Spirit of Hosea
~Encouragement Site~
Forgiveness
Love is patient and kind. Love is not
jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is
not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never
glad about injustice but rejoices when the truth wins out. Love never gives up,
never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 7 NLT)
The
Love of God is best expressed in forgiveness of others. Scripture repeatedly
states that God considers the absence of forgiveness on our part an
unforgivable sin. Jesus said:
“If
you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you.
But, if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew
6: 14 – 15 NLT)
Showing
Christian forgiveness of others is a basic requirement for forgiveness of our
own sins by God. Anyone who holds
malice, bitterness and unforgiveness against any
others simply cannot enter Heaven forgiven by God.
Jesus
gave us a parable, an example, case law as it were, for us to fully understand
what is required of us by God. He
entered into Holy Testimony the following precedent:
“For
this reason the
But
when the man left the King, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few
thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor
wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and jailed until he could pay the debt
in full.
When
some of the other servants heard this, they were very upset. They went to the
King and told him what happened. Then the King called in the man he had
forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you
that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy with
your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry King sent the man to prison
until he had paid every penny.
That’s
what my Heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers
and sisters in your heart.” (Matthew 18: 23 – 35 NLT)
Insofar as
who should be forgiven, Jesus illustrated innumerable descriptions of enemies.
In an instruction to those who would bear his name He said:
“You have heard
that the Law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person
who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who
did it.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil
person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. If you are
ordered to court, and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear
for a mile, carry it two miles…” (Matthew
In fact,
Jesus included all possible enemies and acquaintances, as illustrated by His
forgiveness on the cross for all of mankind.
About what
kinds of hateful actions that should be forgiven, He specified everything from
stealing, beating, lying, adultery, to enslavement and everything in
between. He stated the way we were to
now conduct ourselves differently that which is common in polite society:
“You have heard
that the Law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those
who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true children of your
Father in Heaven. For
He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the
just and the unjust, too.
If you love
those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that
much. If you are kind only to your
friends, how are you different than anyone else? Even Pagans do that. But you
are to be perfect, even as you Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Matthew
In regards to
the number of times one must forgive others, he indicated that the obligation
to unconditionally forgive has no end – 7 times 70 - infinity. As to what
criteria are required to enable forgiveness, He gave none, except the one
single condition, that there be an offence, whether repented of or not.
So how far
are we, as Christians, required to go in order to set a standard of forgiveness
of betrayal by a husband or wife? The answer is simple: as far as is needed to
not hold them accountable for the hurt and the pain and the rejection and the
disappointment and the wasted years. That's how far... and this is what we are
to teach those who are mistreated by others. No exceptions!
Jesus warned:
“Don’t
misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or
the writings of the Prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. I assure you, until
Heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God’s law will remain
until its purpose is achieved. So if you
break the smallest commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the
least in the
“But I warn you
– unless you obey God greater than the teachers of religious law and the
Pharisees do, you can’t enter the
How practical
is this? Completely, for in our forgiveness we let the power of the Holy Spirit
flow through us to the ones who need it the most, the fallen. What's the
alternative? Hardhearted wickedness, and entering
eternity unforgiven, just as we have been
unforgiving. That's what.
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Encouragement Site
Is a Ministry of
Theological Foundations
Internet Ministries
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2000 - 2005
by
Stephen W.
Wilcox
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