Ch. 8: On Forgiveness

A reminder to start off--the Thursday, June 21st, meeting of DTS will conclude The Weight of Glory (but not DTS). Please see the prior post and weigh in on which book/author you'd like to read next. We will be taking 2-3 weeks off, then beginning the next work. A schedule will be posted as soon as I nail down details.

In Matthew 6:12, Jesus says/prays, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." In this chapter, Lewis looks at the difference between forgiving and excusing, the giving of forgiveness and the asking of the same. What is stated plainly in the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins," is not really so simple, according to him.

While I didn't feel that Lewis' treatment of forgive vs. excuse was breaking any new ground, it was very interesting to me that he felt that we may well be guilty of fewer sins than we realize and not more. "Often He must know many excuses that we have never thought of, and therefore humble souls will, after death, have the delightful surpise of discovering that on certain occasions they sinned much less than they had thought." Hmm... He adds that we often likely make excuses because we don't fully understand forgiveness.

"Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness, and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it. That, and only that, is forgiveness, and that we can always have from God if we ask for it."

On giving forgiveness, he continues.

"To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

"[T]o forgive the incessant provocations of daily life--to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son--how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand..."