For if you forgive men when they sin against
you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matt 6: 14-15
One of the certainties of life, it seems to me, is that within our time span we will hurt others
and be hurt by others. So the issue of forgiveness comes to the fore; what or how can we
forgive others when they have done things that are very difficult to forgive? After all,
there are trespasses and there are TRESPASSES.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matt 6: 9
We are to pray that God will forgive our trespasses on the grounds that we have forgiven
those who have wronged us. Scripture, then, clearly expects that we will understand what God has done in forgiving our sinfulness and with this understanding forgive others out
of appreciation for the forgiveness He has shown us through His grace.
Well, I am going to state that this is no easy task! The question becomes whether or not
human beings are capable of true forgiveness.
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23: 34
Obviously one true human, in what has to be the most amazing example of forgiveness,
asks the Father to forgive those who have tortured, abused and killed Him upon a
cross. Need I say it, we are not Jesus.
So here's my blog take: It is important to make every attempt to forgive what others
have done that has hurt us. Selfishly, it's better to forgive from the standpoint that it
clears our anger, to an extent, and we are not holding things inside. But I believe that
we always must strive to do what God has clearly mandated. He wants and expects
us to forgive even the most difficult things and has called upon us to do so.
But... I really think that there are cases where we may be able to forgive but
probably not be able to forget. I believe that we will still hold onto the memories of
what took place and the anguish they may have caused. I'm not sure if that is
okay in the eyes of God. I guess one would have to pray that strength through the
Holy Spirit might help us accomplish both.
Forgive as best you can because God has asked us to do so. Love others who
say and do things against you, as Jesus clearly mandated. Forgive.... still not easy
because we are humans!
Praise God!
there are trespasses and there are TRESPASSES.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matt 6: 9
We are to pray that God will forgive our trespasses on the grounds that we have forgiven
those who have wronged us. Scripture, then, clearly expects that we will understand what God has done in forgiving our sinfulness and with this understanding forgive others out
of appreciation for the forgiveness He has shown us through His grace.
Well, I am going to state that this is no easy task! The question becomes whether or not
human beings are capable of true forgiveness.
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23: 34
Obviously one true human, in what has to be the most amazing example of forgiveness,
asks the Father to forgive those who have tortured, abused and killed Him upon a
cross. Need I say it, we are not Jesus.
So here's my blog take: It is important to make every attempt to forgive what others
have done that has hurt us. Selfishly, it's better to forgive from the standpoint that it
clears our anger, to an extent, and we are not holding things inside. But I believe that
we always must strive to do what God has clearly mandated. He wants and expects
us to forgive even the most difficult things and has called upon us to do so.
But... I really think that there are cases where we may be able to forgive but
probably not be able to forget. I believe that we will still hold onto the memories of
what took place and the anguish they may have caused. I'm not sure if that is
okay in the eyes of God. I guess one would have to pray that strength through the
Holy Spirit might help us accomplish both.
Forgive as best you can because God has asked us to do so. Love others who
say and do things against you, as Jesus clearly mandated. Forgive.... still not easy
because we are humans!
Praise God!
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