This book discusses the principles of Christian forgiveness. We conceive of forgiveness as a five-stage process or journey, symbolized by climbing a ladder where each stage or step is higher than the previous one. Forgiveness is a divine process, rooted in God's own journey from punishing past sins in the Old Covenant to absolute forgiveness in the New Covenant. As part of his overall plan of salvation, God through Christ accomplished five stages of forgiveness, providing the mandate and the example for Christians to follow.
The five stages of forgiveness are:
Remember no more: forgive and forget, do not dwell on the offence or allow it to have an impact on your relationships.
Do not take revenge: do not retaliate, pay back or take any form of vengeance against the offender.
Reconcile with the offender: make every effort to restore the previous relationship destroyed by the offence.
Do good to the offender: demonstrate kindness towards the offender.
Pray for the offender: intercede on behalf of the offender for forgiveness and reconciliation by God.
For each of the five stages of forgiveness, we learn how God himself took the step, and how he requires all Christians to follow him in this journey. In other words, we learn from the examples of God, and apply those lessons to explain his requirements regarding forgiveness.
