Infusion Bible eStudies are downloadable small group studies that can be read online, printed, or emailed. Each study includes a leader guide and a study guide and is suitable for a one-hour group Bible study.
Listen...to the words of the Scripture, and in them discover God's message for you today.
Look...at a brief verbal snapshot from the scrapbook of contemporary life and discover its connection both to you and to the Scripture passage.
Live...inside the Scripture to discover its context and message; then allow the Scripture to come alive in you and cause you to live out your faith in new and more-effective ways.
Read an excerpt from this study below.
--------------------------
William Willimon, now a bishop in The United Methodist Church, tells a story from his years as chaplain at Duke University. He says that there was a student, a senior, who ran afoul of the rules of the university and was called in to see the dean. The student thought that the penalty for his misbehavior would be that he would be kicked out of school. Instead, the dean acted with mercy. After some penance the student was allowed to resume his studies.
Chaplain Willimon saw the student the next day. The student confided, “I feel like a freshman.” Willimon asked, “Why’s that? Because what you did was so stupid?” “No,” he said, “because I’m starting all over again. I’ve been given a second chance.”1
I like this story because it sums up beautifully what forgiveness is all about. It is about giving people a second chance. Actually, as Jesus told Peter, it is about a lot more than second chances; it is about giving or being given seventy-seven chances (Matthew 18:22).
In our Bible Lesson, Paul indicated that forgiveness is the key to healing and restoring relationships that have been broken. He wrote out of his own experience as he rejoiced in his reconciliation with the Corinthian church. His words provide important guidance to us for healing hurts and divisions in the church today.
