FORGIVENESS

Giving and Receiving

Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Forgiving others is not a prerequisite for being born again. While we are sinners, there is very little we can do in terms of living righteously. However, once we are born again and have received the Holy Spirit, we are capable of living at a much higher spiritual level.

The bible tells us that God has separated our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalms 103:12). That means that once we are forgiven, He no longer sees our sins when He views us. He only sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We are called upon to live our lives as Jesus lived His. One of the main things Jesus demonstrated was unconditional love.

Many of us have a hard time forgiving others. We certainly should forgive those who apologize to us. We should take it even further and forgive those who do not. This forgiveness benefits us. It is not possible to be at peace when we have feelings of hatred, resentment, anger, a desire to get even on our minds. While we are harboring these feelings, the person they are directed toward is free to enjoy their day.

We should also be quick to apologize when we are wrong. Don’t let pride keep you from admitting to a fault. It takes someone with spiritual maturity to admit when they are wrong. If someone accuses you of doing something and you know in your heart that the accusation is false, you may take the time to explain the matter. However, you should not feel compelled to ask forgiveness for an imagined offense.  

Prayer is the requirement in order to live this way. We must pray that we will have a forgiving heart. We should also pray for those who offend us. Being able to pray sincerely for someone we seek to forgive is a sign that we no longer hold any resentment towards them. The requirement to love our enemies, bless them that curse us and pray for those who despitefully use and persecute us is carried out within us when we enlist the aid of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus has called us to live a life much different from the world’s. It is achieved as we grow in knowledge, grace and truth and are led by the Holy Spirit.