Saturday Motivation: A Call To Forgive
June 6th 2020
Saturday Motivation! A Call To Forgive!
Text;
Ephesians 4 v 32: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you.
Mark 11 v26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.
What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender for a wrong or injustice committed against another.
Forgiveness means giving up the right to hurt another person even though they hurt you and they merit you hurting them in return.
As human beings, we hurt and offend others through our actions and inactions.
Many are offended after being lied to, abused, rejected, misunderstood, mistreated or misjudged.
Forgiveness means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, to cancel a debt or to release an offender from any wrong that they committed against us.
Forgiveness is an act of love, mercy and grace.
Forgiveness is an act of our personal will in obedience and submission to God`s will.
Forgiveness is letting go of resentment and giving up any claim to be compensated for the hurt or loss we have suffered.
What does the bible say about forgiveness?
According to the scriptures, the basis for true forgiveness is love because love does not keep a record of wrongs.
Forgiveness is a biblical concept that is important to all believers. Of a truth, it can be difficult to forgive if a human being has been abused or traumatized severely but the bible encourages us to forgive.
Forgiving others can only be achieved through the help of God and as a result of emotional healing through God.
The bible encourages us to forgive others because God forgave us. Forgiving others is therefore between an individual and God because He alone can give us the grace to forgive genuinely.
When we wrong someone, we must seek his or her forgiveness for the relationship to be restored.
Forgiveness does not mean putting ourselves back into a harmful situation or continuing to approve or condone a wrong behavior.
Forgiveness does not mean that the offence never happened. It does not mean that the offender will not face the consequences of his actions; {1 Samuel 12 v 9-13}.
Forgiveness does not mean that you should allow the offender to continue taking advantage of you {Psalm 37 v 21; Proverbs 14 v 15; Proverbs 22 v 3; Galatians 6 v 7}
Example is if someone takes a loan from you and spends it on irrelevancies and fails to repay after you have continuously asked for the loan to be repaid, you may choose to forgive or pardon them the debt but forgiving them does not mean that you will give the offender another opportunity to take another loan facility and owe you any more money in the future.
We are not obliged to forgive those who refuse to acknowledge their mistakes or change their ways. We are not to forgive those who are cheats and are unwilling to change but would rather continue to abuse or mistreat us if given the opportunity and in the process deprive us of our peace and wellness.
We are not to forgive those who refuse to apologize to those they have hurt. {Proverbs 28 v 13; Acts 26 v 20; Hebrews 10 v 26}
An offender who refuses to repent is an enemy of God and we are not obliged to forgive those that God has not forgiven{Psalm 139 v 21 -22}
When we are wronged and merit an apology but the offender refuses to apologize, we can decide not to be angry or furious and instead trust God to deal with the situation on our behalf.{Hebrews 10 v 30-31}
We can also take comfort in God while being rest -assured that He will help us to overcome the pain and anguish caused by the offender. {Isaiah 65 v 17, Revelation 21 v4}
We can also decide to pray for those who have abused and mistreated us with the hope that they will realize their mistakesand repent. This does not mean that we are stupid. It simply means that we are following the example of Jesus.
Not forgiving those who have wronged us leads to bitterness and being bitter can lead to stress related diseases.
When we forgive others, we become spiritually and emotionallyfree. Forgiving others is in our best interest if we no longer hold any grudge as this prevents us from missing heaven and spending eternity in hell.
Why should we forgive?
1. The Bible commanded us to forgive. In obedience to Godtherefore, we must forgive { Matthew 6 v14 -15, Romans 12 v 18}
2. Forgiving others helps us to avoid every form of bitterness that could defile us {Hebrews 12 v 14 -15}
3. Forgiving others helps us to gain control of our lives from hurtful emotions {Genesis 4 v 1-8}
4. We must forgive because God forgave us {Ephesians 4 v 32}
5. Forgiving others help us to remain calm and improve our health and happiness {Proverbs 14 v 30, Matthew 5 v 9}
6. We are all imperfect; {James 3 v 2} Just as we appreciate being forgiven, we should also forgive the mistakes of others. { Matthew 7 v 12}
7. We must accommodate one another instead of complaining,reacting, regretting and later having something to forgive or be forgiven for; {Colossians 3 v 13}
8. We must act quickly and not allow time to pass before we forgive or ask for forgiveness when we are wrong;{Ephesians 4 v 26 – 27}
Is there a wrong or sin that will never be forgiven according to scriptures?
The answer to the above question is in the affirmative.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven;{Matthew 12 v 31-32, Mark 3 v 29, Luke 12 v 10}
What does blasphemy against the Holy Spirit mean? It means to slander or speak against the Spirit of God.
Let`s look at some Examples of Sins that were forgiven according to scriptures;
1. The woman caught in adultery {John 8 v 1-11}
2. Jesus` attackers from the cross during his crucifixion; Here Jesus prayed to the Father to forgive them for they knew not what they were doing. { Luke 23 v 24}
3. Turning the other cheek when they slap us rather than reacting; {Luke 6 v 29, Matthew 5 v 39}
Let`s look at some scriptures on forgiveness;
1. Ephesians 4 v 32: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you.
2. Mark 11 v26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.
3. Mark 11 v 25: And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
4. Matthew 6 v 14: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
5. Luke 6 v 37: Judge not and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned, forgive and you will be forgiven.
6. Proverbs 10 v 12: Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
7. Matthew 6 v 12: And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
8. Matthew 26 v 28: For this is my blood in the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
9. Psalm 86 v 5a: For You Oh Lord, are good, and ready to forgive.
10. Psalm 130 v 4: But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared!
11. Matthew 5 v7: Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
12. Luke 17 v 3: Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother sins against you rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
13. Luke 17 v 4: And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.
14. Luke 17 v 1b: It is impossible that no offences should come but woe to him through whom they come.
15. Colossians 1 v 14: In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
May the Lord give us the grace to forgive genuinely so that we do not miss eternity, in Jesus Mighty Name! Amen!
Shalom!