The people I know and understand the best are, almost without fail, the ones who have the most ability to frustrate me. They are the ones whose faults I see the most clearly, and the ones who I often feel least inclined to forgive. The better I know someone, the easier it is to see their sins. And, seeing their sins, I have one of two reactions.
One is anger. I know that they are doing something wrong, and even if it not directly to me, I know the ramifications of it. But I know Romans 2, and I know that when I respond in this way, God's Word stands in condemnation against me. To consider these things in terms of how God sees me but for the blood of Jesus, I shudder in fear.
The other is love. When, by God's grace, I see my friends' sin with regenerated eyes, I respond in love. This can mean rebuke, but it is love. It seeks to restore. It seeks to build up. To consider these things in terms of how God sees me through the blood of Jesus, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness.
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