Is Forgiveness free or should I put it on my Credit Card?

How does the process of exclusion take place?  

Will forgiveness be charged to me at a later time?

One moment our people group is growing and we are in the process of assimilating with one another, and in the next breath, we are pushing others out of our group, because we have gained a morsel of power and we can now wield this power over another.  This process is quick, but invisible.  These agreements we are forming with each other in our group are predominantly tacit and are therefore extremely difficult to break.  Tacit agreements as I have mentioned in previous posts are those agreements which humans form with one another which are "unspoken, social norms which are extremely powerful predictors of influence in our society."  The reason these agreements are so powerful are specifically because they are unspoken and if one does not articulate them, they will be invisible and remain somewhat abstract.

The new member within any group or organization does not yet possess the same influence, the same prestige, nor the same positional standing as we do, so it is easy to wield power over this person, based simply upon their lack of knowledge and their violation of our tacit norms. The question which should loom in the background is, "If we let everyone in, then we would not possess the same power, since power is established through the process of exclusion (in one form or another) and if we participate in inclusion, then the process of exclusion will die and the established system of power will no longer hold influence over us.  The control exerted through exclusion will not only make one feel more influential, but will implicitly train the person who was excluded, how to exclude.  The abused person will simply exclude once they have gained any form of power and since all humans possess some form of power, this process will begin very easily.  

I use the term, "Abused person", because exclusion is a form of violence exerted over another.  If we truly believe that God is a giver of free gifts, then using power, influence, and exclusion to hold onto these free gifts is a an act of evil against humanity.  The goal of forgiveness is reconciliation and explicit within reconciliation is the joining together of humans to one another.  I would challenge anyone to read the story of Pentecost in Acts 2 and read try to read our "rugged individualism" into the text.  It would be very difficult.  Acts 2 has at its core this offer of forgiveness and the receiving of forgiveness offered by Jesus.  Contained within the crucifixion was the condemnation of evil, but it was condemned by the breathing the words, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing!"  Jesus forgives, but does not ignore the acts of evil exhibited against another.  Too many times, forgiveness does not translate into social action.  In Luke 3:10-11 it states, "And then the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."  Therefore, forgiveness of sin always relates to how we treat each other and how forgiveness informs reconciliation, since sharing is an act of reconciliation, but not necessarily forgiveness.  We can participate in one without the other, but our goal should be the inclusion of both.  Exclusion is an act of violence, cutting another off from participation and eventually from God's self.  God Forbid!

As Miroslav Volf has written extensively in Exclusion and Embrace and Free of Charge; to be reconciled with one another and with God, we must understand that we possess, but allow our possessions to flow through us to another.  Once again, Acts 2 demonstrates this willingness to bestow a blessing upon another person; freely.

In closing, we may offer forgiveness unconsciously to another person through our acts of kindness.  Love is not static, but will propel us forward desiring to bear the wrongs of others, the injustice of society, and the layers of evil in which humans participate.  We as Christians then bear this evil into the body of Jesus himself and out comes the good which was originally intended. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Hate destroys not only the person who it is projected upon, but it destroys the white who is filled with hate."  (My paraphrase) 

Forgiveness releases the person who already is inundated with guilt and shame to take ownership of the sin which has ensnared them.  Humans though for the most part, will not take ownership when they feel as though the sin of the world is on their shoulders.  The "Sin of the world" has already been forgiven, so offer forgiveness; free of charge. Our language should also be careful not to blame, so we may not even want to use the statement of forgiveness.  We demonstrate forgiveness by our treatment of people.  If though our treatment is not reflexive of our forgiveness, people will not want to have any conversation. By offering forgiveness, we are offering the hope of reconciliation.  Once someone is aware that blame is not laid upon their shoulders, but blame is contained with people, structures, others, and our natural inclination toward evil, this should free someone from the issue of guilt.

The problem sometimes is that we want to flee from the pain associated with the memories of injustice. We can not seem to bear it, nor should we have to bear the injustice.  God walks with the oppressed, condemning the injustice and deeply desiring to liberate from the pain and abuse in which victims feel. Once again we must return to the cross, where Jesus bore the violence of humanity and offered a beautiful gift of forgiveness; once received though, the person could no longer participate in structures which demonized and crucified.  It would be impossible to think that forgiveness could also be static, or simply internal without deeply affecting the way that we relate to one another.