How are we supposed to forgive?

[Kristin]

I didn’t read through all this. My immediate response is we forgive because we love and are forgiven ourselves. Love is why we forgive. 

Because we are loved by our LORD. 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Kristin
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[Who me]

19 hours ago, Mary8 said:

Jesus was able to forgive those who were hurting Him and they were unrepentant, kept on. 

Luke 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.   35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.   36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,...

Jesus asking his Father to forgive them is not the same as Jesus forgiving them.

In fact Jesus is showing us what we should do when dealing with a serious offence against us. We hand the situation, the offender, our feelings etc over to God for him to deal with it all.

 

Please note I'm not talking about little tiffs or cars being keyed, favourete seats in church being taken etc, but about serious attacks, robbery, unjust firing, situations that leave one asking why me. Where the offender is unknown or unreachable.

Like God we do not have to offer forgivenes to someone who is not sorry for the harm they have caused us.

[Who me]

19 hours ago, Abdicate said:

Yes, so repent and forgive the person so the Father will forgive you. It's that simple.

As a Christian you and I have already been forgiven.

As I peated bring to your attention the passage in Luke which clearly teaches that the offender has to repent.

The whole of the OT is based on the recognition that to get right with God one had to repent. Only then did the worshipper have forgiveness.

That is the unseen background to everything in the NT about forgiveness.

[Mary8]

1 hour ago, Who me said:

Jesus asking his Father to forgive them is not the same as Jesus forgiving them.

In fact Jesus is showing us what we should do when dealing with a serious offence against us. We hand the situation, the offender, our feelings etc over to God for him to deal with it all.

 

Please note I'm not talking about little tiffs or cars being keyed, favourete seats in church being taken etc, but about serious attacks, robbery, unjust firing, situations that leave one asking why me. Where the offender is unknown or unreachable.

Like God we do not have to offer forgivenes to someone who is not sorry for the harm they have caused us.

The Lord asks us to love, bless, forgive, and do good to and pray for those that ill use us.  Do you think He did not forgive those who killed Him?   He did pray for them.

Matthew 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Luke 6:28  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

          As was posted here by another, this Scripture is explicit, does not need our addition or cutting down:

Mark 11:26   But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

[Who me]

luke17:3"If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them."

How did God forgive you?  Were you forgiven before you came to Jesus or forgiven once you repented?

 

How did God deal with the Isrealite in the OT, when they offered a sacrifice for sin were they forgiven because of the sacrifice or because they were sorry about their sins?

Why is the call by the prophets to sinful Israel, 'If my people will turn ( repent) of there wicked ways and pray, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land.'

 

[Who me]

17 hours ago, Abdicate said:

Seemingly contradictory verses only prove a misunderstanding, which you have. If you do not forgive the Father will not forgive you. You can ignore verses like everyone else, but...

Or that you have.

I have given an explanation that accounts for the verse you've quoted not mentioning repentance, that it was natural to the Jews, you however have not accounted for the verse I've mention or for the practise found through out the OT.

 

On the bases of a comprehensive explanation you are the one who is mistaken.

[Who me]

21 hours ago, Mary8 said:

The Lord asks us to love, bless, forgive, and do good to and pray for those that ill use us.  Do you think He did not forgive those who killed Him?   He did pray for them.

Matthew 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Luke 6:28  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

          As was posted here by another, this Scripture is explicit, does not need our addition or cutting down:

Mark 11:26   But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Cutting down scripture. The only people who are cutting down scripture are those who say we must forgive.

Your theology ignores what luke says about the need for repentance, how the whole of the OT deals with the need for repentance and how the NT deals with the need for repentance.

[1to3]

Forgiveness is a major part of our spiritual well being.

Harboring, unforgiveness is deadly, it can bring on sickness, mentally and physically that can lead to death.

Christ Jesus said : forgive them for they know not what they do,

And Christ Jesus also said: if you do not forgive you brother neither will your Father in heaven forgive you.

Why ? because we are all fallen creatures,  we are all counted as filthy rags ( Isaiah64:6,Romansch3:10), it is only through His Grace that we are saved, pardoned, and given a new birth of His Holy Spirit living in us, so to help us work out our own salvation and grow more and more in His spirit and less and less in our flesh nature.

 

When we sense in us anger/fear that is leading to unforgiveness we need to speedily bring our concerns to God, ask Him to show us how to , let go of our fear, our anger and how to forgive. We have God by our side at all times, as our protector, our healer, our teacher, our redeemer/great salvager, He will not leave us or abandoned us, as He is our good shepehrs(John 10:10) and will always give us all the tools we need to equip ourselves to overcome any situation.

A good way to help us forgive is to realize we also are sinners. and pray for the person who you feel hurt by and ask God to work in their hearts so that they also may find Gods plan of Mercy and Grace through Christ Jesus.

The only Grace we have is that by us coming to God, repenting for ourselves and asking God into our hearts, repenting of our own sins and asking Him to forgive them and asking Him to help us to become His new creations by and through Him, molding us step by step into His new creation.

  Of ourselves we are all as wretched as the next person, because we all have a fallen nature in us. It is through Christ Jesus that we become born again of His spirit and seek to live more and more by His Holy Spirit guiding us in all we do.

If you wait for a person to ask for forgiveness , you may wait a very long time and it still may never happen.

But our just duty or should I say our fair part as a christian in our relationship with our Lord and Savior is to be true and faithful to our groom, to our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus and learn from Him, as we are through Him becoming more and more born of His spirit living in us and less and less live by the works of the flesh.    what are the fruits of the spirit versus the works of the flesh? can be found in Galatians ch5.

If loving one another was Christ Jesus Command To us towards others, than forgiveness, enters also into this command. you can't forgive is you don't have Christ's Love working in your heart.

Because in the final analysis, it is always between us and God

Who lifts those heavy weights of the flesh off of us, and brings to us His light and easy yoke that is a fresh, good and a bright new perspective on things.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by 1to3

[Who me]

10 hours ago, 1to3 said:

Forgiveness is a major part of our spiritual well being.

Harboring, unforgiveness is deadly, it can bring on sickness, mentally and physically that can lead to death.

Christ Jesus said : forgive them for they know not what they do,

 

Get it right please. Jesus Prayed to the Father asking him toForgive.

 

If you wait for a person to ask for forgiveness , you may wait a very long time and it still may never happen.

But our just duty or should I say our fair part as a christian in our relationship with our Lord and Savior is to be true and faithful to our groom, to our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus and learn from Him,

If loving one another was Christ Jesus Command To us towards others, than forgiveness, enters also into this command. you can't forgive is you don't have Christ's Love working in your heart.

Because in the final analysis, it is always between us and God

Who lifts those heavy weights of the flesh off of us, and brings to us His light and easy yoke that is a fresh, good and a bright new perspective on things.

Well certainly not those who insist that Christians still reeling from the shock of an attack or from the news of the murder of a loved one etc, must forgive the attacker.

What an awefull load somepeople pile on grieving relatives!
 

10 hours ago, 1to3 said:

 

And again  the biblical teaching that runs right through the bible that there must be repentance before there can be forgiveness is ignored.

 

[nobleseed]

On 7/12/2019 at 10:09 AM, Lee_ said:

Is it supposed to be to all people unconditionally or only to people who repent and ask? The reason I ask is because I might have read in a GotQuestions question and answer that you're only supposed to forgive if someone repents and asks (might not have gotten that right) and it's not supposed to be unconditional and for everyone. Right now though I'm going with unconditional forgiveness and for everyone.

never forgive an antichrist or those who abject evil, do not even pray for such people as john says.  pray for those who wrong u and forgive those who offend u, forgive as your father in heaven forgives u whether they repent or not.