Notes of Faith August 18, 2025
Grace in the Courtroom
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.
John 20:23
“I rarely see grace in this courtroom, but I saw it today,” said Judge Leticia Marques. Ronald Davis, 55, was sentenced to life in prison for killing an 85-year-old woman in Orlando. The victim’s husband, Rev. Bill Curl, forgave the man who had killed his wife. “For him, we have nothing but forgiveness, for love, for a hope that the rest of his life has a better quality, and one day he’ll come to know Jesus,” Curl said. “He obviously should be punished for what he did but that doesn’t negate forgiveness.”1
Forgiving someone who hurt us is very hard. It’s actually impossible unless the grace of God enters our hearts and reminds us of how our Lord has forgiven us. Jesus taught us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
If we’ve prayed that God will forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors we will be ready to forgive those who hurt us. If you feel you can’t forgive someone, ask the Lord to give you the forgiving Spirit of Jesus. He will help you!
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.
C. S. Lewis
1 Leonardo Blair, “First Baptist Orlando Pastor Bill Curl Forgives Wife’s Killer Sentenced to Life in Prison,” The Christian Post, August 23, 2025.
We all too often think that it is okay when we don’t forgive someone because they have wronged us. But …
Matt 6:14-15
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
His grace is greater than our sin! How frightening to hold onto anger and unforgiveness at the loss of your own need of forgiveness. The two verses above are often overlooked because our minds stop at verse 13. We need to be reminded that the entire Word of God IS the Word of God! Maybe this is God speaking to a need in your heart and life today… Do you have someone or perhaps more than one whom you need to forgive? Take a moment right now and pray for God to give you the same mercy and grace that He bestowed on you, to place on those you need to forgive.
Pastor Dale