Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not come easily for most of us.  Sometimes it is downright hard to do.  Our natural instinct of self-protection kicks in when we have been injured in any way, shape or form.  We don’t naturally overflow with mercy, grace and forgiveness when we have been wronged.  We hold onto grudges and the past offenses of others.  Sometimes we even hold onto our hard feelings after the offender has long past redeemed themselves.  Holding onto past hurts, being unforgiving and harboring resentment is not only wrong in the sight of God, it can affect our health and well-being.

JESUS’ EXAMPLE

Jesus modeled the principle of forgiveness for all of us when he hung on the cross and prayed for the very people who had put him there.  “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34 NLT)

Jesus wants us to follow his example by forgiving others, as he completely forgave us.  “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” (Ephesians 4:32-5:1 NLT).

FORGIVENESS FIRST COMES FROM GOD

Our forgiving of others should flow from God’s forgiving us.  The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us.

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25 NLT)  An attitude of un-forgiveness can hinder your prayer life. 

“If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18 NLT)  Jesus is stressing here that if you are truly a forgiven person, you should be willing to forgive others. 

FORGIVENESS KNOWS NO LIMITS

“21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[a] who sins against me? Seven times?”  22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven![b]” (Matthew 18:21-22 NLT)

Jesus told Peter that he should forgive up to 490 times.  So, if someone needs forgiveness after the 490^th time, should we not forgive them?  No!  Jesus was teaching that we should extend unlimited forgiveness to others.  The point of Jesus’ message here is that we, as sinners, have been forgiven much; therefore, we ought to forgive those who have hurt us, no matter how badly we've been hurt.  No wrong is too great or too small to forgive.  They owe us little compared to what we owe God.  We are all repeat offenders against God.  We all require continual forgiveness.

FORGIVENESS IS NOT SELECTIVE

“43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[a] and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies![b] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[c] how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 NLT)

We do not have the liberty to choose whom we will forgive and not forgive.  We cannot choose to forgive some people and not others.  We cannot choose to forgive some offenses and not others.  We must not only forgive our enemies, but we must love them as well.  Yes, this can be hard to do.  The ultimate example of forgiving one’s enemies comes from Jesus.  If the cruel torture of crucifixion would not silence Jesus’ prayer for his enemies, what pain, prejudice, or unfair treatment could justify the silencing of our prayers for our enemies?  God will enable you to love, pray, and do good to any who hurt you, including your enemies.

FORGIVENESS BREAKS DOWN WALLS AND SETS US FREE

Joseph was one of the most amazing examples in the Bible of a man who extended incredible forgiveness.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers.  Later, God made Joseph the second most powerful person in Egypt.  Joseph could have justifiably avenged himself against his brothers.  Instead, he offered them forgiveness, saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.  He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20)  By choosing to forgive his brothers, Joseph refused to become a prisoner of bitterness and resentment.

When you choose not to forgive those who hurt you, you enslave yourself to the destructible attitudes of bitterness and resentment.  These attitudes then begin to eat at your insides, day in and day out, possibly to the point that when you see that person or even hear his or her name, you become angry.  This is not what God intends for you.  Hebrews 12:15 says that a bitter root will always grow up and cause trouble.  Don’t let a bitter root grow up and cause trouble within you.  Pull it up, roots and all, and cast it away from you – forgive and let it go.

God commands us for forgive.  He did this not just so we would show his mercy and grace to others, but to free us from the prison of bitterness and resentment.  Don’t allow yourself to be held captive by an unforgiving heart.  When you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free – yourself.  You experience true freedom when you choose to forgive.  When we forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger, bitterness, resentment, and hurt that previously imprisoned us.

FORGIVE AND LET IT GO

“Forgive and forget”.  The expression has become somewhat of a cliche.  When we grant forgiveness, does that entail a promise to forget the offense?  Yes and no.  Obviously, there is no way to purge the memory of an offense.

In Isaiah 43:25 God says, “I – yes, I alone – will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”  This verse doesn't say that God forgets our sins.  He says that he ‘will never think of them again.’  What’s the difference?  To forget something is to have no memory of it at all.  Obviously, God, who is omniscient, has not lost His memory of our sins.  Rather, He refuses to call them to mind.  He promises to not bring them back up.

That is exactly what is involved in true forgiveness.  It is a promise to never remind the person of the offense.  You promise to not remember the sin by bringing it back to up that person, to others or to yourself.  If you find that it crops up in your thoughts, don’t dwell on the offense, cast it away…you will it away.  You forgive and let it go.

FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF THE WILL THAT FREES THE HEART

Forgiveness is first of all an act of the will.  Be obedient to the Lord regardless of how you feel.  It you refuse to harbor spite or dwell on the offense, evil emotions will be starved.  Moreover, the Lord Himself will set your heart right.  Right emotions will come if you surrender to Him.  Ultimately a conscious, deliberate, willful choice to forgive and let it go is the only thing that can free a heart from the bondage of such emotions.

FORGIVENESS BRINGS JOY

Do you sense bitterness or resentment in your heart toward another person (or people)?  There is tremendous joy in the Lord for those who forgive, who remember what unlimited mercy has been poured out on us through Jesus Christ and who show the same mercy to others.  This joy is as unlimited as God’s abundant forgiveness of us.  I pray that you will experience this forgiveness, practice this forgiveness and in doing so, receive this joy the Lord has for each and every one of us.

“Heavenly Father, today I ask you to bring to my mind anyone I have not forgiven.  Assist me in forgiving them completely.  Also bring to my mind any offense that I have not truly let go of and assist me in completely forgiving that offense and let it go completely.  Remove the offense from my thoughts and help me to never bring it up again – to the offender, to others or to myself.  Convict in my heart of any unconfessed sin.  Forgive me of where I have been disobedient to you.  I thank you Lord for assisting me to forgive, as you forgive me, and thank you for your forgiveness.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.”