The Kindest Thing Anyone Ever Did for You
Think about the kindest, most generous thing anyone has ever done for you. What comes to mind? Josh White suggested this question to open his May 24 message at Grace Bible Church, and he noted two things likely common to every answer: it was something you could not do for yourself, and it was deeply personal — someone did it because they loved you.
For those who have placed faith in Jesus Christ, the answer is clear. The kindest thing anyone ever did for you is that someone paid for all your sins. Every single one. You could not do it. God did it because He knew you and loved you personally.
Complete Forgiveness
Last week GBC examined the technical side of God’s forgiveness — that it is gracious (Romans 3:23–24), complete (Colossians 2:14), and certain (Acts 26:16–18). This week Josh turned to the personal side: if God’s forgiveness is just a transaction, why did He do it? The answer is love.
“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord God. Is it not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”
— Ezekiel 18:23
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
— John 3:16–17
God’s Forgiveness Is Eager
Josh pointed out that God did not create humanity to be objects of punishment. Before He spoke the world into existence, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit already had a plan: when humans inevitably fell, the Son would become human, live perfectly, and die to redeem them. This was not an afterthought — it was the goal from the start.
“This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
— 1 Timothy 2:3–4
God is not reluctant to forgive. He is eager. He wants reconciliation the way a parent wants reunion with a wandering child. And because His heart bends toward forgiveness, ours must too.
Forgive So That God Can Be God
Josh gave two practical reasons we should be motivated to forgive others. First: forgiveness lets God be God.
“Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them… Repay no one evil for evil… Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”
— Romans 12:14, 17, 19–20
When we hold grudges, we are trying to do God’s job. We are not qualified for it. Forgiveness is the act of stepping aside and trusting that the Lord will make all things right — in this life or the next.
Forgive So You Do Not Fall Into Satan’s Trap
Second: unforgiveness opens the door to spiritual harm.
“I beg you to reaffirm your love for him… For this is why I wrote, that I might test you… Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.”
— 2 Corinthians 2:8, 10–11
Bitterness keeps us locked in a mental prison of our own making. As Josh noted, unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It eats at us, not them.
“Love is patient and kind… it keeps no record of wrongs.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4–5
God does not replay our sins against us. He nailed them to the cross and chose to forget them. If that is how He treats us, we are called to extend the same grace to others.
So What?
Forgiveness is not optional for the Christian. It is a mark of being a new creation in Christ.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation… We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17–18, 20
That is the calling: enjoy God’s forgiveness, then pass it on. This is especially urgent as GBC approaches Vacation Bible School and summer camp — opportunities to share the message of reconciliation with children who may hear the gospel for the first time. May we be people who not only receive forgiveness but practice it, so that the world around us sees the heart of God in us.
Scripture References
- Ezekiel 18:23 — God’s desire that the wicked turn and live
- Ezekiel 33:11 — God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked
- John 3:16–17 — God’s love in sending His Son to save
- 1 Timothy 2:3–4 — God desires all people to be saved
- Romans 12:14, 17, 19–20 — Bless those who persecute you; leave vengeance to God
- 2 Corinthians 2:5–11 — Forgive so you are not outwitted by Satan
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–5 — Love keeps no record of wrongs
- 2 Corinthians 5:17–20 — The ministry of reconciliation