Forgiven

If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared (Psalm 130:3).

It can be interesting to walk through a cemetery and see what is carved on the tombstones. Some people put a lot of thought into what final words they want to be remembered by. They treat the inscription on their headstone as one last chance to communicate something important to those who survive them.

In the New York area, there is a cemetery with a grave that has just one word on the headstone: FORGIVEN. There is nothing else—no name, no date of birth, no date of death, no words of praise for the dearly departed—just the one word, FORGIVEN. And yet what greater message could possibly be written on our own final resting-place?

FORGIVEN. There is no word of greater comfort and hope. The unknown person in that grave had faced the end of life at peace, knowing that all the mistakes of his life had been wiped out. He died with no lingering regrets. And that person passed from life without fear of death, because he knew that with his sins forgiven, the gates of paradise were open to him. He knew that death was not the end of life for him, nor was it the beginning of eternal punishment in hell; because he was forgiven, he had an eternity of joy to look forward to in heaven. For the man who is forgiven, death is only a doorway to a better place.

FORGIVEN. This word is the sum and substance of Christianity. Jesus came from His Father in heaven to suffer and die for our sins, so that we can be forgiven. Forgiveness characterizes our lives; not only do we have joy because Jesus offers us forgiveness, we also have better relationships with each other because Jesus teaches us to forgive as He has first forgiven us. Our entire lives are filled with the harmony that comes from being forgiven and forgiving each other.

Going back to that headstone near New York: to the word FORGIVEN, I would add one more word: FORGIVING. FORGIVEN and FORGIVING belong together, just as our Lord put them together when He taught us to pray, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." These two words tell any unbeliever who reads them why we delight in being followers of Jesus.