The Power of Forgiveness

 

The Power of Forgiveness

Relationships with family, friends, co-workers, or schoolmates can quite often be difficult. Daily, we interact with many different personality types and that will sometimes lead to conflicts. In this life, you don’t have to look for trouble, for trouble to find you, but God’s Word teaches us how to respond to others.  Forgiving others their trespasses, is sometimes a very hard thing to do. The Lord is still working on me in this area, so this lesson is as much for me, as others. The golden law is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” God’s Word teaches us, that if we forgive others their trespasses against us, the Lord will also forgive us our trespasses (Matt 6:14). Also, if we show mercy to others, then the Lord will show mercy to us. God’s Word is clear, that the Lord will judge each of us, based on how we treat our fellow man.

 

 Matt 5:22-24, says that if we are angry with our brother without a cause we shall be in danger of the judgment, if we call him Raca (dumb head, or idiot), we shall be in danger of the council, and if we call him a fool, we shall be in danger of hell fire. God expects his children to pursue peace with all men, and name calling, which results from anger, is forbidden with God. God’s Word also says, that it is possible to be angry and not sin, but we are not to let the sun go down upon our wrath. In other words, we are to make peace, as soon as possible with the trespasser. If they refuse to make peace, we are to still forgive them in our heart before the day is ended. Bitterness dries up the bones according to God’s Word. It is also a medical fact, that people who are angry and bitter a lot, are candidates for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, as well as other diseases. The root of bitterness will lead to hate, which is the same, as the sin of murder according to Christ. In verses 23 and 24, Christ said, that when you bring your gift to the alter, and then remember that your brother has something against you, go and be reconciled with your brother then come and offer your gift. This passage shows that grudges against others, will hurt your relationship with the Lord, as well as cut you off from his blessings. Quiet often, not forgiving others will also block a person from healings, as well as, hinder their prayers from being answered.

 

Matt 18:21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. In this passage, Christ was telling Peter that we are to forgive our brothers sins against us, countless times. We are to have the mind of Christ, and follow in his footsteps. When Christ died upon the cross, to make atonement  for our sins, he wiped out all of our sins that we have repented of. As he was dying upon the cross, Christ said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Christ was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, despised and rejected by men, according to scripture. Even though he was taunted, spit upon, as well as rejected by his generation, he still was willing to forgive the sins of all who would come to him, to be born again. If we belong to Christ, we should have the same compassion as he did, for our fellow mankind. Since Christ gives us grace, we should also extend grace to our fellow man, who is also created in God’s image.

 

Matt 18:23-35, Is the parable of the unforgiving servant. Christ said, that the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who had a servant who owed him ten thousand talents. The servant pleaded with the king to have mercy on him, and not to sell him and his family. The king chose to have mercy upon this servant, and to release him, as well as forgive his debt. This servant then went to one of his fellow servants who owed him money, and grabbed him by the throat, and demanded to be paid in full. This servant fell at his feet and begged him to have patience, but he refused to have mercy upon this servant. Instead, he had his fellow servant thrown in jail, until he could be paid in full. Then the king had this wicked servant delivered to the tortures because he refused to have compassion upon his fellow servant. Verse 35 states, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God, as well as love our neighbor as our self. If we have this Christ like love for one another, then we fulfill the law and the prophets.

 

 I ask the Lord continually, to help me to look beyond the faults of others and see the need. There are many cruel and malicious people in the world, and there is a reason why they are that way. Many people are suffering in their bodies from cancer, pain, sickness, mental illness etc. Others, have experienced the deaths of loved ones, divorce, or unemployment . Quite often people take out their pain upon others. If we keep this in mind when encountering malicious people, then we can have compassion for them, instead of contempt. Christ tells us to pray for those who persecute or mistreat us. If you will pray for those who are offensive to you, then the Lord will open your eyes to their need. If a person is struggling with feelings of anger towards another, it is best to not talk about the situation. The more we talk about the person who made us angry, the more likely we are to add fuel to the flame. Silence is golden if you need to be released from anger. To sum this up, we need to to forgive others, in the same way that Christ has forgiven us.               

  

Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

Matt 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Matt 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.  23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

 

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

 

Matt 18:21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’  27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’  29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’  30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’  34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”