In his Introduction to Total Forgiveness, R. T. Kendall, pastor of Westminster Chapel in London for 25 years, reflects on a point in his life where he had to choose between bitterness and peace. Realizing that bitterness was only damaging himself, he concluded:
“When we are bitter, we delude ourselves into thinking that those who hurt us are more likely to be punished as long as we are set on revenge. We are afraid to let go of those feelings. . . . We make ourselves believe that it is up to us to keep the offense alive.”
In doing so, we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). When we are able to forgive, Pastor Kendall asserts that “the Holy Spirit is able to dwell in us ungrieved, able to be utterly Himself. The degree to which the Holy Spirit is Himself in me will be the degree to which I am like Jesus and carry out His teachings.”
