Love Like God Loves (Ephesians 4:32)

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And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
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     Jesus was a Jew, so when He taught, He used typically Jewish literary styles. For example, He used comparisons for purposes of illustration. In Matthew 13 there are eight kingdom parables, seven of which compare the kingdom of heaven to ordinary things: agriculture, seeds, treasure, a fishing net, and the like. Jesus illustrated something complex by comparing it to something familiar.

Recommended Reading:

• Colossians 3: 12 – 15

     The apostle Paul also used a comparison to illustrate how we are to forgive others. We are to forgive others “as God in Christ forgave you.” The question then becomes, how did God in Christ forgive us? He forgave us unconditionally, willingly, generously, permanently, graciously, completely, sacrificially...and the list goes on. That means we are to forgive others the same way. If that sounds daunting, it is. But it also provides insight into the depth of God’s love for us and the love He expects us to extend to others in the form of forgiveness.
     As God forgives others, so must we. Rather than resentment, let forgiveness be our response to any who have offended us.

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True forgiveness breaks a man, and he must forgive.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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