One of the greatest truths found in all of Scripture is the truth of forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no salvation, no peace with God, no hope of eternal life, and no fellowship with our Heavenly Father. The Gospel begins with God's willingness to forgive sinful men through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet I have often wondered why forgiveness is one of the most preached subjects in the church and one of the least practiced. We enjoy hearing that God has forgiven us, but we struggle when He asks us to forgive those who have wounded us. We gladly accept mercy from Heaven while holding bitterness in our own hearts.
Friend, it simply does not work that way.
Our Christian life does not begin with our goodness. It begins with God's forgiveness. Every believer has stood guilty before a holy God. Every one of us deserved judgment, yet Jesus stretched out His hands upon the cross and paid our debt in full.
The Apostle Paul reminds us:
Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"
Think about that for a moment. Our forgiveness was not cheap. It cost the precious blood of Jesus Christ. If God was willing to forgive us at such a cost, how can we refuse to forgive someone who has sinned against us?
Jesus gave one of the strongest warnings found anywhere in the Bible concerning forgiveness.
Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Those are not my words. Those are the words of Jesus Himself.
Many people try to explain away this passage because it makes us uncomfortable. Yet the Lord leaves little room for misunderstanding. A heart that continually refuses to forgive reveals that something is spiritually wrong within.
Forgiveness is not an optional part of Christianity. It is the very evidence that Christ has changed our hearts.
Paul writes:
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Notice the order. We forgive because God has already forgiven us through Christ. We are not earning God's favor by forgiving others. We are reflecting the mercy already shown to us.
I have lived long enough to see what bitterness can do to a person. It will rob you of your joy. It will steal your peace. It will poison your relationships. It will affect your health. I have seen people carry offenses for twenty or thirty years. They could tell you every word spoken against them decades earlier, as though it happened yesterday. The person they refused to forgive often went on with life, while the offended person remained imprisoned by anger.
That is one of Satan's greatest victories. He convinces Christians that holding onto bitterness somehow punishes the offender, when in reality it punishes the one carrying it.
The writer of Hebrews warns us:
Hebrews 12:15 (KJV)
"Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;."
Notice that bitterness never stays contained. Like a weed in a neglected garden, it spreads its roots until it affects marriages, families, churches, friendships, and even entire congregations.
Forgiveness does not mean we pretend the wrong never happened. It does not mean we call evil good. It does not always mean trust is immediately restored. Some wounds take time to heal, and wisdom may require healthy boundaries.
Forgiveness means we surrender our right to revenge and place the matter into God's hands.
Paul reminds us:
Romans 12:19 (KJV)
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."
When we refuse to forgive, we attempt to become both judge and executioner. God never intended us to carry that burden. Justice belongs to Him because He judges righteously. Our responsibility is to obey Him.
Jesus demonstrated forgiveness while hanging on the cross.
Luke 23:34 (KJV)
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Imagine that. Nails through His hands and feet. Soldiers mocking Him. Crowds rejecting Him. Yet instead of cursing those who crucified Him, He prayed for their forgiveness.
Stephen followed the same example as stones crushed the life from his body.
Acts 7:60 (KJV)
"And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
That is the spirit of Christ living within a believer.
Forgiveness is not weakness. It takes far more strength to forgive than to seek revenge. Anyone can become bitter. Only a heart controlled by the Holy Spirit can truly forgive.
As a country preacher, I have discovered something over many years of ministry. Some of the happiest Christians I have known were not those who had the easiest lives. Many had buried children, battled cancer, lost spouses, been betrayed by friends, or suffered great injustice. Yet they chose to forgive, and because they forgave, they walked in freedom.
On the other hand, I have seen people who attended church faithfully but carried an old grudge for years. Every sermon, every song, every invitation seemed unable to penetrate a heart that had become hardened by unforgiveness.
The choice is ours.
Will we hold on to yesterday's hurts, or will we release them into the hands of our Savior?
The Lord has forgiven a debt we could never repay. Surely we can forgive those who owe us far less.
If we truly desire spiritual growth, peace in our hearts, joy in our worship, and power in our prayers, forgiveness must become more than a sermon we hear. It must become a way of life.
May we be known as people who forgive because we have been forgiven.
Colossians 3:13 (KJV)
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
That is not only the foundation of Christianity.
It is the evidence that Christ truly lives within us.
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