In Christian ethics, to forgive is to abandon our claims against others, just as God abandoned His claims against us, casting out our sins ‘as far as the east is from the west’. To forgive is not merely to imitate God, but to have Him imitate us: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…’ Forgiveness is a manifestation of love: our love for others is an echo of God’s love for us, and forgiveness is the greatest expression of that love.
