Forgiven

Luke 7… ³⁷And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, ³⁸And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner… ⁴⁷Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. ⁴⁸And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Forgiveness is defined as “to excuse for fault or offense; to pardon; to absolve from payment of.” Our sin debt was so high, we could never have paid it, but thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift of forgiveness!

Do you remember that you were once in desperate need of forgiveness? Have you forgotten the heaviness and load of guilt you once had to bear? Or maybe no matter how hard you try, the devil just won’t let you forget your past, and you are having trouble remembering that you are forgiven. Without true forgiveness, there is a sense of unrest, and, as unforgiveness festers, it grows into bitterness that cannot be contained. Whether it is forgiveness for us or forgiveness which must be extended from us to others… true forgiveness brings PEACE.

This Pharisee either forgot or failed to recognize his own need of forgiveness. In so doing, he could not see this woman’s need and was without compassion for her. Even today, many have this same type of behavior. Some may feel they are more deserving or were “less sinful” than others. As we get distance between who we were and who we are now, many forget the great privilege of being delivered from the dreadfulness of sin. Though, we should not live in the past, constantly being reminded of our old sinful lifestyles, neither should we forget the great gift of forgiveness we have been given, and may we always be willing to extend that same gift to others.

-[Charlotte Dixon]