Forgive Others. As God Forgives Us. With Love
Forgiving others. Cleans our hearts. Forgiveness a true act of LOVE.
Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. (Mark Twain)
Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness. (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.)
It’s not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you. (Tyler Perry)
Introduction. God’s Holy Word links inseparably. To receive God’s righteous forgiveness. We must first willingly and lovingly grant forgiveness.
Scripture Reading: Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12, ESV)
Looking back on our lives. We have so much God the Father has forgiven. SO VERY MUCH!!! Time and time again. We hammer in those cruel nails. Into the blessed wrists and ankles of Christ Jesus. Through our sins. We once more hammer in those wicked and most painful nails. When you and I rebel against Almighty God. Disobeying His Holy Law and turning our backs on God. We hammer in again and again. Those cruel and those most painful nails.
Almighty God’s Holy Word puts us in our place. Seeking Jesus’ forgiveness. When tempted by the Evil One. We gave in. We sinned. We rebelled time and time again against God. This gives you and I the reason. To always forgive all those who have sinned against us. We remember always. We also have sinned against a God who loves us and has forgiven us. Time and time and time again. Jesus has paid the price for our sins. Time and time again. God the Father has forgiven us.
Scripture Reading: Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV)
For Jesus our Lord has forgiven you and me. More times than we wish to admit. Therefore, if someone hurts us. A little or a lot. It never, never is as much. As we have rebelled against our Heavenly Father God. NEVER! We forgive her readily, easily, completely and with the love of God. Remembering, always remembering. Jesus forgives and forgives and forgives.
Forgiving others is a foundational Biblical teaching.
Scripture Reading: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV)
Let us consider this precious verse. God Almighty forgives. You and I are cleansed. We are once more made holy and righteous before God. We again are welcomed by our Father God into His loving presence. God’s forgiveness brings us back to Him. Our sins are removed and washed away.
Scripture Reading: Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18, ESV)
When you and I picture Jesus hanging on His wicked cross. Paying our price for our sins. Sacrificing His very life for our rebellion against God the Father. We realize our debt to Jesus cannot be repaid by us. Jesus is God the Son. Jesus gave Himself for our sins. It is completely unlovable for us not to forgive others. SIMPLY UNLOVABLE!
Obtaining God’s forgiveness for our sins. Is conditional forgiveness. On the condition. We first forgive those who have sinned against us.
The belief that if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us, comes from Matthew 6:14–15 where Jesus says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Jack Wellman, What Christians Want to Know Blog)
Through the beloved and familiar Our Father prayer. Jesus teaches us that not forgiving others is an unpardonable sin against God the Father. In other words, when confessing our sins to God. Not firstly forgiving those who have sinned against us. Sadly but truly. Almighty God is not going to answer our prayer of confession.
Unless we lovingly forgive all those who have harmed us in any way. We are not able to walk in the Holy and righteous presence of the One who loves us so. Almighty God is perfect. Being righteous and Holy. God is unable to be in the presence of anyone who has not been washed clean. The sins we bare by not forgiving others. Separates us from the presence of the One we love the most.
For me, this is good enough reason indeed. To forgive each and every person who has hurt us. And very promptly indeed. So in turn God our Father forgives us quickly.
Scripture Reading: Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10, ESV)
We love our Father God with all our being. Let us not jeopardize our fellowship with Him. God has told us that nothing separates us from Him and His unceasing love for us. Let us now keep our side of this loving promise. Promising God to always forgive others readily, easily, and completely. Forgiving all those who have harmed us. With all the love in our hearts. This is the only means by which. You and I maintain our fellowship with our Father God.
Jesus’ saving grace is our only means. Of reconciliation to our Heavenly Father.
Scripture Reading: Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6, ESV)
One more sobering and vital reason to always, always forgive. Recollecting the many times we have sinned against Almighty God. How our rebellion has caused Jesus so much pain. Turning our back on God has caused our Lord such torment. We owe God no less than to forgive others — ALWAYS!
Jesus loves you and me. Christ gave His all for us. We grant to others our forgiveness. We receive the blessing of RECONCILIATION. Such a blessing of love this is. We are once more walking in the presence of God. WE WALK WITH GOD THE FATHER ONCE AGAIN.
Conclusion. Salvation!!! There is no, “but, if.” God the Father loves each and every person who has harmed or hurt us in any way.
- We also in turn love them.
- You and I love them so completely.
- We forgive all those who have harmed us.
- You and I forgive readily, easily and completely.
- We forgive each person with the love Almighty God has granted us to do so.
- We forgive others as God the Father has forgiven us.
- WITH LOVE.
Grace’s article is truly inspiring and uplifting, Diane.
If God touched your heart,
please highlight your favorite passages
and leave me a message.
Thank you.
