Forgive
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
Paul is writing about forgiving a particular man – possibly the offender of 1 Corinthians 5 or someone who stood against him on his last visit. He says he has forgiven this man and then as if searching the recesses of his memory, questions whether he did or needed to. He seems to have forgotten or at least, he can’t clearly remember.
This tells us more about Paul’s ability to forgive and then forget than it does about his memory. He had forgiven and consequently had forgotten. He no longer held onto the offence. It was gone, forgotten. When we genuinely forgive someone, we can most times expect to forget the incident.
And all this is in the sight of Christ (2:10). Paul lived with the clear knowledge that Jesus watched everything. Jesus knew what he did, said and even thought. Nothing was hidden.
Holding onto unforgiveness opens a doorway for the devil. Closing that doorway shuts him out. Forgiveness is a decision. We decide to forgive. Don’t wait until you feel like forgiving. Decide to let go. Decide to release the person who offended you. Then walk free!
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