Some Thoughts on Forgiveness

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." Matthew 18:21-35

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." Luke 11:4

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. Luke 23:34

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; Hebrews 12:15

Here are some things I note about the subject:

1. Forgiveness is about being able to move on in life. Until we forgive ourselves and others we are stuck in the place where the offense took place; anchored and held back from developing into the person we want to be and should be.

2. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. We will never forget but through forgiveness we begin the process of healing the sting and pain of the hurt. Memory is important and can be useful in n turning even the bad things in our lives into something useful. Listen to Paul: “Who (God) comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we are comforted by God.”

3. Forgiveness is about facing the truth. Jesus said knowing the truth was the path to freedom. Forgiveness does not mean we deny things that have happened nor does it mean that we have to like the persons who have offended us or move back into abusive situations. Whether those individuals respond or not, because we have forgiven them means God’s hands are free to deal with them however He needs to and can work his love and grace in our lives.

4. Forgiveness is about coming to terms with own offenses. We are only fooling ourselves if we think we haven’t wounded or hurt others especially if we are harboring unforgiveness towards others. It is inevitable. The sooner we do this the quicker we can begin the process of releasing others from the prison of our hearts. In this process don’t fall into the “what I’ve done isn’t as bad as what they did,” trap. You aren’t the one to measure the level of your offenses. The person(s) you have hurt or wounded would be the ones to measure that. Wrong is wrong and it should never be minimalized.

5. Forgiveness helps break the cycle of offenses committed. If we hope to stop the process that goes on in our families and among our friends, we must forgive.

6. Forgiveness is about redemption. Redemption of ourselves and the others who have offended us. That may be the hard pill to swallow but it is the right thing to do especially when we consider what Jesus went through for us even though He was falsely accused and knew no sin. “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne. Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up. For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed” Hebrews 12:2-4.

If Jesus could do that for us, we have to find a way to be able to do that for others. It is often difficult and may involve some time to work through but do not let the matter rest until it is resolved. The longer you wait, the more time the Devil has to work his bitter poison into your soul causing defilement to you and those you love.