Archive for the ‘Forgiving Others’ Category

Forgiveness (Be Careful when you say I am not going to forgive you)

Posted: August 29, 2020 in Forgiveness, forgiviness, Forgiving Others, Grace, Uncategorized
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Under Gods Command

Mathews 6:14-15 For it you forgive others for their transgressions (Sins), your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. 

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. 

Jesus said if we forgive someone, then the Lord will forgive us. Jesus compares the two types of forgiveness. God’s forgiveness of us is dependent on our forgiving others. As we try to understand Jesus’ words, we must first remember that we have no power over the eternal fate of another person, for Christ alone is our Judge:

We know Jesus was not asking us to forgive someone from the penalty of their sin in eternity for only God can do that. The only kind of forgiveness we can extend to another person is the rebuilding of our earthly fellowship with that person. So, when Jesus asks us to forgive another, He must be speaking in terms of earthly relationships, not eternal outcomes.

If a believer forgives in this way, Jesus says God will forgive us. From the context, the proper interpretation is that God will forgive us in the same way He asks us to forgive others: by restoring fellowship with us. Once again, Jesus is speaking in terms of earth consequences and earthly forgiveness. The Lord will forgive us from the earthly consequences of our sins provided we are willing to show forgiveness to others (which is a part of our mission to show the love of Christ to the world).

The Bible teaches that our sins after faith may still bring us earthly consequences. The Lord may choose to bring discipline against us for our sin, which the Bible calls the discipline of the Lord. Discipline is intended by God to drive us back into a godly walk with Him:

By not forgiving others, we deny our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness and we break the family relationship God wants us to have with all people.  Our salvation from sin is not based on our forgiving others, but we cannot receive God’s forgiveness until we realize what forgiveness really means.

Lets Bring it Home: We can easily ask God for forgiveness for ourselves but then had on to grudges toward others who are difficult to forgive.  Whenever we ask God to forgive us for sin, we should first ask ourselves if we have forgiven the people who have wronged us.

Spiritual Training 02 January 2013 (Forgiving Others)

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Ephesians, Forgiving Others, Inspiration, Mathew, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Forgiving Others

Matthew 6:14 – 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. 

Why?  Those who are unwilling to forgive have not become one with Christ who was willing to forgive even those who crucified him Luke 23:34 – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  We are also denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.  God’s forgiveness of sin is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but it is based on our realizing what forgiveness means. We cannot live as Children of Light walking around with sin and hate towards others.

Ephesians 4:28-32 – He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  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.    

We can grieve the Holy Spirit by the way we live.  Paul warns us against unwholesome language, bitterness, improper use of anger, brawling, slander, and bad attitudes toward others.  Instead of acting that way, we should be forgiving, just as God has forgiven us.  Are you grieving or pleasing God with your attitudes and actions? Act in love toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, just as God acted in love by sending his Son to die for our sins.

Lets Bring it Home:  Is there anything that you are holding against someone right now.  A friend, Mother or Father, Husband or Wife, co-worker or anybody else that you can think of? Now ask yourself this.  What is God holding against me right now that He will not let go because I won’t let it go?   Is it really worth to burn in hell over it for the rest of your life?