Forgiveness: It’s What God’s All About

Hello Saints! This subject is not only the basis on which our salvation is built, but is a vital part of our walk with Jesus. Without operating in forgiveness, our Christian journey is pretty much put on hold. This has been coming up big in my spirit, so I’m going to do a series of teachings on it. The world operates in a system that is totally opposite to God’s way of doing things. People in the world tend to be good to those who are good to them, they get angry with those who get angry with them,they are mean to others who are mean to them, etc. In the Christian realm, Jesus has a whole different take on things. As our supreme example, He hung on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”. Luke 23:34. Jesus forgave the very people who were in the process of murdering Him! How could He possibly do that?! Yet He did. Some might say, “It’s because He was God”. He was and is God. But He hung on that cross as a man. He expects nothing less from us. As I pondered this scripture years ago, a key to forgiveness welled up in my soul. That key is contained in these words: “Father, forgive them, for THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO”. In other words, if they knew the Father’s love, they wouldn’t do this. We can put that into action in our lives by considering the same thought when someone hurts us. If that person knew God’s love and operated in it, they wouldn’t behave this way. On this basis alone, I forgive them.

   But what is forgiveness? What does it mean to forgive someone? First I’ll give you the dictionary definition: 1. To grant pardon for a mistake or wrongdoing. 2. To refuse to remain angry or resentful. 3. To cease to blame. 4. To free someone from a penalty (punishment). Now the Greek: 1. To release someone from bondage or imprisonment. 2. To forgive or pardon sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed). Whoa, there. Let it go as though it had never been committed? Denise, do you have ANY IDEA what this person has done to me? No, I don’t. But I could tell you some WHOPPERS that have been done to me and my husband over the years. Not only that, but I could tell some HORRIFIC things that have been perpetrated on some of our family members, and honey, it ain’t pretty. Do you know what? Rich and I have forgiven EVERY ONE OF THEM. Why? Those people don’t deserve forgiveness! No they don’t. But I have news for you. Neither do you or I. We don’t forgive people because they deserve it, we forgive them because God has forgiven us for every rotten thing we have ever thought, spoken or done. You don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, nor did you earn it through good deeds. God forgives you because He loves you! He forgives me because He loves me! Praise God! Can we do any less? It gets better! Forgiveness is not just a suggestion, it is a command! Jesus said in Mark 11:24-25 “And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses”. I don’t believe this scripture is a picture of our heavenly Father holding out on us in the forgiveness department, but rather, He cannot reach us with His forgiveness because He hits a wall of unforgiveness that blocks His own! I’d better quit while I’m ahead. Next post: We’ll talk more about what forgiveness is, and what it is NOT. We’ll be talking in future posts about how to walk this out in everyday life. Until then God bless you! Serve Him with everything in you! Let’s go for it!   Love in Christ   Denise

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