Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14-15 - "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (NIV).
Matthew 18:32-35 - “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? ’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 'This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.'" (NIV).
Luke 6:37-38 - “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (NIV).
Luke 23:34 - "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'" (NIV).
Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (NIV).
We have all experienced different forms of pain and injustice. From an unkind glance to outright abuse, we often carry around the damage of injustice for years. How should we respond to real pain that has come into our lives? Jesus tells us to forgive the offender (Col. 3:13). Sounds easy, right? Actually, the words seem simple enough, but to actually forgive is another matter. You see, our pain causes us to react. We want the offender to pay for what they have done. They shouldn't get off free. So, in an effort to "pay back" for the wrong done, we withhold forgiveness. In the end, we are the ones held captive in pain when we don't forgive as Jesus commanded us.
What is forgiveness? It is acknowledging that you have been wronged. From there, we choose to release the offender from the burden of "paying back" the wrong. When we forgive, we release the offender into the hands of God and choose not to hold onto that wrong in our hearts and minds. Forgiveness frees the offender and frees the offended. Until forgiveness happens, the pain of offense in your life remains a festering wound. Forgiveness allow the pain to heal. You won't necessarily forget the pain. But, it will more like the remembering of a scar, rather than experiencing the ongoing pain of an infected wound.
In this way, forgiveness is both an event and a process. It is important for us to speak out, "I choose to forgive ___________ for _________________, and how it made me feel ______________________." This is a significant declaration. You won't necessarily feel loving and warm toward the offender at this point. But, you will now need to walk out the process of forgiveness. As you are reminded of the pain, you continually choose to release the person and pray mercy over them. You choose not to bring up the pain again with the person or with yourself in a moment of self-pity. As you walk out the process of forgiveness, the Father brings healing into your heart, mind and emotions.
Why forgive? Jesus is very clear on this point. Our sin against Jesus is far greater than any way we have been sinned against. Jesus forgave us all our sins. "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross" (Col. 2:13-14, NIV). Since Jesus forgave us, we must forgive others. In fact, if we choose not to forgive, we will not be forgiven by God. Unforgiveness actually compounds the pain we experience and will bring the disastrous consequence of judgement.
For More Study
Thoughts and Questions for Application
Memorization
Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (NIV).
Matthew 18:32-35 - “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? ’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 'This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.'" (NIV).
Luke 6:37-38 - “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (NIV).
Luke 23:34 - "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'" (NIV).
Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (NIV).
We have all experienced different forms of pain and injustice. From an unkind glance to outright abuse, we often carry around the damage of injustice for years. How should we respond to real pain that has come into our lives? Jesus tells us to forgive the offender (Col. 3:13). Sounds easy, right? Actually, the words seem simple enough, but to actually forgive is another matter. You see, our pain causes us to react. We want the offender to pay for what they have done. They shouldn't get off free. So, in an effort to "pay back" for the wrong done, we withhold forgiveness. In the end, we are the ones held captive in pain when we don't forgive as Jesus commanded us.
What is forgiveness? It is acknowledging that you have been wronged. From there, we choose to release the offender from the burden of "paying back" the wrong. When we forgive, we release the offender into the hands of God and choose not to hold onto that wrong in our hearts and minds. Forgiveness frees the offender and frees the offended. Until forgiveness happens, the pain of offense in your life remains a festering wound. Forgiveness allow the pain to heal. You won't necessarily forget the pain. But, it will more like the remembering of a scar, rather than experiencing the ongoing pain of an infected wound.
In this way, forgiveness is both an event and a process. It is important for us to speak out, "I choose to forgive ___________ for _________________, and how it made me feel ______________________." This is a significant declaration. You won't necessarily feel loving and warm toward the offender at this point. But, you will now need to walk out the process of forgiveness. As you are reminded of the pain, you continually choose to release the person and pray mercy over them. You choose not to bring up the pain again with the person or with yourself in a moment of self-pity. As you walk out the process of forgiveness, the Father brings healing into your heart, mind and emotions.
Why forgive? Jesus is very clear on this point. Our sin against Jesus is far greater than any way we have been sinned against. Jesus forgave us all our sins. "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross" (Col. 2:13-14, NIV). Since Jesus forgave us, we must forgive others. In fact, if we choose not to forgive, we will not be forgiven by God. Unforgiveness actually compounds the pain we experience and will bring the disastrous consequence of judgement.
For More Study
- Matthew 6:9-15
- Matthew 7:1-5
- Matthew 18:21-35
- Luke 23
- Colossians 3:1-17
Thoughts and Questions for Application
- Does your concept of forgiveness line up with God's Word? Are there people in your life that you have committed never to forgive?
- Take some time to reflect on how Jesus has forgiven you. Do you remember the sins that He has forgiven you from? Spend time thanking Him for His mercy.
- Ask God to remind you of people and pain that you have not yet forgiven completely. As He brings these people and events into your mind, take some time to speak out forgiveness over each person / situation specifically. You can use the statement written above.
Memorization
Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (NIV).
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