Lesson 11: Are You Wrong?

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

Have you ever done something you know is wrong, just because you think your friends wanted you to do it? God's Word says that He loves when His people "listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight" (Exodus 15:26), rather than behaving in an unrighteous way. Part of behaving righteously is trying to be aware of when we hurt someone or treat them unjustly. Once we realize we have done something wrong, we need to repent and ask forgiveness.

We should follow God's command to "honor your father and mother" (Deuteronomy 5:16). He instructed His people "to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). God's Word tells stories of His people: when they did what was right, God blessed them; when they did what was wrong, God corrected them. Today, Christians can rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance; the Apostle Paul instructed, "Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves" (Galatians 5:16).

What if you are wrong in something you did? When I was rude to my mother, I needed to apologize and seek forgiveness from her and from God. His Word reminds us that "if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:9).

According to the Bible in Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus wants us to pray for our enemies, and forgiveness plays a big role in this. God lifts a tremendous weight from our shoulders when we forgive and pray for those who have wronged us. But what do I do if I have wronged someone? In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus makes it clear that we should immediately go to the person, ask forgiveness, and make amends so there can be reconciliation. This may not be easy. The Bible tells us in Matthew 18:15-17 how we should handle it. First, you are to try to work it out just between those involved. You should make every attempt to have wrongs sorted out this way. If the problem is still not resolved, then you may bring a friend trusted by everyone in the situation to help. Should the problem still be unresolved, then it is time to bring the Church into it and let a group of elders, pastors, or deacons, decide. The working out of these problems can be a great witness because reconciliation and forgiveness do not happen often in our world.

Someone may come to you with a wrong that you committed which you may not remember. When you become aware of the wrong, you still must apologize and make peace. This holds true even if you believe that you were not in the wrong. Jesus says clearly that the criteria is if your brother has something against you (Matthew 5:23).

Prayer today: God, give me strength to be humble, to seek forgiveness, and to have wisdom in reconciliation meetings.