Forgiveness
Summary
- Forgiveness is
- A fundamental issue of the Christian faith
- Probably the most important
thing that every human being needs
- Can be hard!
- Jesus died so that we might be forgiven for our sins. Mark 10:45
- As a result, we must in turn forgive
- If we do not then we sit as judge over them - but that is God’s
role. Deuteronomy 32:35
- Forgiveness means
- Surrendering to Jesus our right to judge someone
- Releasing the
individual and allowing the Lord to be judge
- Forgiveness is a command. Matthew 6:14-15
- We must obey the Lord and forgive those who trespass against us. Matthew
18:21
- Forgiveness does not justify a sin or remove accountability
- When we do not forgive, we hold ourselves in bondage and give Satan
access to our lives
- Forgiveness may be a process
- May have to pray “Lord make me willing
to be willing to forgive”
- Sometimes we can blame God for something that has caused us pain.
- We
need to ‘forgive God’ and release him from our judgement.
- Many of us struggle to forgive ourselves. Romans 8:1
- If Christ has
forgiven us, what right do we have to continue to punish ourselves?
- Unless we forgive we will carry anger and bitterness
- We may need to forgive several times a day
- See the parable of the unmerciful servant. Matthew 18:21-35
- Forgiveness is a heart attitude - it can start as a will decision,
but must transfer into our hearts
- When we have truly forgiven someone we are no longer controlled by
them; we are free!
- True forgiveness brings healing into our lives
- It is the key to unlocking the prison of bitterness and anger that
imprisons us
Print this article
Download this
as a PDF document