forgiveness

As I sat down today, to tackle the seemingly endless mound of reading and listening to lectures for New Testament Survey, it was amazing how God met me in my time in the word. Not only that, but I am always amazed at how what God does in the lives of other people truly ministers to me. A major theme for my lesson today was forgiveness. I looked at the little book of Philemon. I never had realized that there was such a parellel in that book to the forgiveness we find from Christ. As the story goes, Onesimus was a slave who stole from his master Philemon and ran away only to meet Paul in Rome. There, Paul shared Christ with this runaway slave and after finding out his past encouraged him to be seek the forgiveness of his master. In that day, a crime such as his would be punishable with death, so this decision to return to Philemon was undoubtedly a difficult one for Onesimus. Yet, Paul interceeds for him through this letter to Philemon, who was a fellow follower of Christ. Paul appeals on Onesimus' behalf saying: "So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me." (17-18) What a testimony of a life lived in the footsteps of Christ. Christ took our place and payed our penalty on the cross, and in return allowed us to stand in his perfect, blameless position in God's eyes. In that same act of self sacrifice and humility, Paul pleas that Philemon welcome his runaway slave as though he were Paul and asks that any debt me charged to him--not because the slave deserved this grace, but because Paul understood that Christ did the same thing for him. WOW....the world would be such a different place if we all grasped Christ's sacrifice for us in this same way. Paul saw his brother in Christ through the eyes of God, as a loved and forgiven son instead of a condemned sinner. I pray that I will develop this type of compassion for my fellow brothers and sisters in faith. That the Lord will pierce my heart with the reality of God's grace--that it is a gift and not because of anything I did to deserve it.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." -Ephesians 2:5