Absorbing the Debt

I'm working my way through Tim Keller's book Counterfeit Gods, and it is really good as anything else by him.  This morning I read this portion on forgiveness and I thought it was so good so I had to share. 


All forgiveness is costly.  


Forgiveness is always costly for the giver.  The recipient receives it freely.


Sometimes I think of forgiveness as "just forgive them".  I kind of take the heart out of it, and I just forgive because I am trying to be obedient.  But the reality is it shouldn't be easy. 


When I say something hurtful to my husband, and he forgive me.  He isn't saying, "Oh that's ok, just don't do it again you little knucklehead!"


He is taking the hit (being my words), absorbing it, and in his heart forgiving me.  That is A LOT for someone who has just been hurt.  


Me, on the other hand, I did nothing but be the creator and messenger of those words.  And yet, the forgiveness is given to me anyway.


Keller says, 

No one who is seriously wronged can "just forgive" the perpetrator.  If you have been robbed of money, opportunity, or happiness, you can either make the wrongdoer pay it back or you can forgive.  But when you forgive, that means you absorb the loss and the debt.  You bear it yourself.

So transfer that to us and God.  We all have done wrong to him, and so much worse than hurtful words.  From the day we were born, we were enemies of God.  


But He took all our sin, to the cross and absorbed the loss.  It was tremendously costly for Him, and we receive forgiveness freely!  Though we did not deserve it, we received it.


All forgiveness is costly.