on forgiveness

resisting rage, embodying gentleness, and why the truth of our humanity matters

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. 

This is the very end of the Apostle's Creed, the series of statements at the center of our faith, a distillation of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. This ancient document travels through the trinity, detailing what we believe about God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, respectively. We've been thinking about the creed and what its words mean for us in the story of our belonging, first to Christ and then, therefore, each other. We've been wrestling with what it means to be a community Learning the Way of Jesus. 

I have always been particularly interested in the Holy Spirit, the way we become dwelling places for the untamed power that raised Jesus from the dead. As the creed states, we share in the Spirit's divine power as a whole church, in our communion, resurrection, and eternal life with Christ, and in the forgiveness of sins.

Stop and think about that for a moment. This has huge implications on us as followers of Jesus.

In our Christian culture, there is a large emphasis on sin. There has to be, to some extent. We are flawed beings, and there is absolutely a necessary place for remorse and confession. A proper amount of accountability is vital for growth, discipleship and spiritual health. However, we also have a tendency to heap shame and judgment upon each other and ourselves, and it is a toxic weight on our souls. 

However, I find it so profound that the creed doesn't say "we believe in heaping shame upon you for your sins," or "the proper judgment of sins." It doesn't even say, "we believe in the confession of sins." It says "we believe in the forgiveness of sins ."

Goodness. 

I used to think I was good at forgiveness, until I actually had someone I needed to forgive. I really don't like forgiving people (or myself). It is so hard, because it not only involves re-examining wounds you'd like to forget, but it also requires becoming curious about the person that wronged you rather than lumping them into wide categories or stereotypes. Forgiveness says, "Hmm. I wonder why you did that," with a grace-filled gentleness that refuses to become enraged. It holds accountability in one hand and love in the other. 

Forgiveness is an active remembrance that we, in our humanity, are not so different from each other, that we, too, have been forgiven already. It is only from God's incomprehensible, all-encompassing, abundant forgiveness that we are given the power to forgive. A true work of the Holy within us, forgiveness is a practice that we, as Jesus followers, must commit to. May we learn to exercise this radical, counter-cultural, Spirit-filled outpouring of empathy and curiosity, offering it generously towards others and to ourselves. 

No human being is our enemy. Every human being deserves forgiveness. Every human being has been forgiven already. So too may we forgive. So too have we been forgiven.