FORGIVENESS, ANOTHER GAYRWAY TO GODLIKENESS

Thought Adjuster: “Pride stands in the way of forgiveness. Many expect the ‘trespasser’ to take the first humbling step by apologizing. Could it come from a place of hurt ego—not from a place of radical forgiveness? It becomes denatured to a sort of barter: your pardon for an apology. You posture yourself as magnanimous, but you are condescending and calculating.

“Jesus portrayed conquest by sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride and selfishness. By showing mercy, he meant to portray spiritual deliverance from all grudges, grievances, anger, and the lust for selfish power and revenge.” [UB, 141:3.8]

Now, let us look at the GODLIKE way of genuine forgiveness, exemplified by Jesus on multiple occasions. It had nothing to do with the response of a fragile ego because he did not interpret the offenses inflicted upon him as injuries to his dignity. He assigned them to human ignorance, which validated the need for the salvation he came to provide.

He forgave on the spot—even when in agony on a wooden cross. It led the centurion who witnessed such noble and selfless behavior to smite his breast and say: “This was indeed a righteous man; truly he must have been a Son of God.” [UB, 187:5.5] This centurion became a living testimony of Jesus’ Godlikeness.

“The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him, but such forgivenessis not available in your personal religious experience until such a time as you forgive your fellow men. God’sforgiveness in factis not conditioned upon your forgiving your fellows, but inexperienceit is exactly so conditioned. And this fact of the synchrony of divine and human forgiveness was thus recognized and linked together in the prayer which Jesus taught the apostles.” [UB, 146:2.4]

The Believer’s Prayer Jesus taught is worded to make it explicit that you have to forgive first to collect on the Father’s ever-available forgiveness. “And forgive us every one our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” [UB: 144:3.9-10] This attitude brings you closer to other-centered Godlikeness where nothing is expected in return.”