If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. 2 corinthians 2:10-11
As we head into “Got Questions” and the heart of our year of mission, it’s absolutely crucial that we remember to love one another well – to be “devoted to… the fellowship” (Acts 2:42), and to remember that we belong to one another as members of the body of Christ (Romans 12:5). And we need to know that this won’t be easy because, as the above passage reminds us, one of Satan’s central schemes is to try to cause division within the body of Christ. He does this to distract us from God’s mission and compromise our witness to God’s love.
According to this passage in 2 Corinthians, our key weapon in defeating Satan’s scheme is forgiveness. Forgiveness stops Satan dead in his tracks. He has no weapon as powerful in his own arsenal. The reason for this is that forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel and at the heart of how we are to respond to the gospel in our lives together. And anything that springs from the gospel is infinitely more powerful than Satan’s strongest weapon.
So I ask you, is there anyone in our church family that you feel hurt by, who has sinned against you in some way? Or on the other hand, is there anyone you have sinned against? Surely the answer for each one of us is “YES” on both counts! Well let’s not be “unaware fo Satan’s schemes”. Instead let’s be people who practice the gospel of Jesus Christ and, as forgiven people, “forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4).
Thanks Pete for this extremely important reminder. For me over the years Satan has attacked me through this by not forgiving people of my past hurts and also trying to remind me of my inadequacy of being a normal human being and christian.But knowing that true forgiveness through Jesus is giving me true freedom from these pains and creating healthier relationships .