Try a small experiment with me. Picture a fellow believer, someone you actually know, whether it be a friend from church or a family member who follows Christ, and imagine they have just sinned against you. This isn’t a misunderstanding or a difference of preferences. It won’t disappear if you sleep on it. You’ve truly been wronged.

Now draw the flowchart of what you do. Draw it step by step, from the moment the offense hits to the moment it’s resolved. Use arrows. Mark the forks. Indicate the box where forgiveness happens.

Most people, when they sit down to draw the chart with any honesty, end up with one of three patterns, and each one is missing something the Bible refuses to let us skip. Read more…