Forgiving others may seem to be a choice, and in one sense it
is a choice, but God has been very clear about forgiveness. He has
given us specific direction in numerous Scriptures, all of which can
be summed up in just one word -- forgive! God's Word says, "And when
you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him,
so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25).
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you
will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).
God is saying that it is in our own best interest to forgive! He is
not talking about what is in the best interest of the person who needs
to be forgiven. We are the ones who God is trying to protect. We are
the ones who receive the most benefit from forgiveness, not the other
person. A spirit of unforgiveness complicates and compromises our
daily walk with God. Forgiving others releases us from anger and
allows us to receive the healing we need. The whole reason God has
given us specific direction is because He does not want anything to
stand between us and Him. God's love for us is beyond our comprehension.
Forgiving others spares us from the consequences of living out of an
unforgiving heart.
Forgiving others does not carry with it a single decision that we need
to ponder. God has not qualified one sin as being more grievous to Him
than another and He has not qualified one sin committed against us as
warranting forgiveness and another not. For example, God is not saying,
"If a person lies to you or steals from you, you should forgive him,
but if they abuse you or harm your child, you can hold them in
unforgiveness." He is saying to forgive everyone, always, and do it
immediately.
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Forgiving Others - The Divine Example
We have a divine example for forgiving others! God knew that man needed
forgiveness, so He sent His Son Jesus to deliver all of mankind from
the eternal consequences of their sins (1 John 4:9-10).
Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever
grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord
forgave you." Jesus not only had the power to forgive, but to grant
us the ability to forgive others just as we have been forgiven.
Forgiving Others - Personal Action
Forgiving others often starts as a decision of surrender-an act of our
will. This surrender invites God to begin working in our lives in a
deeper level, allowing God to heal us. We simply need to make the choice
to be open to forgiveness and reconciliation.
Remember, forgiveness does not justify the deed or the person, it does
not provide God's forgiveness for their actions, because only God can
do that. While nothing can undo the past, we can do something about the
condition of our own present and future. Forgiving others makes a way
for our own healing to begin.
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