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Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...
Forgiven And Forgiving
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors … 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” (Matthew 6:12, 14-15, KJV)
Forgiveness. Is there a more dreaded and difficult word in the Christian’s vocabulary? Regardless of what some would have us think or believe, forgiving is one of the hardest things we are called upon to do as Christians. I do not think it comes naturally and I do think that for most of us it is an extremely difficult act to carry out. It was the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis who once wrote, “Everyone says that forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive” and I submit, who can argue such a statement?
Most of us at one point or another have been faced with the challenge of forgiving someone. Perhaps more times than not we feel totally justified in holding on to a grudge, or there is some righteous anger that tells us that the person offending us or those we care about does not deserve to be forgiven. I know that I have wrestled with this on more than one occasion and while I eventually manage to do the right thing, albeit reluctantly at times, it is worth exploring why the act of forgiving is such an integral and fundamental part of our Christian experience.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines forgiveness as “the act of forgiving; state of being forgiven”. It defines to forgive as to “let off (debt, person debt), cease to resent, pardon (offence, offender, offender offence).” Indeed one of the difficulties with our understanding of forgiveness is the notion that we are letting someone off the hook when we forgive them. In some ways we see it as doing the person a favor, and by withholding forgiveness, we are not granting them that favor. How many times have you heard people swear by their children, on the graves of dead relatives, on a stack of Bibles, to name a few, that they would rather die than forgive someone that has offended them? That is how strongly passionate feelings run on the issue and that is understandable as some people are really crusty and do know how to push our buttons! My dear mother would say it is as if such persons were placed on earth for no other reason but to really push us to the limits, yet in the face of such provocation and unwarranted hurt, we are called upon to forgive.
It is my conviction that the person who withholds forgiveness from another has no right to seek forgiveness from God. In the first verse of our reference text we clearly see that our right to ask God for forgiveness is in direct proportion to the forgiveness we extend to others. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors basically says, “Please extend to me the same forgiveness that I have extended to those that has wronged me.” If we look at this understanding in reverse, we clearly see that we cannot expect forgiveness for our transgressions if we cannot forgive those that has transgressed against us. There is no getting around that fact. Jesus declared, “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.” That is pretty clear to me and really requires no additional explanation. We forgive others because we ourselves are in need of forgiveness and one is fully conditional upon the other! How is that for an eye-opener?
My favorite disciple Peter – I love his spunk and his vulnerability - came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” to which Jesus replied, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:21,22). In the ensuing verses Jesus used a parable to demonstrate the principle that having being forgiven of many things by God, we ought to extend equal and unconditional forgiveness to those who have done us wrong. It is extremely important to note that God does take action against those who having received forgiveness, fail to give true and sincere forgiveness from the heart in return (Matt. 18: 34-35).
Contrary to what some would have us think or believe, it is important to realize that it is our individual self that benefits when we extend forgiveness. Not only is there the spiritual dimension and how it affects our relationship with God, but also there is a physical dimension and how that affects our well-being. Science has already proven that feelings of harted, hurt, etc., cause a diminishing of our physical being resulting in diseases and self-anguish. In other words, withholding forgiveness is unhealthy and can result in sickness! Now, how is that for another eye-opener? From this point of view, it becomes evident also that the act of extending forgiveness is not a sanctimonious act we put on to do someone else a favor. It is something that we do that brings us into a right relationship with God and also cleanses our body of the negative and poisonous junk that saps our emotional and mental energy.
As you read this article, you may be wrestling with forgiving someone that may have really offended you. You feel justified in holding on to what you feel because you have been done much harm. That is understandable and our Heavenly Father understands your pain and your hurt. Even so, He invites you to release that negative emotion and allow the Holy Spirit to ease you into His peace. Realize that the offender is not hindered by your unwillingness to forgive. Rather it is you that is being hindered, and you that have placed yourself in the position where you cannot ask God for forgiveness because you have not extended that to another. In and of yourself you cannot do it. Sure there are wounds from the verbal, physical, and emotional abuse in as much as there are scars from having your heart broken, your feelings betrayed, and your trust abused. I invite you to give it all to Jesus and allow Him to forgive your disobedience and grant you the peace and freedom to give to others the same forgiveness that He has given unto you. It may be extremely difficult but I have news for you; it’s worth it.
Forgiven And Forgiving
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors … 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” (Matthew 6:12, 14-15, KJV)
Forgiveness. Is there a more dreaded and difficult word in the Christian’s vocabulary? Regardless of what some would have us think or believe, forgiving is one of the hardest things we are called upon to do as Christians. I do not think it comes naturally and I do think that for most of us it is an extremely difficult act to carry out. It was the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis who once wrote, “Everyone says that forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive” and I submit, who can argue such a statement?
Most of us at one point or another have been faced with the challenge of forgiving someone. Perhaps more times than not we feel totally justified in holding on to a grudge, or there is some righteous anger that tells us that the person offending us or those we care about does not deserve to be forgiven. I know that I have wrestled with this on more than one occasion and while I eventually manage to do the right thing, albeit reluctantly at times, it is worth exploring why the act of forgiving is such an integral and fundamental part of our Christian experience.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines forgiveness as “the act of forgiving; state of being forgiven”. It defines to forgive as to “let off (debt, person debt), cease to resent, pardon (offence, offender, offender offence).” Indeed one of the difficulties with our understanding of forgiveness is the notion that we are letting someone off the hook when we forgive them. In some ways we see it as doing the person a favor, and by withholding forgiveness, we are not granting them that favor. How many times have you heard people swear by their children, on the graves of dead relatives, on a stack of Bibles, to name a few, that they would rather die than forgive someone that has offended them? That is how strongly passionate feelings run on the issue and that is understandable as some people are really crusty and do know how to push our buttons! My dear mother would say it is as if such persons were placed on earth for no other reason but to really push us to the limits, yet in the face of such provocation and unwarranted hurt, we are called upon to forgive.
It is my conviction that the person who withholds forgiveness from another has no right to seek forgiveness from God. In the first verse of our reference text we clearly see that our right to ask God for forgiveness is in direct proportion to the forgiveness we extend to others. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors basically says, “Please extend to me the same forgiveness that I have extended to those that has wronged me.” If we look at this understanding in reverse, we clearly see that we cannot expect forgiveness for our transgressions if we cannot forgive those that has transgressed against us. There is no getting around that fact. Jesus declared, “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.” That is pretty clear to me and really requires no additional explanation. We forgive others because we ourselves are in need of forgiveness and one is fully conditional upon the other! How is that for an eye-opener?
My favorite disciple Peter – I love his spunk and his vulnerability - came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” to which Jesus replied, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:21,22). In the ensuing verses Jesus used a parable to demonstrate the principle that having being forgiven of many things by God, we ought to extend equal and unconditional forgiveness to those who have done us wrong. It is extremely important to note that God does take action against those who having received forgiveness, fail to give true and sincere forgiveness from the heart in return (Matt. 18: 34-35).
Contrary to what some would have us think or believe, it is important to realize that it is our individual self that benefits when we extend forgiveness. Not only is there the spiritual dimension and how it affects our relationship with God, but also there is a physical dimension and how that affects our well-being. Science has already proven that feelings of harted, hurt, etc., cause a diminishing of our physical being resulting in diseases and self-anguish. In other words, withholding forgiveness is unhealthy and can result in sickness! Now, how is that for another eye-opener? From this point of view, it becomes evident also that the act of extending forgiveness is not a sanctimonious act we put on to do someone else a favor. It is something that we do that brings us into a right relationship with God and also cleanses our body of the negative and poisonous junk that saps our emotional and mental energy.
As you read this article, you may be wrestling with forgiving someone that may have really offended you. You feel justified in holding on to what you feel because you have been done much harm. That is understandable and our Heavenly Father understands your pain and your hurt. Even so, He invites you to release that negative emotion and allow the Holy Spirit to ease you into His peace. Realize that the offender is not hindered by your unwillingness to forgive. Rather it is you that is being hindered, and you that have placed yourself in the position where you cannot ask God for forgiveness because you have not extended that to another. In and of yourself you cannot do it. Sure there are wounds from the verbal, physical, and emotional abuse in as much as there are scars from having your heart broken, your feelings betrayed, and your trust abused. I invite you to give it all to Jesus and allow Him to forgive your disobedience and grant you the peace and freedom to give to others the same forgiveness that He has given unto you. It may be extremely difficult but I have news for you; it’s worth it.
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