Welcome back to the place we find ourselves podcast.

Last week, Robin and I began a conversation about forgiveness by talking about what forgiveness is not what it's not.

Sadly, too many Christians have this sense that if I'm still hurt by what such and such a person did, then I must not have forgiven them.

If I still think about the event, I must have unforgiveness in my heart.

If you have been taught that forgiveness somehow requires that you forget that the harmful event ever happened, then hopefully last week's episode disillusioned you of that notion.

In today's show, I want to consider the question, what is our calling with regard to forgiving those who have harmed us?

If forgiveness doesn't require forgetting, what does it require? How do I know if I've forgiven someone for harming me?

And let me just say this at the outset, the Bible's treatment of the subject of forgiveness is far more nuanced and complex than many people acknowledge.

So that's where we're going to go today. Thanks so much for listening.

First off, I want to take just a few minutes to follow up on last week's subject of forgive and forget.

If there is still some lingering doubt about maybe we really are called to forgive and forget, just consider Jesus for a minute.

Jesus is immensely forgiving. However, he knows nothing of forgiven forget.

Consider the story of Peter's denial of Jesus. It's in Luke 22. Peter denies Jesus three times.

Jesus was betrayed by one of his closest friends.

There's a sense in which you just have to pause and let that sink in.

What would it be like for you if one of your closest friends betrayed you?

Sadly, I know that for many of you, this is not a hypothetical question. You have experienced it and Jesus experienced it.

In Luke 22, we read that Peter was questioned three times by people who knew he was associated with Jesus.

And after Peter says, I don't know him. I don't know this Jesus verse 60 to 61 says and immediately while he was still speaking the rooster crowed and Jesus turned and looked at Peter.

Do you not sense the intensity of this look? I'm not saying it was an unkind look.

The eyes Peter saw were immensely kind, but this couldn't be further from forgiven forget.

In fact, this look that Jesus gave Peter actually tells us quite a bit about what forgiveness is.

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