Chapter 13.2
Forgiveness
Does
un-forgiveness affect your salvation?
I
can forgive, I just can’t forget
I have no
problem with forgiving, my problem is forgetting.
First Word
Webster: Forgiveness: To stop being angry with; to overlook; to pardon; to absolve; to cancel
a debt; to give up resentment; or the desire to punish; to give up all claim to
punish or exact penalty for an offence.
Christ taught that
forgiveness and the overlooking of faults and shortcomings was our duty with no
limits to the extent of it. It is the
restoration of both parties to their former relationship; a reconciliation.
When you let loose forgiveness on earth, you let forgiveness loose
in Heaven.[1]
An unforgiving Spirit
Anger and un-forgiveness
gives Satan
a foothold in your life.[2] Un-forgiveness eats away at you like a cancer;
you are letting someone named “resentment” live rent free in your head.[3] It’s CRAZY because you’re
the one that’s suffering; let it go!
This is a hard statement, but an
unforgiving spirit is one of the most
serious of sins; it can separate
you from the saving grace of the Father.[4] Divine Forgiveness is
dependent upon the forgiveness of others. He will say to you, “I never knew you”.[5]
Retaliation
Do not get mad and say
to yourself, “I
will get even”;[6] do
not repay evil for evil,[7] do
not take revenge;[8]
instead live
in peace with everyone.
Commanded
We are commanded to forgive; to pray for
those that give us grief[9]
and not laugh when things go wrong with them.
We are encouraged to help them when they are in need[10]
and even lend to them without expectation of being paid back.[11]
When
you are messed with, over and over again; forgive them so many times that you
lose count.[12]
Our
Example
Sin means “to miss the mark”.
When we think of God forgiving us of our
Sin, somehow it seems different from that of us forgiving someone else who came
up short with us; but both are the same.
The initiative comes from Him;[13] when
we could do nothing about our sins, Jesus set the example for us, He forgave our sins. [14]
He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounds with Love. [15]
Forgiveness is directly linked to Jesus Christ; [16]
it is an essential part of the Gospel message and our salvation.
Bless
your enemy
We are to endure the grief and
problems that people heap up on us, giving kind answers to harsh words.
We are NOT to respond to an
insult with an insult,[17]
but with words that bless them. We are
to bear and to forgive the grievances we have with one another. There is blessings and glory for those who can
overlook an offence and show mercy.[18] Remember the two Bears; Bear and Forbear.[19]
Do good,[20] Help them,[21] Feed them, Lend to them,
it will be like heaping burning coals on your enemies head;[22] they
will feel guilty and you might just make them a friend.
When we got a new store manager, she was immediately repulsed by my
presence; she hated me and everyone knew it; but no one knew why. When she became incapacitated, I did not
gloat,[23]
but took her mail and things to be signed to her home every day for about 6
weeks to keep her in the loop while she recovered. Later at a companywide party, she wrote a
letter to be read in front of all the employees, that I was the best Human
Resources Manager she had ever had; I had maintained my Christian
witness and had
made a friend in the process. (Heaping coals of love on her
head)
Forgiveness
from God
A forgiving spirit shows that you
are a child of God.[24] Forgiveness
identifies us with Christ; His death; and His resurrection
Golden Rule; we have always heard, “Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you.”[25] God
says it a little different, He says to forgive others in the same way as we
want Him to forgive us.[26]
Psalm
130:3-4 - Forgiveness is from God
3 If you, O
LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there
is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
NIV
[1] Matthew 16:19 - Let loose
forgiveness and it will be loosed in heaven
[2] Ephesians 4:26 – Don’t give Satan a foothold in your life with
un-forgiveness
[3] Luke 15:28-30 – Un-forgiveness divides family and friends
[4] Matthew 18:34-35 – God
will deal seriously with un-forgiveness.
[5] Matthew 7:23 – You are
not His; I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you
[6] Proverbs 24:29 – Do not
try to get even
[7] Romans 12:17-18 – Do not do evil for evil – Live
in peace
[8] Romans 12:19 – Do not take revenge; revenge
is the Lords
[9] Matthew 5:43-46 – Pray for those who give you grief
[10] Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind and compassionate by forgiving others
[11] Luke 6:35-36 – Love your
enemies; do good without expectation of reward
[12] Luke 17:4 – Forgive as
often as you are requested. -- Matthew 18:21-22 - Forgive
so many times you lose track
[13] Luke 15:20 – The Father,
filled with compassion, runs to us.
[14] Colossians 2:13-14 – We
had no way to get forgiveness of our sins until
God made us alive with Christ
[15] Nehemiah 9:17 – God is compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love as
we should be -- Daniel 9:9 – God is Merciful and
forgiving as we should be
[16] Acts 5:31 – Forgiveness is directly linked back to Christ
[17] 1 Peter 3:9 – Do not repay insult with insult
[18] Matthew 5:7 – There is a
blessing for those who show mercy --
Proverbs 19:11 – It’s to man’s glory to overlook an offense.
[19] Colossians 3:13 – Bear with grievances with one another -- 1 Corenthians
4:12-13 – Endure persecution – answer in kindness
[20] Exodus 23:4-5 - When your
adversary has a need, go and help her
[21] Romans 12:14 – Bless those who give you trouble and do not curse.
[22] Romans 12:20 – Doing good is like heaping burning coals on their
head
[23] Proverbs 24:17 – Don’t be happy when your enemy stumbles
[24] Matthew 5:44-45 - Those
that forgive are sons of God.
[25] Matthew 18:21-22 – Forgive so many times you lose count
[26] Matthew 6:14-15 – Forgive and God will forgive you. -- Matthew 6:12 – As
we forgive, God forgives us -- Mark 11:25 – Forgive others so your prayers want
be hindered
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