Our God is not merely one among the many gods of this world; He is the Lord over all of them—the One who created them, and the One who will judge them in the future. And so He governs all things with His justice.

Dear beloved, we often say, “Our society should be a just society!” We love justice. But honestly, justice scares me. Do you really think you would be comfortable if society became perfectly just? If society became truly, perfectly just—we ourselves could end up as criminals. That is why justice alone does not make a flourishing society. There must also be forgiveness.

For example, there has been a law that causes quite a stir in Korea recently—the school zone traffic accident law, known as “Minshik’s Law.” What does it say? If a driver causes an accident in a school zone and injures a child, or kills one, they must go to prison—no exceptions. One year for injury, a minimum of three years for death. It does not matter whether the driver was at fault or not. It does not matter if they were driving at or below the 30 km/h speed limit required in school zones. If, by tragic misfortune, a child suddenly runs out from nowhere, gets struck by the car, hits their head on the ground, and dies—the driver must serve a minimum of three years in prison. Frightening, isn’t it? And that is exactly why this law has become so controversial. In the same way, we need to understand: the law is meant to protect people—but when the law is severe enough, even we ourselves can find ourselves subject to its punishment.

Let’s think about it. God is a just God. And so, standing before God’s law, we should not feel at ease; we ought to ask ourselves, “Have I ever done anything wrong?” If we were to examine ourselves by God’s standards, would we pass?

The Bible makes it clear: no one passes. We may say, “I have never murdered anyone! I have never lied! I have never stolen anything!”—but no matter how loudly we insist, God sees into our hearts. And He says that if a man looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery. If a person hates someone and even so much as curses at them, he deserves to go to hell. By that standard, I myself have already committed sins worthy of hell dozens of times over. What happens when a curse slips out while I’m driving? If punishment came swiftly and immediately, I would have left this world long ago; I would have ended up in hell.

And yet—how grateful we are—our God is a merciful God. He is not only just, but rich in mercy; He delights in showing grace, and He rejoices in giving us another chance. That is why I love this God so much. This is the God who appeared to a man named Abraham long ago and made a covenant with him—and then kept that covenant thousands of years later. This is the God who raised our Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. This is the God who established Sungrak Church. This is the God who met me personally, right there, more than twenty years ago. And this is the God I am introducing to you right now. He is not only just—He is rich in mercy. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have met this God. The other gods of this world are not like this. There are many gods out there who are truly wicked.

There are gods like that too. Someone I know had an experience like this. There was a married couple who owned a business; they struggled greatly together before their business took off. But once the money started coming in, something shifted in the husband. He became involved with another woman. And then he demanded a divorce.

I wondered, “He used to be such a good man, why would he do something like this?” As it turned out, he had gone to see a fortune teller. But why would he do that? He was a Christian. As his company grew, he had brought in his relatives and cousins to work with him. But they had no faith. And so it started: rituals being performed right there in the factory. A man who should have been holding worship was instead performing rituals. They set out a pig’s head, stuffed paper money into its nostrils as they carried it out.

And then one day, he was taken along to see a fortune teller. A fortune teller is possessed by a spirit; in other words, a god is speaking through them. And what did this god say? “Hey, your company is going to collapse before long!” “Why?” “Because of that woman who believes in Jesus! If you don’t want your company to go under, you need to divorce your wife!” At first, he thought it was absurd. This was his wife who had stood by him through hard times. And now he was being told to divorce her. Why? So the company wouldn’t fail. “I’ll bring you blessings—just do what I say! Get a divorce!”

Who said this? It was a god. It was a god that was with that fortune teller—a demon that had attached itself to the fortune teller, to the husband, and to everyone else who had gone along that day. These were their thoughts speaking. When he came back, he initially thought it was nonsense—but the brothers and cousins around him kept pressing him: “Come on, just divorce her! What if the company really does go under?” And so, little by little, that idea took hold of him—until he finally demanded a divorce.

But of course, his wife was not going to accept this. “This is absurd! After everything I went through for you—and now you’re going to throw me away?” She had given her best years to him, enduring hardships through the prime of her life. Now was the time when her husband should have been cherishing her—and instead, he was talking about leaving her. She was so overwhelmed with a sense of injustice that she couldn’t sleep. At first, she refused, but the man had already become involved with another woman. Once his heart wandered, the rest followed. And so, watching all of this unfold for over a year, she grew sick and began to break down. Her heart was so broken that it felt like she was dying.

And then, she thought to herself, “If I keep going like this and die first, how delighted he would be!” So she decided, “No—I’m going to demand as much settlement money as I can get!” And so, she agreed to the divorce. With the settlement she received, do you know what she did? She enrolled in seminary. After graduating, she is now serving as a missionary—and that is how she and I came to know each other.

Look at the God this missionary met—He gave hope to a woman in despair and gave her a chance to start over. But look at the other god—it told a man to cast aside his perfectly good wife. How wicked is that? That god is truly wicked.

That is exactly how the gods of this world are. When a person comes into contact with such a god, thoughts like that begin to take root—and actions follow. There is a saying, “Like father, like son.” Spiritually speaking, we could say, “Like god, like person.” The character of a person reflects the nature of the god within them. If that god died of cancer, cancer will manifest in that person. If that god drank himself to death, people will start calling that person a heavy drinker. People even say things like, “He must be possessed by a drinking demon.” And if a violent demon enters a person, that person becomes violent.

So then, who is the God we have come to know? He is not only just—He is rich in mercy. And so, even as we are held to His justice, we have been clothed in His mercy. And because of that, we ourselves are able to extend that mercy to others.

In truth, coming before this just God is no small thing. We have committed sins. Yet, the reason we are able to approach Him boldly is because of who He is—His nature of mercy, and His nature of always wanting to give us another chance. So, when God deals with us, He could have easily said, “Sinners like you deserve to die!” since we have betrayed Him. However, He has chosen to forgive us.

Now, what exactly is this forgiveness? People might say, “Fine, I forgive you. Let’s put it all behind us.” But do you know what people usually do after that? They say, “I’ll forgive you, but stay out of my sight! Don’t you dare let me catch you again—or else!” That is how it goes. They forgive, yes—but they say, “stay out of my sight.” But God does not merely forgive. He goes further—He shares with us everything good that He has. That is remarkable. He doesn’t just forgive and walk away; He stays with us. That is the defining characteristic of God’s forgiveness. It does not end with forgiveness; it leads to being together.

What is so good about being together? It means sharing in everything He has. I was born into a family, and because I live together with my father, I get to enjoy money I did not earn and a house I did not buy—all because I am with him. In times of joy, we share the joy. In times of pain, we share the pain. Being together is such a joyful thing. Don’t we especially want to be with someone good? Well, our God wants to be with us. It’s hard to understand, isn’t it? Why would He want to be with beings as lowly as us? And yet He does. For this, He told Abraham long ago, “All those who have the same faith as you—they will all be with Me.” And then He sent Jesus to pay the full price for our sins. Then He gave us the name of Jesus, so that we could be baptized and come to enjoy the very love that the Son of God receives. And so, right now, we are together with that God. The name we possess right now—Jesus—was originally God’s own name, but now we have it as well.

God also has authority to rule over all things—and He has given the same authority to us. This is why we can achieve great things through prayer. Jesus Himself said: “If you have faith and do not doubt, you can say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and it will be done.” We have been given the authority to accomplish together the very kinds of wonders that only God can do. Casting out demons—something only God can do—we can now do as well. Laying hands on the sick and seeing them healed—something only God can do—we are doing it too. This is what it means to be together with Him. And in that togetherness, there is tremendous joy.

But how heartbreaking would it be if someone were never given the chance to be together? Even if I tell my son, “Get out! Don’t you ever come back into my house!” because he isn’t listening, I do not truly mean that we were done. But what if he were to lose the chance to come home altogether? How sorrowful would that be? How unbearable? And yet, God keeps giving us that chance to be with Him.

How wicked, then, is it to rob someone of that chance? For example, take a father and a son. Someone steps in and cuts off every opportunity for that father and son to be together. How would they do that? By killing the son. That would put an end to all the joy that father and son shared together, wouldn’t it?

There was someone to whom exactly this happened. In Korean Christian history, two pastors are generally chosen as the most respected. The first is Pastor Joo Gi-Cheol. He was martyred for refusing to bow to Shinto shrines during the Japanese occupation. But there is another—one who was ordained in that same church: Pastor Son Yang-Won. Now, “Yang-Won” was not actually his birth name. Later in his life, he served at a facility called “Ae-Yang-Won” and changed his name to Son Yang-Won. He was born in 1902 and passed away in 1950. What significance does 1950 hold? It was the year the Korean War broke out. The fact that he died in the chaos of that war—what does that tell us? He was killed by Communist forces. Not executed through any legal process, but murdered.

His life could be summed up in two words: suffering and love. He was born in 1902, and in 1908, he came to faith alongside his parents. This was during the Japanese colonial period. Because his father was a believer, the children suffered alongside him. He was not able to receive a proper education—his father’s faith in Jesus was reason enough for his son to be expelled from middle school.

Having grown up in that colonial period, he became a pastor—and he refused to bow to Shinto shrines. He was thrown into prison. Some pastors at the time thought, “Shinto worship? It’s just a formality—it doesn’t really mean anything.” But Pastor Son, like Pastor Joo Gi-Cheol, stood firm: “This is not what God wants. We cannot serve any god other than Him!” He refused to the very end—and was imprisoned for it. He could have died in that prison, but when liberation came and Korea was freed from Japanese rule, he was released. And after his release, he went on to serve at Ae-Yang-Won—the leprosy care facility.

But while he was serving there, something utterly heartbreaking occurred. A rebellion by Communist soldiers broke out. In the chaos of that rebellion, his two sons were killed. A Communist soldier named Ahn Jae-Seon shot and killed both brothers—because their father was a pastor. In a single day, Pastor Son lost both of his sons.

Think about it. Here was a man faithfully serving God—surely God should have blessed him. Instead, both of his sons were taken from him; his family line was cut off. Most people would have been shaken to the core and cried out, “Where is God?” But those of us who believe in God and have received eternal life—our faith is not shaken under these circumstances. We do not believe in Jesus to gain wealth or success in this world. We believe so that our spirits may receive the life God gives and live forever in heaven. And it is precisely in moments like these that true faith is revealed. It is revealed when two sons are murdered.

“God! Look at how I have served You! I held firm during the Japanese occupation, refusing to bow to Shinto shrines. And yet those who betrayed You are living comfortably, while my own children have to die like this? Where is the justice in that?” He would have had every right to cry out in bitterness against God—but because he had true faith, he did not. Instead, he gave thanks. He said, “All of this has been permitted by God. My children are gone, but they have gone to heaven. I am so grateful because they died for the sake of their faith in Jesus.”

Later, that man, Ahn Jae-Seon, was captured and sentenced to death. At that moment, Pastor Son did not say, “Good! God is just after all!” Instead, he went to him. He went to the court and made a plea: “Please forgive this man.” He was asking for the life of the very man who had killed his two sons. “My sons who have already passed are gone because God permitted it. But this young man does not know God yet. He now regrets what he has done, and he wants to live. Please forgive him. Please give him a chance to start over.” And then he went to the young man himself, shared the Word of God with him, and said, “I do not condemn you. Because God loves me and God loves my sons, I am able to give this same love to you.” He then filed a petition to save the man’s life.

When the petition was not easily accepted, he went further: “I will take this man as my own son.” And at last, his petition was granted—Ahn Jae-Seon was spared from execution. Pastor Son had saved his life. And then he took him in as his own. He became his adopted son. He raised him with love, nurturing and training him as his own child.

Is this even possible? Forgiveness is not a one-time act. Let’s say he forgave in that moment—“I forgive you!”—filled with the Holy Spirit, he forgave. But what about days later, when he sees this man again? Would only the feeling of forgiveness remain? Wouldn’t the memory of what this man did—killing both of his sons—keep coming back? And wouldn’t a sudden surge of rage rise up within him, making him want to lash out—“You—!”

The one who forgives continues to feel the pain. For the one who is forgiven, it’s over once they receive it, but for the one who forgives, the memory persists. “The man who killed my sons!” Yet, even so, he keeps choosing. He keeps choosing to love with God’s love. He keeps nurturing him with God’s Word. And through all of this, Ahn Jae-Seon received the gospel. His son later became a pastor. And through that family line, countless others came to be saved.

This is our God. He brings about such works. Because He is holy, He desires all things to be done according to justice. However, because He knows how sinful human beings are, He does not judge us according to our sins alone. If we want to live, He wants to give us that chance. And so no matter how great our sins may be, if one cries out, “Please save me!” He still gives that person a chance.

Everyone, imagine for a moment that while living with your spouse, your spouse has been unfaithful. For some of you, this may not be just an “imagined scenario.” Now, your spouse comes to you and begs for forgiveness: “Honey, I was wrong! I must have lost my mind! I love you! I want to be with you! Please forgive me!” What would you do? Part of you would want to say, “I don’t need you!” And some might say, “Fine, I’ll forgive you—but get out of my sight!” Or perhaps, “I’ll forgive you—I won’t press charges. But don’t you ever let me see your face again! Just looking at you makes me sick!” This is how we often react.

But what did God do in a situation like this? He did not merely forgive—He took us in as His own sons. And what if we deceive Him again? He forgives, fully prepared to be hurt again. He keeps giving us chances. Our God gives chance after chance in this way.

So it is not, “I’ll forgive you—now don’t ever show your face before me again!” No—we forgive, and we keep giving others another chance. We might be deceived again in the future. And the heart that keeps forgiving continues to ache. Yet, we keep on forgiving. Where does the strength to do this come from? It’s because we have received that kind of love ourselves. When God looks at us, He must think of His Son, Jesus Christ. He likely remembers the pain of Jesus Christ bleeding and dying on the cross, and the lashes He endured. Why? Because it happened on our account. When God sees our faces, that memory rises up—and He could very well be overcome with anger. And yet He does not take it out on us. Instead, He gives us the right to be called His children. He makes us one with His Son. He loves us as though we were beings worthy of love from before eternity itself. That is the love we are receiving. And because we have received that love, we are able to love others in the same way.

And so Peter came to the Lord and asked, “Lord, if someone sins against me, is it enough to forgive them seven times?” And what did Jesus answer? “No! Forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven!” Seventy times seven—that would be 490 times. But the point is not to stop at 490. “Seventy times seven” means to keep on forgiving, without end. If someone asks for another chance, keep forgiving. And in the Lord’s Prayer that we pray, there is something of great importance: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Because we have received this forgiveness, we are able to forgive in the same way.

If you want to meet this God, begin with forgiveness. There may be someone in your life right now that you despise. Someone you hate deeply—someone you treat as an enemy. Perhaps that very person is asking for your forgiveness right now, begging for another chance. And in truth, that is exactly who we are before God. You may be turning away from that person, unable to bear the sight of them. And yet God receives us and gives us everything good that He has. He keeps giving. No matter what—the moment we say we were wrong, He believes us.

Because we have received this kind of love, we are able to do the same. If you want to meet God, begin by forgiving. When you do, God will pour out even greater grace upon you. He will let you experience good things that are truly beyond what any of us could achieve on our own. Give it a try. Before you say, “God, please meet with me! God, please give me good things!”—first, obey. Forgive the one who has sinned against you.

In just a few days, 2019 will be behind us. If we enter the new year still holding on to unforgiveness, there is nothing truly new about it. What makes something truly new is this: when we rely on the Lord and choose to forgive, we become new. Our spirits become new. And then God’s grace begins to flow into us anew. Before this year comes to a close, I urge you—wash away everything old and start anew. God is giving you a new chance. He is ready to give you good things so that you can start over at any moment. If we truly believe in this God, we can be the first to make that choice. Let us forgive those who have sinned against us! Let us be the first to forgive those we have held bitterness toward!

And if you find yourself saying, “I just can’t forgive”—then do this. Pray honestly: “God, I want to forgive this person, but I cannot. My heart is full of hatred. Please help me.” Be honest before Him. “I am so consumed with hatred. But I know full well that this is not what You want. So please help me overcome this!”

Or perhaps the other person does not feel sorry at all. Then pray this: “God, I feel compassion for this person. Please help them come to realize their wrongs and truly repent.” Pray like this. God will surely help you.

I know a male missionary. When he was just a child, his father abandoned his mother and their two sons and ran away. He went to live with a young, beautiful woman. The missionary had to witness all of this while growing up, knowing exactly where his father was living. His mother believed in Jesus, and from the time her sons were young, she went to the market to sell vegetables and raised her two boys on her own. They grew up well. And this man eventually became a missionary and met me in China. We worked together there. But his hatred for his father ran deep. There was a rage buried inside him. In everyday life he was remarkably gentle—but when he lost his temper, it was frightening. His eyes would blaze with fire. At the root of it all was the anger toward his father that had taken up permanent residence within him. His old dream had been this: “If my father builds a building here, I’ll build a bigger one right next to it and show him up!” But as he went on serving the Lord, he came to see that this was wrong—and he made up his mind: “I must forgive him.”

And so, while I was still in China, he went back to Korea to forgive his father. He found his father, visited him, and came back. I asked him, “Did it go well? Were you able to forgive him?” And this is what he told me. “I went there with the intention of forgiving him. I had practiced a lot beforehand. I rehearsed what I would say over and over: ‘Father, I forgive you! Father, I release you now. I forgive you!’ I practiced it all the way there. And then I rang the doorbell, ready to say those words—but the moment the door opened and I saw my father standing there, old and frail, something came out of my mouth before I even realized it: ‘Father, please forgive me!'” At that, his father burst into tears. And in that moment, he said, the hatred was gone—all he felt was a deep compassion for this old man. He held his father in his arms and said, “Father, please believe in Jesus!”—and then he came home. And from that day on, every trace of that hatred vanished completely.

Forgive. God will give you the strength to do it.

God our Father, we thank You for giving us a new chance. Thank You for sending Your Son to shed His blood on the cross so that this chance could be ours—and for not stopping there but granting us the very things that only Your Son could enjoy. We ask that You fill our spirits with Your mercy and love, we who have received such great grace. Grant us the will to forgive those who have sinned against us, and grant us the strength to do so. Help our spirits to be truly renewed—and help us to experience You more deeply as the God who always gives us a new chance. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.