Video Transcript: Welcome to The Way of Forgiveness

Video 1A: Welcome to The Way of Forgiveness

Hi, I am Haley Steiner, a Christian Leaders Institute presenter. This course is taught by Attorney and Pastor Brian DeCook.

Welcome to The Way of Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is one of the most beautiful teachings of the Christian faith. It is also one of the most misunderstood.

Some people think forgiveness means pretending that nothing happened. Others believe they must immediately trust someone who has hurt them. Some feel pressured to reconcile before truth has been spoken or safety has been established. Still others carry guilt because they cannot forget a painful experience.

Biblical forgiveness does not require us to call evil good.

It does not erase appropriate consequences. It does not require an immediate restoration of trust. It does not force someone to return to an abusive or dangerous relationship.

Biblical forgiveness begins with God.

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:32:

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.”

Christians are not asked to manufacture forgiveness from their own emotional strength. We learn to forgive because we have first received mercy through Jesus Christ.

Throughout this course, we will explore several dimensions of forgiveness.

We will study forgiveness in the Old and New Testaments. We will examine repentance, confession, sacrifice, atonement, and the cross of Christ. We will learn how to seek forgiveness from God and from people we have harmed.

We will also consider what it means to release an offense when someone has hurt us. We will distinguish forgiveness from trust, reconciliation, and restoration. We will address bitterness, anger, boundaries, repeated forgiveness, and wise relational repair.

Some of these subjects may touch tender places in your life.

You may remember something you did that you deeply regret. You may think about someone who betrayed, abandoned, embarrassed, manipulated, or harmed you. You may be carrying a conflict that has affected your thoughts, emotions, relationships, physical well-being, or spiritual life.

You are not required to share private details with other participants.

Your worksheets and reflections are intended to help you grow before God. Take your time. Tell the truth without condemning yourself. Seek qualified pastoral, professional, medical, or legal assistance when a situation requires support beyond the scope of this course.

Jesus Christ brings grace and truth together.

Grace without truth can become denial. Truth without grace can become condemnation. In Christ, we encounter both the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s mercy.

The goal of this course is not merely to help you feel better about conflict. The goal is to help you become a person who receives grace, tells the truth, repents with hope, releases vengeance, practices wise repair, establishes appropriate boundaries, and entrusts unresolved outcomes to Jesus Christ.

You are entering a way of life shaped by the crucified and risen Christ.

Welcome to The Way of Forgiveness.