Book Review #3: The One About Forgiveness

Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds 

By Chris Brauns

I would say this book is arguably one of the best for any Christian at any point in his/her life. My mom originally gave me this book two years ago after reading it and holding on to it for quite some time herself. Chris Brauns' work is one that can be read, understood, and applied at any point in the Christian walk, whether you are forty-five or twenty-five or even ten.

Forgiveness is a hot-button topic for many people, Christian and non-Christian alike. What does it mean to forgive? What does true forgiveness look like? Is it really only about changing how you feel, or is there a greater purpose behind true forgiveness? Has our understanding of forgiveness been faulty?

All of these questions, and quite a few more, Chris Brauns answers in his work. A little over two hundred pages in length, the book wastes no time in tearing into some of the biggest issues and questions that come with understanding true, biblical forgiveness.
If you have struggled with forgiving someone who has sinned against you, whether it was just yesterday or in years past, this book takes you through the process. Brauns literally unpacks the meaning of "forgiveness", looking first at faulty definitions and misconceptions. He walks his readers through a number of Scripture passages and scenarios to show the depth and weight, and also the misunderstandings, that come when talking about forgiveness.

If you are struggling to forgive, I would recommend this book. If you aren't struggling, I would still recommend it. You may find that, as you read, you have misunderstood forgiveness for most of your life (I know I did). Whether you read it out of desperation or out of curiosity, or simply with a general desire to grow in your understanding and walk with the Lord, you should read this book.
If you decide to pick up the book, my final encouragement would be: go through the questions at the end of each chapter, think about them, and answer them honestly. Whether you are like me and decide to keep a little notebook on hand to write out your answers, or if you simply go through and answer them internally as you read, these questions are very beneficial to really understand and apply the material to your life. Brauns is not writing an easy, self-help book for those who don't understand the process of forgiveness. He is ripping apart all of the misconceptions we have been fed through cultural norms and watered-down religious application. He reveals the weight and cost of true forgiveness, how it should be offered and applied, and the ultimate freedom and joy found when we truly forgive.

Of course we cannot do this apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and the hearts of those who have wronged us. Brauns emphasizes this need for the work of God within the situation to restore broken relationships. But the hope offered is that of restoration, finally and fully, in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Ultimately this book offers hope to those broken and dysfunctional relationships we struggle with in our lives. Because of our sin-laden, broken lives we desperately need to be reminded of that hope; that God works and will work to ultimately bring reconciliation and restoration in our lives.

Favorite Quote: "If you feel yourself wrestling with bitterness, then focus more intently on our glorious God. Savor the providence of God. He is in control of all things. He is perfectly just and cannot be unjust. Bitterness begins when we have been treated unfairly. But if we believe that God will accomplish justice, and if we are simultaneously confident that God is working all things together for our good, if that is our center, than we will beat the stuffings out of bitterness every time."

Chris Brauns, "Unpacking Forgiveness" page 158