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Scripture Reading:
Matthew 6:12, 14-15
Forgiveness
Perhaps one of the most universal necessities in any religion
and worldviews is the requirement to forgive. Buddhism, Hinduism
both require forgiveness for karma. Christianity, Islam, and
Judaism also require it. Even modern secular psychologists
recognize the need for forgiving others. Why is there such a
universal necessity for forgiveness?
I
had a professor which said bitterness is like drinking a poison
hoping the other person would die. Indeed not forgiving can lead
us in a cage of our on thoughts and feelings while the one who
we are not forgiving is out and may not realize or may not care
about what was done. Yet we are holding onto it.
We
can begin with the Lord’s prayer in which we can read a part of
the prayer as “And forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Immediately after that prayer we can read these words.
14 "For
if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you.
15 "But
if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive
your transgressions.
This is indeed a hard saying. Its been viewed many ways.
Forgiveness is a legal term. It is an act of releasing from
moral and legal obligation or consequence. It is an act of
freeing and liberating from something that confines. Other
interesting usages for this word is to send away, to disregard,
to yield up, to abandon, to leave so that what is left may
remain.
These definitions have tremendous insight on not only why the
need to forgive but also how to forgive
There is a popular saying “You must forgive yourself because if
you don’t then you are saying your standards are higher then
God’s therefore you are elevating yourself above Him.”
How
true this concept is if indeed it is a legal concept! If you are
refusing to forgive yourself or others then this is exactly what
you are doing. You are not only forgetting your own common need
of forgiveness but you are declaring yourself higher than the
other.
The
Bible is very clear in other places such as Romans 3:23 All have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and Philippians 2:3
with humility of mind regard one another as more important than
yourselves.
These verses do not mean that our forgiveness from God is
dependent if we forgive others. However as much as you are able
to forgive and love is directly proportionate to how you able to
receive forgiveness and love.
We
have been loved immensely. Eph 4:32 says Be kind to one another,
tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God has forgiven
you.
This is a process and lifestyle and not a one-time event.
“Seventy times seven” Jesus told Peter.
While most agree the need to forgive others and yourself, for
some there is a need to forgive God as well. You may disagree
but just as your need to be honest and in right relationships
with others you need to be honest and in right relationship
before God. As not forgiving others is a sin, not forgiving God
is a sin as well and we should confess both. God is not
dependent upon our forgiveness but our relationship with Him is.
If we are not honest to the One who knows us completely we are
only fooling ourselves.
God
allows us to be honest with Him and question Him. Look
throughout the Psalms in which the author asks God where He is
at, why He is forsaking Him. Job was honest as well to God. In
the end the Psalmist and Job, and you as well must come to the
point where you accept that you can trust Him and that He loves
you even if you don’t understand.
Most people may think that forgiveness is like a step in which
this minute you are angry and the next you forgive and move on.
But the truth of the matter is that this process is usually
cyclic. I had to forgive my mother several times and would have
been confusing to her had I told her every time.
Conclusion
In
speaking of forgiveness, one ultimately has to come to Christ.
We are selfish. In order to understand how to forgive, we must
understand that we are able to be forgiven.
One
may say that they are not in a place that is needing to be
forgiven, but all have sinned. Have you ever lied, stolen, taken
God’s name in vain, lust after someone, hated someone? Then you
have offended God’s holiness.
No
matter how good one is, they still have bad in their life. You
can break the natural law once and be thrown in jail for it no
matter what kind of person you are normally. If I were to make
you an omelet with 12 eggs and only one of them were bad would
you eat it? The same can be seen in our standing before God.
Yet
Jesus came and paid the price and stands as an advocate before
the Father on our behalf that we may have a relationship with
Him and know Him.
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