General News
1 June, 2025
In good faith
Have you ever been wronged by someone? That is, of course, a silly question.
At different times in our lives, we all have.
Sometimes it is accidental, sometimes through carelessness and sometimes through very deliberate actions.
The truth is that we live in a world today that is far from perfect and full of people who are seeking to achieve their own goals, often by any means they can, and often in very misguided ways.
The question is, how do we respond when we are wronged by someone?
Do we have never-ending hatred towards them or are we willing to forgive?
Interestingly, a lot of people, although they may use the word forgiveness frequently, actually
have little idea of what it really means.
The Greek word for “forgive” is “aphiemi”, which means “to let go or release.”
It means that we are consciously letting go of ill feelings, our right to justice and our natural desire for vengeance, and we are releasing the offending person from their obligation to restore the damage that they have caused.
It must be noted here that it does not mean that there must be a restoration of relationships.
There is no obligation to restore relationships with someone who exhibits toxic or dangerous behaviour.
It is no secret that forgiveness is hard, especially when the offence has caused a lot of
damage. It is much easier to harbour resentment and ill feelings.
How often have we heard someone on the news outside a courtroom saying, “I'll never forgive them as long as I live”?
While it is understandable that they might feel this way, the fact is that the only person they
are hurting is themselves, and the negative consequences are huge.
According to the website of The Master’s university, unforgiveness can have the effect of imprisoning you in your past and nurturing bitterness in your personality. It gives Satan an open door into your life and hinders your relationship with God and all around you.
One saying that puts it beautifully is that “unforgiveness is like taking poison and hoping that the other person will die”.
It just doesn't work.
The Bible is full of examples of forgiveness. Perhaps one of the best known is the story of
Joseph.
Joseph was the first son of Jacob and Rachel and became the favoured son.
This made his brothers hugely resentful and full of jealousy.
One day, when the opportunity presented itself, the brothers trapped Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Initially, things did not go well for Joseph.
Having been betrayed by his brothers, he was later falsely accused of a serious crime and wrongly imprisoned for many years.
Eventually, he was asked to interpret a dream for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, in which he
was warned of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of drought.
With this, Pharaoh placed him in a high position in charge of making preparations for the coming years of drought.
While in this high position, he was visited by his brothers.
He could easily have taken revenge, but instead chose to forgive, despite the huge evil that they had committed upon him.
The story of Joseph has many parallels to the life of Jesus, including a reflection of our
Lord's mission to give his life for the forgiveness of sins for all who come to Him.
Contributed by DAVID YOUNG