Giving Grace

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15

The call of Christ is for us to forgive each other in they way that Christ forgave us. The extent to which each of us has offended God is really beyond our comprehension. Our sins are too many to count. Christ not only forgave us completely, He did so at great personal cost, leaving His rightful place in glory, becoming a servant of men, and laying down His life to purchase our forgiveness. This is the kind of forgiveness we are called to.

In this passage we find this call to forgiveness surrounded by the call to put on (as a garment) things like humility, kindness, and love. All of these qualities flow from spiritual living. When we live spiritually (by dependence on Christ), we find ourselves in a state of humility, thanking God for all that He has done for us in Christ. When we have that kind of perspective, we have a real understanding of the fact that we really don't deserve the kindness that God shows us on a daily basis. Grace becomes real to us. And when we enjoy that kind of grace, it only makes sense to show that kind of grace to others.

Let's face it; we've all been hurt by others. Many of us have never given grace to those who have hurt us, and that bitterness eats us up. For anyone who finds themselves in this position, take another look at the passage above and note that letting God's peace rule in our hearts comes after the forgiveness, the love for others, etc. There is no way to have peace in Christ if we are harboring bitterness towards others. When Christ said, "love your enemies", He meant it. Giving that kind of grace to others is a prerequisite to having the kind of peace God wants for us.