Skip to main content

Dear Friend: Forgive Us As We Forgive?

I have been thinking about our talk on forgiving. First, I would like to draw attention to two truths that seem to be contradictory.

1) "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Col. 3:13). "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Eph. 4:32).

2. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart" (Matt. 18:35). "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors… For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matt. 6:12, 14).

The first truth sets Christ’s forgiveness for us as the means that makes it both possible and mandatory that we forgive others in the same way. The second truth sounds like our forgiveness of others is the basis of our being forgiven by God.

All forgiveness begins with God’s character and work.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalms 51:1-2)

He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47)
The man in Matthew 18:24 owed the king $100 million. He was forgiven by the king’s mercy only. It was after he had been forgiven that the servant did not forgive his fellow servant.

It is after we are forgiven that we can pray Matthew 6:12: “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Because we have forgiven others like the Father has previously forgiven us.)

We can honestly pray Matthew 6:12 if we have obeyed Colossian 3:13. In other words, I need to be forgiven first for not obeying Colossians 3:13 in order to be able to forgive.

The major thing is to confess to not forgiving. We will then be forgiven, and we will be able to forgive. Forgiving others is a natural consequence of being forgiven for not forgiving.

The two books that we use the most are the result of the 17-year revival (1935-1952) in East Africa: The Calvary Road by Roy Hession and Continuous Revival by Norman Grubb.

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,' forgive him" (Luke 17:3-4). It is obvious that the “repentant” person in this verse is not truly repentant. However, forgiveness is unlimited. It is not dependent on the other person being truly repentant.

When I forgive someone, it does not help the someone. My forgiveness for him does not clean his conscience. Only God does that. So when I forgive someone, it does not help him at all. It only helps me. If I do not forgive, I am like the man in Matthew 18:35. If forgiveness is from my heart, I am helped. If it is not, then I am the one in big trouble.

Jim

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Old

This is a post for those who are getting old or considering themselves old, from 65-100. Right now, I am 91.* I will be 92 in October. I have my own house, but I cannot live in it alone because of my physical inability to move around. One of my sons lives with me. All of us will have to make some adjustments. That includes money, relatives, your own ability and willpower to stay independent, etc. My advice is if physically and financially you can live independently, you should certainly do that. If you do, you will still need to have visits from your family frequently. You need your family. Even if you don’t need them to take care of you, you need them for the fellowship. The more fellowship you have, the longer you’ll live. If you can stay independent do it, but only if friends and relatives can see you often. In my case, I can’t walk, and I can’t do much physically. So, whether I like it or not, someone else has to get me up, get me showered, and get me dressed. I am blessed to have
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Is Obedience So Hard?

There are several reasons why obedience seems hard. I will comment on some of them and then speak positively on how obedience is easy. We think: 1) Obedience is an infringement on freedom. Since we are free in Christ, and obedience is somehow contrary to that freedom, we conclude that obedience is not good. Yet we know it is good. Thus, we become confused about obedience and are not single-minded. 2) Obedience is works. We who have been justified by grace through faith are opposed to works; therefore, we are opposed to obedience. 3) We have tried to obey and have failed—frequently. Therefore, the only solution is to disobey and later confess to receive forgiveness. It is easier to be forgiven by grace than to obey by effort. 4) We confuse obedience to men with obedience to God. Although these are sometimes one and the same (see Romans 13, 1 Peter 2-3, Ephesians 5-6, Colossians 3, and Titus 2), sometimes they are not the same (see Colossians 2:20-23, Mark 7, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, a
5 comments
Read more

Constant Victory

I came across the following poem (prayer) and devotional in Amy Carmichael's book Edges of His Ways :   Before the winds that blow do cease, Teach me to dwell within thy calm; Before the pain has passed in peace, Give me, my God, to sing a psalm. Let me not lose the chance to prove The fulness of enabling love. O Love of God, do this for me; Maintain a constant victory.   Before I leave the desert land For meadows of immortal flowers, Lead me where streams at thy command Flow by the borders of the hours, That when the thirsty come I may Show them the fountains in the way. O love of God, do this for me; Maintain a constant victory.   "This prayer was written for the ill, and for the tired. It is so easy to fail when not feeling fit. As I thought of them, I also remembered those who, thank God, are not ill and yet can be hard-pressed. Sometimes in the midst of the rush of things, it seems impossible to be victorious, always to be peaceful,
Post a Comment
Read more