Forgiveness and Legalism

I had a conversation with a fellow the other day and he told me something that haunted me in my sleep, followed me to the coffee pot and now it is coming out in this blog. He desired a place of leadership in his church and was denied that privilege by his pastor at the request of some of the membership. The reason given was his past; he had used drugs before he repented and turned his life over to Christ. I am not sure what my face looked like but on the inside I was kicking and screaming and probably throwing things. If there was an award for legalism the pharasees who would not allow this man to serve would win it.

What ever happened to forgiveness? It seems that some have lost the meaning of this word in churches today. We say we forgive a person but many times we continue to hold the offense over their heads. We are called, as followers of Christ to forgive as we have been forgiven. What if Jesus held every sin over your head or mine? We would be doomed!