Living in Anticipation of God's Future

Forgiveness has a different context depending on where the person is from or what he believes. Religion places a great emphasis on the view of forgiveness.

Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright is a must read for any Christian looking to expand their understanding of faith. Surprised by Hope gives us a full understanding of salvation as it is revealed in the Bible. This book also tells us how we should act in our lives and in this world as God’s redeemed people. It reveals incredible insight that is important to us because it explains just how crucial our role in this world is. Wright talks about the way things currently are and how they will be with the resurrection and our salvation. The book expands on the Christian mission and what it means to live with hope and faith and attempts to answer the very famous question: What is heaven?

By definition, to forgive is to accept and let go of the offences done against one, and by doing so, be able to remember them without rancor. In other words, the man thought to be forgiving is one who does not totally forgets the wrongs committed against him (because that is a quite impossible action). In reality, the forgiving man is one who is able to recall all those wrongs, and still be at peace with himself and with the offender in question. This activity is quite difficult to do, namely because in order to truly forgive, one must have strong convictions. This can be understood better if we consider how easier it is to hate a person for something he or she did to one, instead of absolving he or she of all fault and consequently accepting to love the person after the wrong committed. Therefore, the moral virtue of forgiveness becomes easier when the determination of giving second chances becomes a habit.

Forgiveness is not just practiced by saints and not only benefits its recipients but have strong connection with person’s physical, mental and spiritual health. It plays a great role in the health of families, communities and nations. Forgiveness provides common ground for love, acceptance, harmony and true happiness Most spiritual and religious leaders of the world will agree that forgiveness of oneself and others is one way to clear the mind, heart and soul and may result in a feeling of increased peace and happiness.

It is important for us as Christians to realize that we are not the judge, God is. Our job is to love on those who are hurting and tell them about the incredible savior we have. It’s not for us to judge us on where they are at in their lives cause we don’t know their story, but God does. It is important for us as Christians to have a humble heart towards others because if we are judgemental towards those who need the love of Christ, it is only going to draw them further away from God. We live in a very broken world that needs the love of a savior. We all need Jesus as our savior and our job as Christians is to reach out to others with a humble heart and share the love of Christ with them that we have inside our

Everyone in one way or another has something they think is right. Whether it be forgiving or not they each have their justified opinion. I'm not here to try and change that, but some people have to look from all perspectives. But we still have to answer the question, can justice and forgiveness go hand in hand? That really up to what you believe. I can't make that decision for you. I believe in some cases yes they can

People will easily fear more than hope. Instead of hoping to live another day their in fear, thinking my about the day the days they have left. "We mustn't give up hope, even now as the sword hangs over our heads and taught our sages." (31). No matter what the Germans did to the Jews, some never gave up hope "Don't lose hope... have faith in life, a thousands times faith... Help each other. That's the way to survive." (41). Some gave up hope and died with fear.

Most importantly, the bible tells us that we should forgive others, and not hold their sins against them. In Ephesians 4:32, it states that we must "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as Christ forgave you." This

Some people do not understand the true meaning of hope. Hope is defined in the Webster Dictionary as, “to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true”. During the Holocaust, many people showed hope even though they were going through troubling times. A very well known line is by Anne Frank, and she wrote, “In spite of everything, I still believe

Forgiveness, while not only Christian, is a belief and practice that almost all Christians hold. Jesus displayed forgiveness in a variety of parables such as the “Lost Son” in Luke 15 and in his life, like when he forgave his persecutors in Luke 23. If we are to aspire to live in a way like Jesus did, then forgiveness needs to be regarded as a positive step to take. Through a case story by Stacy Banerman, we can see how the absence of forgiveness leads to a cycle of violence that will continue as people seek to justify their blame. Stacy Bannerman’s tragic story about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on her husband displays the unbearably hard aftermath of losing everything.

Everyone has the control within them to forgive or not to forgive someone. Forgiveness comes down to taking responsibility for the choices we make and doing what we believe is right. By forgiving others, authority of our own lives can be regained by letting go of the conflicting objects from the past and moving into a more significant direction. The world today is full of conflict and people are being hurt every day. Conflict is seen today in politics, between countries, and between your average everyday people. Conflicts such as those listed above are often shaping the atmosphere we live in and shaping the person we are today. We can see that forgiveness is a place to start when trying to resolve conflicts, but not everyone will

The concepts of atonement and forgiveness, while similar, have slightly different connotations. Mahatma Gandhi describes forgiveness as “choosing to love” (Huffpost), giving it a more secular process where one’s sins are admonished, where atonement is primarily recognized as the reconciliation of sin or wrongdoing towards others. And while these terms share similar characteristics in a sense of general ‘mending’ of feelings, atonement bears the implication of reparation over agreement of forgiveness. This claim is reinforced by various sources such as Oedipus the King, The Scarlet Letter and The Grapes of Wrath, as well as sources that compare forgiveness and atonement, and the religious implications that come with them.

If faith begins the journey, then hope ends the journey. Hope is absolutely knowing where the road of faith will end; it is being confident of where the story concludes. Hope gives us the

The cornerstone of the Christian faith is that of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an area in our lives that many of us can struggle with simply because we have to overcome our own pain and suffering that another person has inflicted on us. It also may be believes by many that forgiveness is to forget or condone the person for what they did but, according to the article, “To forgive is to offer mercy to someone who has acted unjustly and then be able to look at the person who violated us and give them mercy.”(Enright & Magnusin, 2008, p. 114)

Ekpo uses the Christian belief of hope to related to others in they’re time of need. He discusses his own troubles of facing the unknown when leaving his home to come to Australia. By doing this he put his trust in Jesus and gave him hope for his new life. He explains that “There is always a tomorrow” in the Christian faith and “God will be in that tomorrow” (Everlasting Life). Ekpo idea derives from the New Testament, but is especially emphasised in 1 Corinthians 2:9. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” The verse explains that the future is unknown, yet, God gives his believers hope that the future is favourable. Ekpo’s highlighting and educating