Resources/Articles
Getting Even
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Who is hurt in all the drama of offenses? We are. It may be a friend or family member. It is usually the ones we love, which includes us. When those offenses come and hurt reaches deep into our hearts, the thoughts of revenge may dominate our minds. Consider this: No matter how vengeful we may be, we will never “get even.”
A professor of theology, who wrote extensively about forgiveness in a book titled, Forgive and Forget, said: “Revenge never evens the score, for alienated people never keep score of wrongs by the same mathematics. Forgiveness is the only way to stop the cycle of unfair pain turning in your memory.”
The above thoughts help us understand what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:31,32: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger...be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another...forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” If you were to read all the injustices Paul faced as a Christian and teacher of God’s word, you would understand more the urgency of his message. God knew and Paul knew a spirit of forgiveness was essential for the Ephesians’ spiritual survival. His appeal was based on God’s forgiveness of them.
Forgiveness should never be confused with forgetting. Neither is it to be coupled with excusing one’s behavior or smoothing things over. Forgiving stops the offense from getting bigger or leading to other sins like bitterness, wrath, malice, and clamor. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of revenge and gives us a better tomorrow by releasing the unfair practices of the past. Forgiving is one of love’s toughest works. It is also one of love’s biggest risks. Forgiving is imitating the heart of God. It sets you free from a bondage which could otherwise enslave you for an entire lifetime.
