Scripture

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NLT)

When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

Consider

Forgiveness is God’s preferred way of dealing with broken relationships. Indeed, one can make the case that the entire Bible is a story of forgiveness—God’s plan from the beginning to heal and redeem a world alienated by sin. Jesus came to earth neither to punish nor to excuse our sinful lives but to show us how desperately we need God and to point the way back to him.

Satan, on the other hand, has no interest in restoring broken people or relationships. Instead, he is bent on opposing God’s authority and damaging the creation that God loves.

Armed with clever schemes and an army of servants devoted to his destructive purpose, he teases people away from God’s counsel by proposing attitudes and actions that seem sensible and justifiable by the world’s standards. One of his ploys is to eliminate forgiveness as a response to injury, leaving us with two other options: to passively deny our injury or angrily set ourselves against our offender. In the aftermath of our being hurt, we might regard either option as a reasonable response, but the truth is that neither leads us toward recovery and growth. Each in its own way only leads to further hurt and brokenness.

Satan’s two options play on our need for justice and mercy in our relationships. It’s forgiveness, however, that actually satisfies those needs. For example, we may be inclined to deny or dismiss an offense because we just don’t want to deal with it. Forgiveness, however, forces us to confront the truth. In forgiving we must acknowledge that harm was done, that the offender acted wrongly, and that we have a right to demand justice and punishment. However, we also acknowledge that we ourselves have hurt and wronged others but have received undeserved grace and mercy from God. Because we have been forgiven, we also forgive, not dutifully or begrudgingly but out of love and a desire to heal and restore what is broken and hurting.

At the other extreme, we may be so focused on the offense that we refuse to see the person who needs to be forgiven. The offense may be so horrible and unfair that we cannot tolerate the idea of letting it go and moving on. At such times it helps to remember that we don’t forgive the offense but rather the offender. We do not minimize the effects of the offense but rather shift our focus to the worth of the person who sinned. As God loved us in our sin and reached out to redeem us, so do we seek to love the person who wronged us—repentant or not—and hold out a second chance.

According to Paul, the way to outsmart Satan is follow God’s counsel and Jesus’ example on the cross. As God forgives us our debts, we also forgive our debtors and pray for their restoration.

Pray

FATHER, I confess I have listened to Satan’s advice because it soothed my wounded pride and justified my anger. Help me to see through the false counsel that leads me away from you and deeper into brokenness and hurt. Teach me the lasting value of forgiveness as your remedy for damaged relationships.

Reflect

2 Corinthians 11:14-15; Ephesians 6:11

Ponder

What advice has Satan whispered to you that seemed right at the time but led you into deeper trouble?