Forgiveness
Key Verse:
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted; forgiving one another; even as God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.”
Definition of Forgiveness
Pardon. To give up the wish to punish or retaliate. Not to have hard feelings at or towards.
Forgiveness is a Personality of God
Psalms 103:3 “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thine diseases.”
One of the most important qualities or attributes that God has is his ability to forgive and forget. He created us and He loves us. He longs to fellowship with us. True love breeds forgiveness and forgiveness binds together with love.
Forgiveness is a Promise of God
Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
Matthew 6:14 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
· First, God promises to forgive us of all of our past, present, and future sins when we accept Jesus as our Saviour.
· Secondly, God promises us forgiveness in our daily walk with Christ as we forgive others.
· Thirdly, God promises to forgive our sins and cleanse our conscious mind if we will acknowledge them to God and repent of them.
Forgiveness is a Precept of God (or a command of God)
Colosians 3:13 “Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
God commands us to forgive others. In the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus even commands us to forgive our enemies.
Three areas we are commanded to forgive in:
1. When someone is in error about judgment against us.
2. When someone is doing evil against us.
3. When someone is being an enemy against us.
Forgiveness is a Process of God
Luke 17:4 “And if any trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”
It is God’s will that we are persistent in forgiveness. It needs to be a continual process for us. It is through the continual forgiveness of others that others can see that we belong to God. Many people will come to Christ if they SEE us forgive over and over and over again.
