Forgiven People Forgive People
32 Days Until Easter
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
As we move deeper into this journey toward Easter, one of the things that becomes increasingly clear in Scripture is that what God does in us is meant to shape how we live with others. The grace we receive is not meant to stop with us. It is meant to flow through us. That is exactly what Paul is getting at when he calls believers to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward one another.
The key to understanding this verse is the final phrase. We forgive one another just as God in Christ forgave us. That is a beautiful statement, but it can also feel intimidating. When we look at the way Christ forgives, it is perfect, complete, and sacrificial. Many times we read that and immediately think about the gap between His perfection and our own limitations.
I think that is where people often get stuck.
We understand that we are called to forgive as Christ forgave us, but we also recognize that we are not Christ. Because of that, it can be easy to assume that the standard is simply too high, that we cannot measure up to it, and therefore we quietly lower the expectation in our own lives. But that gap is not meant to become an excuse.
It is meant to become a direction.
As we follow Jesus, the process of sanctification is God shaping us more and more into the image of His Son. That means the things that mark Christ’s character begin to grow in us over time. His patience, His mercy, His forgiveness. None of us reflect those things perfectly, but the trajectory of our lives should move in that direction. The standard is not lowered simply because we are still growing.
Instead, we keep moving toward it.
That means when forgiveness feels difficult, we do not dismiss it. We lean into it. We ask God to help us reflect His heart more clearly. The same grace that has been extended to us is the grace we are learning to extend to others.
And that is where this passage becomes very practical. Forgiveness is not pretending something did not hurt. It is choosing not to hold onto it in a way that hardens your heart. It is releasing the right to keep score and trusting that God’s justice and grace are greater than our ability to manage the situation.
As we move toward Easter, the cross reminds us what forgiveness actually costs. Jesus did not offer forgiveness from a distance. He carried the weight of it. And because we have received that kind of mercy, we are invited to let it shape the way we live with others.
Forgiven people forgive people.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the forgiveness I have received through Christ. Continue shaping my heart to reflect Yours. Help me not to use my limitations as an excuse, but instead allow Your Spirit to grow mercy and grace in me so I can forgive others the way You have forgiven me. In Jesus’ name, amen.