads to the horizontal aspect which results in how we offer forgiveness and reconciliation others. Our society’s anxiety and confusion regarding forgiveness is real, but our world cannot live without forgiveness and that is why this series is so important.
