tentially a betrayer. It is striking that the label betrayer came not from the crowd of people, but from other Apostles. Anderson argues that the disciples of Jesus had quite selective memory and they chose intentionally to remember Judas only as a person who did the act of betrayaltitude of the disciples can be found in many Christian communities nowadays as well. People very often understand the act of betrayal as the final word in the life of betrayer. However, if there is God s love, then betrayal can not be the final word. No sin can be the final word because of Jesus death and resurrection. There always is a place for the forgiveness. Anderson would suggest that the story of Judas can be a great demonstration and revelation of God s love and grace which show strongly that the final word is not judgment but mercy. If Jesus would write the story of Judas and other betrayers, then how would it look like? The answer is that story would be absolutely different from disciples and ours.
. 2 Forgiveness as first step on the way of reconciliation
According to McClendon s thought, reconciliation is very crucial subpractice of community formation. It should have an influence on the community s character as a community of forgiveness. Stanley Hauerwas points out that forgiveness give the opportunity to community s discipleship to be possible. The Greek word aphesis is used in the Bible for the concept of forgiveness. The meaning of it implies the liberation and releasing from bondage. The word aphesis was also using when the prison door is opened and the prisoner can go free. In this context, forgiveness means to break down the walls between people and reunite their relationship again. It means to be open to others. It is a movement toward each other. Forgiveness is a declaration of the superiority of love in community s relationships.forgiving love makes a division between the wrongdoing and the wrongdoer. Love says, Wrongdoing is not a valid reason for my not seeing you as a person of worth. Wrongdoing is not a just basis for my not seeing you as a fellow human of infinite value. Wrongdoing is no justification for my not loving you as I love myself. Forgiveness is not a na? Ve or weak approach to life. On the contrary, it is a power to not see ourselves with superiority. It means to allow the other people not to be God. Otherwise, without forgiving love, faith community insists on perfectionism from others. However, forgiveness allows taking the masks of superiority off, and remembering about our own weaknesses, because we all can hurt others and be hurt by others. Therefore, forgiveness should become both attitude and act in the lives of Christian communities.Adams defines forgiveness as a promise. It is a promise from both sides - the forgiver and the forgiven. For the person who is forgiving it is a promise to accept without suspicion the repentance of an offender. For the wrongdoer who is forgiven it is a promise to follow his or her own repentance. Nevertheless, there is a risk of failure in this promise. Therefore, it requires the willingness to make this promise. In this context, I would like to focus specifically on the nature of repentance. It is a crucial moment in the process of restoration the broken relationships. There will not be reconciliation without a simple phrase Forgive me. I like the explanation of repentance which was created by David Augsburger, Repentance is owning what was in full acknowledgement of the past, and it is choosing what will be in open responsibility for one s behavior in the future. Repentance has centrality in the process of reconciliation.between human beings is reflected from forgiveness between God and his creatures. The Lord s Prayer declares, Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matt. 6:12). I think that when people pray by these words, they make a very strong declaration. People must be sure that they really want to be forgiven just as they forgive others. In the same time, this connection between people s forgiveness and forgiveness of God is present in other passages of Scripture as well.... Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Eph. 4:32). As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive (Col. 3:13). It should remind people that they exist only from God s gracious gift of forgiveness. Therefore, it implies that forgiveness should always be active., Forgiveness is just the first step on the way of reconciliation. It is like the prelude to the restoration of brokenness. Reconciliation is sometimes a very long road of steps which should be done till the whole restoration. I would like again to put stress on the willingness which is required for making this journey. Are there any other alternative ways to forgiveness?
2.3 Are to forgive and to forget the same?
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