Why Is Jesus Forgiving?
“Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive,” wrote author C.S. Lewis. Think of a time when someone deliberately hurt you. Then, multiply your pain 10,000 times. You might be able to relate to how God feels when faced with a world of people who have sinned against him. Ultimately, all sin is against God. Taylor, age 11, says Jesus can forgive because “God is him, and God has no flaws. So he is perfect, and with that job comes forgiveness.” I’ve never thought of being God as a job. If you want to look at God’s “job” related to forgiveness, consider the function of human judges. Are human judges unrighteous because they uphold the law by sending criminals to jail? No way. Neither would God be unjust if he immediately judged us every time we sinned against him. If he did, there would be nothing left of us but piles of ashes where lightning bolts had struck. Jesus is forgiving because “He has no reason to hold a grudge, and He loves us,” says Matt, 11.
