Justification and Forgiveness

Justification Bent Outward
"This is the vertical reality that must be bent outward horizontally to
our spouses if marriage is to display the covenant-making, covenant-
keeping grace of God. We see this in Colossians 3:12–13:
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one
another  and,  if  one  has  a  complaint  against another,  forgiving each
other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
"As  the  Lord  has  forgiven  you,  so  you  also  must  forgive"  your
spouse.  As  the  Lord  "bears  with"  you,  so  you  should  bear  with  your
spouse. The Lord "bears with" us every day as we fall short of his will.
Indeed,  the  distance  between  what  Christ  expects  of  us  and  what  we
achieve  is  infinitely  greater  than  the  distance  between  what  we  expect
of our spouse and what he or she achieves. Christ always forgives more
and endures more than we do. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Bear
with as he bears with you. This holds true whether you are married to a
believer or an unbeliever. Let the measure of God's grace to you in the
cross of Christ be the measure of your grace to your spouse."
                   -   John Piper