Forgiveness
Tim Melton
2 Corinthians 5:21
On 31 August 1986, two Soviet ships, a liner with 1,234 people aboard and a freighter carrying a cargo of oats, were supposed to pass in the night as they sailed in the Black Sea off the coast of southern Russia. Instead they collided and Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. In total, 423 of the 1,234 people on board died. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn't a technological problem like a radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. The authorities said that both vessels' captains knew for 45 minutes that they were on a collision course but ignored warnings, and that the captain of the Admiral Nakhimov even abandoned his bridge minutes before the crash. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.
When we hear that story and think of the captains, words come to our minds like hard-hearted, arrogant, and selfish. Those do apply, but we need to be careful to not become too self-righteous. How often are we guilty of the same thing? We get in a situation where we refuse to submit or yield or even forgive and for the sake of winning or being strong we end up losing a friendship, our testimony and our intimacy with Christ.
In scripture we see that forgiveness plays a key role in the life of a Christian and at times is even a sign if one is truly a Christian or not?
In Matthew 6 we find the verses known as the Lord's Prayer. In verse 12 we find these words of Jesus. ''And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.'' He was not praying for the forgiveness of His sins, because He had no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). He was giving a model prayer for His disciples.
The word ''debt'' in this context ...
Tim Melton
2 Corinthians 5:21
On 31 August 1986, two Soviet ships, a liner with 1,234 people aboard and a freighter carrying a cargo of oats, were supposed to pass in the night as they sailed in the Black Sea off the coast of southern Russia. Instead they collided and Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. In total, 423 of the 1,234 people on board died. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn't a technological problem like a radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. The authorities said that both vessels' captains knew for 45 minutes that they were on a collision course but ignored warnings, and that the captain of the Admiral Nakhimov even abandoned his bridge minutes before the crash. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.
When we hear that story and think of the captains, words come to our minds like hard-hearted, arrogant, and selfish. Those do apply, but we need to be careful to not become too self-righteous. How often are we guilty of the same thing? We get in a situation where we refuse to submit or yield or even forgive and for the sake of winning or being strong we end up losing a friendship, our testimony and our intimacy with Christ.
In scripture we see that forgiveness plays a key role in the life of a Christian and at times is even a sign if one is truly a Christian or not?
In Matthew 6 we find the verses known as the Lord's Prayer. In verse 12 we find these words of Jesus. ''And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.'' He was not praying for the forgiveness of His sins, because He had no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). He was giving a model prayer for His disciples.
The word ''debt'' in this context ...
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