Forgiveness

This blog post intends to address what we should do with the forgiveness we have received, in particular, how we are to thus respond to others.

The first few scriptures are included here to establish a thread I see God has woven into His Word, that I have highlighted or underlined in each, in order to hopefully guide to the topic of how we should act in forgiveness. It is not my intention to dig deeper in any of the big concepts otherwise introduced in each scripture, i.e. righteousness, love, etc.

We are instructed by Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, health) will be given to you as well.” This message is echoed in Matthew 5:6 and proverbs 21:21.

Righteousness essentially means to be in right standing with God, which, inter alia means that we are to listen to His instructions to us in His Word. Seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness entails us finding out more about Him. In this context, Scripture advises us that (inter alia) God is love. 1 John 4:8 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Also, per 1 John 4:21 “And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” Then per 1 Peter 4: 8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” See also Ephesians 5:2. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Per Matthew 5:44-45 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

And God is so kind that He explains to us more about love.1 Corinthians 13:45-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

So, if we are to honour God’s character (God is love), commands and example in Jesus we are (amongst other things) to forgive others. Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” Here the Greek word for ‘forgiveness’ literally means to send off, to send away, to release, to let go. Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” 1 Peter 2:23 “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

There is a clear message in Scripture that the forgiveness of our sins should lead to a similar action from us. Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Romans 12:17-19 “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.” Respond with grace instead of a grudge. Practicing true, unconditional forgiveness requires us to focus on a person’s worth, not their weaknesses.

Note that God does not leave us alone in this seemingly impossible task. He makes forgiveness possible for us by giving us the nature of Jesus. John 15:5 informs us that we can do much with Jesus’ help. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” And Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus can “sympathize with our weaknesses” because He has experienced (and conquered) them. And Matthew 11:28 instructs us to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Also, per 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”. Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

We are also required to not set limits on our forgiveness. Luke 17:3-4 “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times a day and seven times come back to you and say ‘I repent’, you must forgive them.” Matthew 18:21-22 “…seventy-seven times.”

We are actually instructed to change our attitudes. Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Here the Greek word for ‘forgiving’ means to be gracious to a person, to pardon him or her for some wrongdoing. Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

This includes confessing our sins to God. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” See also Acts 3:19 and Psalm 51:1-7. One of the reasons God does not seem to grant our prayer requests is that we have unresolved sin in us that separates us from fully experiencing God’s grace. Confession and repentance address this. Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Mercy provides the release that comes from forgiveness. In James 2:13 it is said that “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Pray for the people you are forgiving, asking God to cleanse you of any remaining bitterness or resentment (or other negative emotions) towards them, and to be with them in their lives going forward.

As God restored our broken relationship with Him (through Jesus), forgiveness should be accompanied by reconciliation, to restore our earthly relationships (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Nelson Mandela said (my paraphrasing) that hanging on to bitterness is like taking the poison you intend for them and expecting them to suffer, but you end up being the one with ongoing suffering. Release anger and hate’s hold on you.

God’s greatest commandments for us are in Matthew 22:37-39 “37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” This is repeated in both Mark 12:30-31 and in Luke 10:27. I include this here as a reminder to also forgive ourselves, as we can often be our own worst critic or judge, not allowing ourselves to move past certain things.

Per Joyce Meyer on the Fruits of the Spirit (my comments in italics):

Forgiveness means you give somebody a gift; not because they deserve it, but because God calls us to do it.

Humility is a lack of contentiousness, i.e. don’t be disagreeable and seek arguments. Humility is freedom from pride and arrogance. Pride includes worry, insincerity, self-righteousness and being opinionated. Pride destroys us, but humility promotes and blesses us.

Part of forgiveness is overcoming our pride, ego and opinions (becoming humble), so that we don’t criticize, judge or condescend or argue so much with others. Growing in humility is a result of practicing forgiveness as we follow God’s example and will.

From Pinterest: Your beliefs don’t make you a better person; your behavior does.