Forgiveness: A Spiritual Virtue and Practical Tool

Forgiveness is a spiritual virtue. And it is deeply practical. Forgiving offenders saves energy and prevents reactions that complicate any troubled situation. To quote the Nike phrase, “Just Do It.”

Emmet Fox was a good friend and collaborator with Bill Wilson. Many have noted that Bill Wilson must have read Emmet’s book, Sermon on the Mount, before writing the Big Book.

As the title suggests, Sermon on the Mount is about the sermon on the mount and is a worthwhile read for this reason alone. But there is more, much more. In the book’s Appendix are essays on the Lord’s Prayer, including a marvelous monograph on forgiving.

In it, Fox describes a forgiveness formula, and it is beautiful. I refer to it as the ‘Emmet Fox Forgiveness App.’

It is a simple and powerful process which, when applied, induces forgiveness. Here it is, paraphrased in bullet format:

The method of forgiving is this:

• Get by yourself and become quiet.
• Repeat any prayer that appeals to you, or read a chapter of the Bible.
• Then quietly say, “I fully and freely forgive X (naming the offender).
• “I loose him or her and let him or her go.
• I completely forgive the whole business in question.
• As far as I am concerned, it is finished forever.
• I place the burden of resentment upon the Christ within me.
• He or she is free now, and I, too, am free.
• I wish him or her well in every phase of life.
• The incident in question is finished.
• The Christ Truth has set us both free.”
• Then, thank God, get up and go about your business.
• Never repeat this; it is once and done. The same people often need serial forgiveness, so if and when a new offence requires forgiveness, apply the app to that offence.
• Whenever the memory of the offender and the incident come into your mind, and they will, bless the delinquent briefly and dismiss the thought.

I use this formula frequently. Many people in my life need forgiveness, and many are repeat offenders.

Use the app shamelessly, don’t worry; you cannot wear it out.

And you don’t even have to mean it to use it. Often, still angry and smarting from the hurt, I have said the words and forgiveness was induced.

I don’t get to the point of affectionate enjoyment of the delinquent; that is not the goal; I only get to a general sense of goodwill when thinking about the miscreant and the incident. But that is enough; holding a general sense of goodwill about a person is Emmet Fox’s definition of love.

It is time for a new Happy Destiny Press product. It will be a Forgiveness App that you can load on your phone, with a laminated paper version for the old-school folks.

Watch this space; an announcement will come. In the meantime, if you use this formula outlined in this blog enough, you may find, as I have found, that you memorize it.