Introduction
The story of redemption began with the fall of man in Genesis 3. God graciously and immediately started the process of renewal, which culminated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, we are living "between the times" of the first and second comings of Christ. When we respond to the provision of God in Christ, there is a new birth (see John 3:3-7), a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), the beginning of a lifelong growth. That growth takes place both in our understanding and in our behavior, as we undergo an ongoing development of our likeness to Christ. This process is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the goal is to enable us to "be holy" (Leviticus 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:16).
In this process of becoming like Christ, there is one essential element that is often overlooked. Because we never get to the place where we no longer sin against God and against one another, forgiveness is essential to maintaining forward motion in the process. In a very real sense, each of us is God's "great work," and He continues to work to make us better likenesses of Christ, both as individuals
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and together as the Body of Christ. But God's "problem" is that we aren't always as eager for that likeness as He is, and so we drag our feet. Some people even refuse to let Him start the process with them. This book is an attempt to help us understand what is involved in forgiveness, with a view to enriching our lives with God and with one another.
Ralph A. Gwinn
Seattle, Washington
