In July 2025, I lost a loved one who perhaps could still be alive today had he been taking the medication that was later found unopened in a box beneath his bed. He faithfully filled every prescription but never consistently took the medicine. The medicine was close to him, but proximity alone could not produce healing.
He faithfully filled every prescription but never consistently took the medicine. The medicine was close to him, but proximity alone could not produce healing.
That experience illustrates an important spiritual truth. Many Christians treat forgiveness the same way. God has provided the prescription in His Word, yet many leave it sitting on bookshelves, coffee tables, nightstands, or stored on digital devices. We have the prescription and often neglect taking the medicine.
Forgiveness is one of God’s healing prescriptions. Like medicine left in the cabinet, forgiveness that is never practiced cannot produce healing. Scripture teaches it, we may agree with it intellectually, and we may even admire it, but until we live it, we cannot experience its restorative power.
Unforgiveness often leaves people emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes even physically burdened. Research has suggested that chronic bitterness, resentment, and unresolved anger may contribute to increased stress and may be associated with certain health conditions, including some autoimmune disorders. However, we should never assume that a person with an autoimmune disease is unforgiving, as many biological, genetic and environmental factors contribute to these illnesses. The biblical emphasis is clear: Forgiveness promotes healing while unforgiveness prolongs suffering.
Forgiveness begins with a deliberate decision to release an offender from the personal debt you believe they owe you because of the hurt they caused through their actions or neglect.
It means choosing to release:
• Resentment
• The desire for revenge
• The longing to see the offender suffer as you have suffered
• The emotional control that the offense continues to have over your life
Jesus never confused forgiveness with several related but separate concepts that blur the vision to the freedom forgiveness brings.
Forgiveness is not:
• Denying that the offense occurred
• Excusing wrongful behavior
• Eliminating appropriate consequences
• Canceling legal or financial responsibility
• Automatically restoring trust
• Immediate reconciliation
Forgiveness does not require placing yourself back into harmful situations. Scripture encourages both forgiveness and wisdom. You may forgive someone while maintaining healthy boundaries. Do not expose yourself to repeated abuse unless genuine repentance, sustained behavioral change, and appropriate accountability have been demonstrated. Always operate within biblical principles and the protections provided by the law so that forgiveness does not become an invitation to be victimized again.
Medicine left in the cabinet cannot heal the body. Likewise, forgiveness left only in the pages of Scripture cannot heal the heart. God has already written the prescription. The question is not whether you possess it. The question is whether you are willing to take it.
Ainsworth Joseph serves as assistant professor of marriage & family lifespan education at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He and his wife Gillian serve as family life directors for the Lake Region Conference.