Christians are not just forgiven people—we must also be forgiving people. But how do we forgive others? Ephesians 4:32 calls us to a high model of forgiveness. That passage says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” People have different ideas about what forgiveness is and how we forgive. But our best option is to consider how God forgives and do our best to follow that example.
Today, let’s consider the wondrous truth that God proactively pursues forgiveness. God is perfect and sinless, so when our relationship with God is broken because of sin, we are entirely at fault. And yet, God has not waited for us to make things right—He has acted first. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What a picture of true love. Even when wronged, God loved us enough to take the first step towards our forgiveness.