Tag Archive | forgive

The need to show forgiveness

Mar18

FORGIVENESS

When Jesus was living on earth in human form, one of His young disciples came to Him with a question. He asked, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus replied, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

The Jews thought that forgiving seven times was all they had to forgive. Peter thought he was being generous by offering to forgive seven times. Jesus, on the other hand, let Peter know that more was required.

Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, the disciples requested that Jesus teach them to pray. In the model prayer Jesus said, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”, Matthew 6:12. Jesus was telling them, and us, that God will forgive us the way we forgive others. Jesus made this clear in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-35.

In this parable, a king discovered a servant who owed him more than $16,000,000. The king called him and told him he must pay what he owed. The king told him that if he didn’t pay what he owed, he and his family would be sold into slavery.

The servant begged for his life and the lives of his family, and the king took pity on him and forgave him the debt. He didn’t just give him more time, but he forgave the debt completely.

This same servant went out and found a fellow servant that owed him about $17.00. The scripture says that “He took him by the throat” and demanded that the debt be paid. When the man couldn’t pay it, he had the man thrown in jail.

Other of the fellow servants saw what had happened, and they went to the king. The king wasn’t at all happy with what had transpired, and he sent for the servant. He said, “I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18:32-33 ESV). The king then delivered the servant to the jailers.

What is interesting is what Jesus now says. In verse 35 He says, “So also my heavenly Father will do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother ‘from your heart.’”

God forgives His children whenever we ask Him to forgive us. We should be willing to forgive our fellowman whenever he asks us to forgive. In fact, we should be willing to forgive even when he doesn’t ask.

Our expectations of God are so high, but we feel so justified in caring a grudge toward someone who has hurt our feelings or caused us some pain.
Holding a grudge against someone, anyone, will destroy us. It was cause us to become bitter, and it will eat away at us until it destroys our very souls.

We need to read and re-read these passages so that we don’t stand before God guilty of being like this wicked servant.

Sandra Oliver

The Grace of Forgiveness

Oct18

I recently started a preliminary look at grace as we read about it in the Bible, particularly the New Testament.  I found a lot of verses I memorized as a child about our salvation through grace and how it colors our relationship with God.  That aspect of grace was familiar to me.

As I continued reading, a less familiar facet of grace became apparent to me.  I don’t just receive grace; I give it!  As I read, I got more and more excited. (For those of you who have a great working knowledge of the grace we give, you’ll just have to forgive me.  I’m dense sometimes!)

When we think about the grace we receive, one of the main things that comes to mind is forgiveness.  It’s also one of the main ways we can give grace.  It’s a fairly easy concept to understand.  God has forgiven us of our sins through Christ’s blood, and he expects us to forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:25).

Throughout the Bible, God makes it clear that we are to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). We are to be holy because He is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:15-16).  We are to love one another just as he loved us (John 13:34). Many of the ways we are called to be like Him are radical, counter-cultural.  Being a servant like Christ (Philippians 2:5-8), loving our enemies as Jesus did, and turning the other cheek are hard for even mature Christians.

Forgiveness is no different. If you doubt that forgiveness is radical, remember that we are commanded to forgive others in the same way that Christ forgave us. “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Colossians 3:13). This verse demands that I take a look at my forgiveness and see if it looks like His.

In comparing God’s grace to my forgiveness, I’m shocked by the contrast.  Too often, I’ve fallen for the worldly idea that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation, that I can forgive someone without restoring my relationship with them.  I hear it all the time: “I forgive you, but I just can’t trust you anymore.””I forgive you, but I won’t let myself be hurt by you again.”  I forgive, but.  There were no “buts” when God forgave me. When he washed my sins away, it restored my relationship with Him as if I had never sinned.  He immediately entrusted me with His work.  The past no longer mattered, nor did the possibility of future sin.  Of course I would sin again.  And he would forgive me again, and continue to have a relationship with me.

Here’s where it gets sticky.  God’s forgiveness of my sins is conditional.  I have to repent (Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19).  Repentance doesn’t mean I will never sin again, but it does mean that I must walk in the light to receive his forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9).  Does that mean that I only have to forgive repentant people?  Not exactly.  If someone has sinned against me, I must not hold any bitterness in my heart, regardless of whether they are sorry or not (Ephesians 4:31-32).  I must not try to get revenge on them (Romans 12:19).  But I would not suggest that a woman who has been beaten by her husband stay with  him and let him continue to abuse her.  It would not be wise to let your children anywhere near a child molester, even if he is your own father.  In cases where there is no repentance, sometimes there cannot be a reconciliation.

The forgiveness we give, though, should not be based on the seriousness of the sin.  After all, Paul abused God’s own children, but after he repented, the Father sent him among those (nervous!) children to do his work.  The abusive husband who truly repents should be truly forgiven.

In my world,  those situations are purely hypothetical.  I’ve never been abused; neither have my kids.  Forgiveness should not be so hard for me, but sometimes it is.  I want everyone to like me, so when someone says unkind words, I am likely to avoid them.  Instead of restoring a relationship with a sister in Christ, I spend my time figuring out how not to spend time with her.  I’ve soothed my conscience by saying I’ve forgiven her because I haven’t said unkind words in return.  What if God had forgiven me that way?  “I’m not going to smite you, but you can’t have a relationship with me.  I just can’t trust you enough for that.  I’m not going to be that vulnerable.”  I shudder even thinking it.

This kind of grace isn’t a suggestion or simply a nice thing to do.  It is a command, one with serious implications.  In God’s eyes, when repentance is present, forgiveness IS the same as reconciliation.  It may be hard, but it can’t be harder than what Jesus went through to forgive me.  – By Melissa @ http://www.maidservantsofchrist.com/

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.