Digging Deeper – The Grace We’ve Received is the Grace We Extend

One of the clearest signs that the gospel has transformed our hearts is our willingness to forgive others. Jesus knew that every one of us would be hurt by people. We will be disappointed, betrayed, overlooked, criticized, and misunderstood. Living in a broken world guarantees broken relationships. The question is not whether we will be hurt. The question is how we will respond when we are.

Many people believe forgiveness is primarily about the person who wronged them. But Scripture teaches that forgiveness begins with remembering what God has done for us.

The Apostle Paul tells us to forgive “just as God, through Christ, has forgiven you.” In other words, our forgiveness of others flows from God’s forgiveness of us.

This is exactly what Jesus taught in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21–35. A servant was forgiven an enormous debt he could never repay. Yet, after receiving mercy, he refused to show mercy to someone who owed him far less. Jesus’ point was clear: People who have truly experienced God’s grace should become people who extend God’s grace.

Forgiveness does not mean pretending the hurt never happened. It does not mean excusing sin or ignoring wrongdoing. Forgiveness means releasing our right to seek revenge and placing justice in God’s hands.

Romans 12:19 (NLT) says:

“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.”

When we refuse to forgive, bitterness often becomes our constant companion. We replay conversations. We relive offenses. We carry wounds long after the event has passed. Meanwhile, the person who hurt us may have moved on entirely. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it can free us from allowing the past to control our future.

Corrie ten Boom survived the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Years after the war, she was speaking at a church when she recognized a former prison guard who had been involved in the suffering of countless prisoners, including members of her own family. After the service, the man approached her and asked for forgiveness, explaining that he had become a Christian. Corrie later wrote that every emotion within her resisted forgiving him. She prayed silently, asking God for help. Then she extended her hand and offered forgiveness.

She later said that, in that moment, she experienced God’s grace in a deeper way than ever before. Forgiveness did not erase the pain of the past, but it demonstrated the power of the gospel in the present.

The gospel reminds us that we owed a debt we could never pay. Yet Jesus willingly paid it for us through His death and resurrection. Because we have received mercy, we can extend mercy. Because we have been forgiven, we can forgive.

Is there someone you are struggling to forgive? How does remembering God’s forgiveness toward you help you forgive others? Are you holding on to a desire for revenge or justice that needs to be surrendered to God? What step could you take today toward extending grace to someone who has hurt you?