Corrie TEN Boom and her family lived in Nazi occupied Holland. The Ten Boom family hid Jews from the Nazis and helped the Jews escape Holland. It's estimated they helped over 800 Jews and saved their lives. A man named Jan Vogels came to Corrie saying his wife had been arrested for rescuing Jews and that he needed 600 guilders, several months wages to bribe a Dutch policeman to let her go.
Corrie gave him 600 guilders to save his wife. He was a paid informer working for the Nazis. The Ten Booms were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Corrie's father, sister and nephew died in concentration camps. Her brother got sick there and died a year later. She suffered terribly there.
After the war, Corrie heard Jan Vogels had been arrested and was being tried for war crimes. His work with the Nazis had sent many people to their deaths. She knew God was telling her to forgive him, but she couldn't. God gave her Romans 5:5 so she could forgive Jan Vogels.
And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. She prayed and Holy Spirit poured God's love into her heart. She forgave Jan Vogels with the love God gave her. She wrote a letter to him saying she forgave him.
He wrote back, if you could forgive me, by God's love, there is hope for me. He gave his life to Jesus. God's grace is unmerited favor. In this case, God's grace flowed through Corrie to her betrayer. And that grace saved Jan Vogels from hell. He was forgiven even though he had murdered some of God's children.
Grace is also the empowering of the Holy Spirit for believers to do what is right. God set Corrie free from burning anger and hatred and made her a servant of his grace. Her letter saved Jan Vogel