In An Age of Disillusionment—Forgiveness?
A commentary by John Ross Schroeder
Good News magazine Senior Writer, United Kingdom
Have we become an unrealistically disillusioned
people? Satisfaction with our leaders, institutions and ideals appears
to have reached an all-time low. Personal admiration for public figures
is hard to come by these days. And young people's search for genuine
heroes often appears to be a lost cause.
Our age is so hard on most of its heroes that it suffers from what some
refer to as the gotterdammerung—the destruction of the
gods! Since most politicians lead less than perfect lives, they are regularly "slain" by
the press when their peccadilloes are uncovered.
And the rumor mill rarely leaves the royals for very long. The British
Royal Family in particular has suffered much from the disillusionment
syndrome in recent years. Over the last few decades three royal marriages
have ended in divorce and a prince has recently married his long-time
mistress.
Still, humanly we need heroes in our lives; knights in shining armor;
leaders without obvious flaws. Realistically, however, we expect too
much of flesh and blood—too much of others and not enough of ourselves.
Jesus Christ warned us about the danger of judging others too harshly
while exonerating ourselves. He said, "For with what judgment you
judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured
back to you" (Matthew 7: 2).
The apostle Paul explained that the Hebrew Scriptures contain important
lessons for us today: "Now all these things happened to them as
examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). He also said, "For
whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that
we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans
15:4).
The Bible is often hard on its heroes. But it also reveals God's
perspective toward people's past mistakes. King David's example
readily comes to mind. Halfway through his reign people were whispering
about the goings on in the royal house. Two capital crimes—adultery
and murder by proxy—had been committed. The very foundations of
ancient Israel's royal family were shaking.
Yet God's perspective of David was quite different. After repenting
of breaking God's commandments, King David turned the corner in
his life and was firmly on a path leading to the Kingdom of God.
Psalm 51 is on record for all to examine. David fasted eight days and
eight nights without food or water. Then he comforted Bathsheba after
their child's death. He was a different man! Like the prodigal
son in Jesus' parable, he had come to himself.
The public often looks for the wrong kind of evidence. The last 20 years
of David's reign were ravaged by many serious national problems
and troubles. Yet the king's personal behavior, patience, outlook
on life and his concern for others all took a substantial turn for the
better. When confronted with something he or even the nation had done
wrong, he took the blame without hesitation—no more covering up.
And yet the general public did not necessarily recognize the real David.
Many were still disillusioned, whispering about him behind his back and
talking about the need for a new king. Some eventually turned to his
disloyal son Absalom to lead a rebellion against his own father. How
often the reality that God sees is different from our human suspicions
and perceptions.
Proverbs 16:21 says, "An ungodly man digs up evil." Some
people seem to spend most or all of their time in uncovering the sins
or alleged sins of others.
True, the Bible tells us not to put our ultimate trust in human beings.
If we worship any man or woman, sooner or later we will become disillusioned.
All human beings have feet of clay.
But God's Word also tells us to forgive and to cover the sins
of others—especially when they are sorry for what they have done
and change their ways. If we truly love both God and our neighbor, we
will have a spirit of forgiveness. How can Christians who have been forgiven
so much ever justify not forgiving others? Forgiveness is an incredibly
important biblical principle.
In truth the Church is full of forgiven heroes and heroines—men
and women whose sins have been forgiven and who daily fight heroic spiritual
battles against the pitfalls of this world, against the wiles of Satan
the devil and perhaps mostly against their own nature—using the
Word of God to conquer and overcome. This is a truth we should never
forget.
 To
learn more about such courageous people, royalty in the sight of God,
please request or download your free copy of booklet: The
Church Jesus Built.
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