God's Forgiveness

[Daily verse and quote]

“Get along with each other, and forgive each other.

If someone does wrong to you,

forgive that person because the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:13

 

I understand that forgiving someone who horribly wronged you is not easy,

especially if they are not even sorry for what they did.

But Jesus makes it clear that you have no real option.

You MUST forgive if you want God's forgiveness.

Anon.

Naturally, God Speaks

[Who me]

God's forgiveness is dependent on our repentance.

 

The repeated insistance on forgiveness is due to even when there is repentance our unwillingness to let go of our feeling of being The victim.

[Riverwalker]

So Question.

What does forgiveness mean?

Does it mean pretending the offense never happened and restoring the relationship with a possibly abusive person who is likely to take another bite out of you in the future?

Or is it the forgoing of your right to see justice done to that person and giving it to God?

I have talked to a lot of people who have had someone who was abusive in their life, who struggle with this. Thinking that forgiveness means you are making the harm done -okay, like it never happened. They struggle because it did happen, it had a profound effect on them and they can't shake it loose. And they certainly do not want to let that person back into their life.

But if forgiveness is simply giving them over to God to deal with, whether to show mercy or to judge, and moving on without that anchor of unforgiveness holding you back. Then that is something much easier for them to do.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Riverwalker

[Marathoner]

7 minutes ago, Riverwalker said:

So Question.

What does forgiveness mean?

Does it mean pretending the offense never happened and restoring the relationship with a possibly abusive person who is likely to take another bite out of you in the future?

Or is it the forgoing of your right to see justice done to that person and giving it to God?

I have talked to a lot of people who have had someone who was abusive in their life, who struggle with this. Thinking that forgiveness means you are making the harm done -okay, like it never happened. They struggle because it did happen, it had a profound effect on them and they can't shake it loose. And they certainly do not want to let that person back into their life.

But if forgiveness is simply giving them over to God to deal with, whether to show mercy or to judge, and moving on without that anchor of unforgiveness holding you back. Then that is something much easier for them to do.

Forgiveness means mercy, my friend. Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13) and love, which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4), is the cornerstone of forgiveness. As @Daily verse and quote shared in the OP, the apostle reinforces that commandment we have received from the Lord, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our neighbor includes our enemy (Matthew 5) so as I have written previously, the Lord makes no distinction regarding our neighbor... only that we regard our neighbor as ourselves. 

Forgive as the Lord has forgiven us (Colossians 3:13). The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) is the foundation of the apostle's exhortation. The Lord has forgiven me of much and so it's my honor to forgive my neighbor of their trespass, even if they trespass "seventy times seven." 

Men are fond of black-and-white absolutes so what does forgiveness look like in daily life? At its heart we say to the Lord, "I do not hold anything against this one nor will I speak against them, Lord. Forgive them, for they know not what they do." Stephen asked the Lord to forgive the ones who were stoning him to the death in the book of Acts, another example of what forgiveness looks like here on earth. 

Does this mean we persevere as the victim of the trespasser? Not always. There are times when it's wise for us to remove ourselves so they will be denied their stone of offense. I do know this: we are not to pray curses or judgment upon anyone lest we become partakers of the judgment. Pray for their sake and ask the Lord to forgive those who spitefully use us.  

[Riverwalker]

23 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

Pray for their sake and ask the Lord to forgive those who spitefully use us.

The Lord will forgive them if they repent.

everything they have done is between  them and God

 

Forgive as Jesus forgives? Jesus forgives the repentant, and judges the rebellious

Our job is to forgive all who have sinned against us as we too have sinned and seek forgiveness for God.

I forgave the guy who killed my 1st wife that very same day simply because I knew the hate would destroy me. I would not however invite him over to dinner. 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Riverwalker

[Marathoner]

21 minutes ago, Riverwalker said:

The Lord will forgive them if they repent.

everything they have done is between  them and God

 

Forgive as Jesus forgives? Jesus forgives the repentance, and judges the rebellious

Our job is to forgive all who have sinned against us as we too have sinned and seek forgiveness for God.

I forgave the guy who killed my 1st wife that very same day simply because I knew the hate would destroy me. I would not however invite him over to dinner. 

We are to keep our eyes and heart fixated upon the Lord and not ourselves, much like the Israelites in the wilderness when the Lord sent venomous serpents into their midst.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a flag pole; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on the flag pole; and it came about, that if a serpent bit someone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9 NASB)

We know that the bronze serpent on the pole was a foreshadowing of Christ; "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40 NASB) 

We are not the judge of whom God has mercy upon, friend. You stipulate who the Lord forgives and who He won't, but who are we to judge the Lord? Indeed, God does as He pleases and answers to no man. 

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? Far from it! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. (Romans 9:14-18 NASB)

Edited March 15, 2021 by Marathoner

[Daily verse and quote]

1 hour ago, Riverwalker said:

So Question.

What does forgiveness mean?

Does it mean pretending the offense never happened and restoring the relationship with a possibly abusive person who is likely to take another bite out of you in the future?

Or is it the forgoing of your right to see justice done to that person and giving it to God?

I have talked to a lot of people who have had someone who was abusive in their life, who struggle with this. Thinking that forgiveness means you are making the harm done -okay, like it never happened. They struggle because it did happen, it had a profound effect on them and they can't shake it loose. And they certainly do not want to let that person back into their life.

But if forgiveness is simply giving them over to God to deal with, whether to show mercy or to judge, and moving on without that anchor of unforgiveness holding you back. Then that is something much easier for them to do.

Your reasoning is biblically sound. Thank you for addressing it in depth.

[Daily verse and quote]

1 hour ago, Riverwalker said:

So Question.

What does forgiveness mean?

Does it mean pretending the offense never happened and restoring the relationship with a possibly abusive person who is likely to take another bite out of you in the future?

Or is it the forgoing of your right to see justice done to that person and giving it to God?

I have talked to a lot of people who have had someone who was abusive in their life, who struggle with this. Thinking that forgiveness means you are making the harm done -okay, like it never happened. They struggle because it did happen, it had a profound effect on them and they can't shake it loose. And they certainly do not want to let that person back into their life.

But if forgiveness is simply giving them over to God to deal with, whether to show mercy or to judge, and moving on without that anchor of unforgiveness holding you back. Then that is something much easier for them to do.

God's forgiveness of our wrongdoings should coincide with our forgiveness of others. Sometimes, that is not very easy. But that's what we are called to do.

[Marathoner]

This is difficult to find on the forum --- after I became a member of Worthy I was silent and spent time digging through pages --- but there is a sister in Christ who was brought to the Lord by an infamous serial killer, a man whom the media dubbed "The Son of Sam." What?

Yes. She started corresponding with this man who will never leave prison, and through their correspondence the man preached the Gospel to her, leading her to Jesus Christ. Never assume who the Lord forgives and whom He will not; it is our place to pray forgiveness for all, even for a serial killer who perpetrated heinous crimes. God has mercy upon whom He has mercy, and shows compassion to whomever He shows compassion.  

[Daily verse and quote]

38 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

Forgiveness means mercy, my friend. Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13) and love, which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4), is the cornerstone of forgiveness. As @Daily verse and quote shared in the OP, the apostle reinforces that commandment we have received from the Lord, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our neighbor includes our enemy (Matthew 5) so as I have written previously, the Lord makes no distinction regarding our neighbor... only that we regard our neighbor as ourselves. 

Forgive as the Lord has forgiven us (Colossians 3:13). The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) is the foundation of the apostle's exhortation. The Lord has forgiven me of much and so it's my honor to forgive my neighbor of their trespass, even if they trespass "seventy times seven." 

Men are fond of black-and-white absolutes so what does forgiveness look like in daily life? At its heart we say to the Lord, "I do not hold anything against this one nor will I speak against them, Lord. Forgive them, for they know not what they do." Stephen asked the Lord to forgive the ones who were stoning him to the death in the book of Acts, another example of what forgiveness looks like here on earth. 

Does this mean we persevere as the victim of the trespasser? Not always. There are times when it's wise for us to remove ourselves so they will be denied their stone of offense. I do know this: we are not to pray curses or judgment upon anyone lest we become partakers of the judgment. Pray for their sake and ask the Lord to forgive those who spitefully use us.  

I believe we have to weigh each situation based on the severity of the outcome. And when we forgive, it should be without reservation. That's what God does for us when we admit our sin(s) and ask for His forgiveness-which He freely does.