What is the hardest Jesus’ commandment? When you ask this, I’d wager many would say it is forgiving others.

Whenever I talk to fellow Christians, there seems to be a consensus on the most difficult commandment to obey. That is forgiving others who have hurt us. And, guess what? Those people are not wrong. In fact, I must admit that I sometimes struggle with this too.

Fortunately, there was someone whom I consider to be much more knowledgeable and discerning than I am who has written a book on this topic.

The late-pastor Tim Keller wrote this book a few years ago and I keep going back to read this book every now and then despite having read it.

Tim doesn’t just tell us to get over it. Instead, he shows us that forgiveness isn’t about ignoring the pain or letting someone mistreat us like a doormat. It is about finding the inner poise through God’s grace to let go of the debt of those who have hurt us.

Key Takeaways

What I love most about this book is how it balances the “Why” and the “How”.

The Why: Tim explains that our ability to forgive is directly related to our understanding of how much God has forgiven our sins.

The How: Tim provides clear, step-by-step guidance on how to start the process, even when our emotions are not in sync yet.

Final Thoughts

If you’re struggling with forgiveness or stuck in bitterness, you’ll find this book tremendously enlightening. In fact, I cannot recommend this book enough for every Christians out there. Sometimes we think we know the Gospel already, but oftentimes, the Gospel hasn’t sunk in into our deepest heart yet.

That’s why we need to calibrate our heart every day by the Gospel.

“Forgiveness, then, is a form of voluntary suffering. In forgiving, rather than retaliating, you make a choice to bear the cost.”

Just like Jesus bears the cost for us by sacrificing Himself on the cross two thousand years ago. Without knowing this wholeheartedly, we’d simply keep struggling to extend that forgiveness to others.

Let this be a gentle reminder that while forgiveness is the hardest command to follow, it is also the one that sets us most free. You can get this book wherever you usually buy books from.