One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of the Holy Spirit in her heart. She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.
The young woman had a rough past, involving alcohol, drugs and prostitution. But the change in her was quite evident. In time, she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry of teaching young children.
It wasn’t long until this faithful young woman caught the eye and heart of the pastor’s son. Their relationship grew and they made wedding plans.
That is when problems began.
About half of the church did not think a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son. Others had no problems with her past. As a result, the church began to argue and fight about the matter. At a meeting over this issue, the people argued; tensions increased. Before long, the meeting got completely out of hand.
The young woman became upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry, the pastor’s son could not bear the pain it caused his wife-to-be. He stood to speak and said, “My fiancée’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does His blood wash away sin or not?”
The whole church became quiet, and then people began to weep as they realized they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against others — including our brothers and sisters in the faith. Forgiveness is a foundational part of the gospel of our Lord.
If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse another person completely, it cannot cleanse us completely. And if that were the case, we would all be in a lot of trouble.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” Most should be grateful he doesn’t forgive as they do — or rather, don’t.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: A lesson on forgiveness