Do you forgive easily?

[Know Jah]

Forgiveness is a facet of Gods love and if we don't forgive we hurting ourselves because God won't forgive us. Matthew 6:14,15

[Starise]

6 hours ago, Who me said:

Yes you are correct, what I wrote is judgemental.

It is judgemental because you write one thing and talk about doing something Jesus never did.

 

Let's be clear. Jesus/God only forgave those who repented.

There are different contexts for forgiveness. There is the way God forgave us and the way we forgive others. God never fails, yet at times we do fail.

My descriptions were admissions of my occasional failures, and for the record, I never said I don't forgive people. I said it takes me awhile sometimes. In fact, I said I'm usually ok in a short time. This would be far different than the Lord who forgave all of us even before we were born. The gift is there, but not everyone accepts it.

Repentence has been taken out of context here. As men, we are to forgive others even if the aggressor does not repent. Otherwise it knaws at us and does us more harm not to do so.

Jesus forgave all of us who accept. We can either repent of our sins or refuse and pay the penalty. Interelational things between people generally only yield either a good or a poor relationship partially based on a willingness to forgive. With people it needs to go both ways to be ideal.

In the case of our relationship to Jesus, forgiveness only goes one way, and yes we repent, which I think goes without saying.

The opening thread title was "Do You Foregive Easily ?". I didn't think in that context it had anything to do with Jesus other than how we are to reflect Him in our actions, but show me one person who ever did that consistently.

 

[Debp]

7 hours ago, FJK said:

When Jesus said from the cross “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” was he only calling the Fathers forgiveness for those who were repenting at the time or was he asking forgives for all those involved in crucifying him?

If they did not know what they were doing, why would they be repenting?

Also, was calling the Father's somehow not the result of his own forgiveness of them?

I think these are important questions to consider.

 

6 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Perhaps clearer is that Jesus did look out at all that were there  mocking him even as they tried to kill him by crucifixion, and He did say to his Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.

 

The above are excellent points.

Also, since unforgiveness, like any other sin,  breaks our fellowship with God, Christians should want to restore the fellowship.   To have fellowship with God, peace in our hearts and minds is worth more than anything else.

Also, thinking about the Fruits of the Spirit, a spirit of unforgiveness hinders regarding those.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22-25

[Who me]

21 hours ago, FJK said:

Just curious:  When Jesus said from the cross “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” was he only calling the Fathers forgiveness for those who were repenting at the time or was he asking forgives for all those involved in crucifying him?

If they did not know what they were doing, why would they be repenting?

Also, was calling the Father's somehow not the result of his own forgiveness of them?

I think these are important questions to consider.

These are very good questions that are rarely address.

Personally  I think he was praying for the men actually nailing  him to the cross.

They were just doing another job, so in praying for these mens ignorance he was showing us how to handle the results of persecution.  

God in his mercy could challenge those men so they could investigate the background to this latest job and find out the truth.

Was  Jesus praying an indication of his own forgiveness?  No I think it shows his compassion  for them and his willingness  to forgive.

 

Without repentance there cannot be forgiveness. 

[Who me]

20 hours ago, Neighbor said:

He further declared, no one takes my life, I give it willingly

From the plot of 'Les Miss' the hero having been released is struggling to survive, a priest gives him shelter and he steals silver candle sticks from him. He is caught and brought back to the priest who tells him and the police, 'I gave that silver to him, but you left so quickly that you left some silver behind'.

Did Jean Paul John, the hero, steal from the priest or was he given the silver?

 

Jesus gave his life, but it was also illegally  taken from him.

That Jesus was willing to do this is to our benefit.

[Who me]

15 hours ago, Starise said:

Repentence has been taken out of context here

Repentance is always the context.

Luke17:If your brother or sister[a] 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.”

Jesus taught that repentance is the precursor  to forgiveness.

[Neighbor]

3 hours ago, Who me said:

From the plot of 'Les Miss' the hero having been released is struggling to survive, a priest gives him shelter and he steals silver candle sticks from him. He is caught and brought back to the priest who tells him and the police, 'I gave that silver to him, but you left so quickly that you left some silver behind'.

Did Jean Paul John, the hero, steal from the priest or was he given the silver?

 

Jesus gave his life, but it was also illegally  taken from him.

That Jesus was willing to do this is to our benefit.

Hi, I think we have differing understanding on that one. No one takes Yeshua's life. That is what He declared.

He prepared Himself for the agony of taking on my sin and He gave His life in the flesh of humanity shedding his blood, a covering for me that has washed me white as snow, that I may be seen as pure before His Father and Himself and the Holy Spirit. He provided forgiveness at great price to Him for me personally.

Having just turned 80 I have found myself in review of my own life's adventures. In that review I have seen a few situations where I had not actively forgiven hurts that others may have applied to me. I didn't continue to carry a grudge, but I had not really  actively said in my own mind well that's all right it was a time past and has had no consequence that my Lord Has not used for good for me, and hopefully for my adversaries too. 

One such situation cost 2.1 million dollars and five years of my time. Another cost over $750,000. Both had very a significant effect on my life, but God used both adverse situations, to my eternal benefit.

Now I do hope those events were also somehow used  to the eternal benefit of those that were my adversaries too. God is awesome.  He has taken it all on Himself at the cross  at Calvary.

[Who me]

On 11/4/2023 at 11:22 AM, Neighbor said:

. I didn't continue to carry a grudge,

No one who follows Jesus's  example carries a grudge.

He prayed for the good of he crucifixes, we if we follow Jesus's  teaching and example will do the same.

[Neighbor]

4 hours ago, Who me said:

No one who follows Jesus's  example carries a grudge.

He prayed for the good of he crucifixes, we if we follow Jesus's  teaching and example will do the same.

..."Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,' says the Lord."....

[Starise]

On 11/4/2023 at 4:24 AM, Who me said:

Repentance is always the context.

Luke17:If your brother or sister[a] 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.”

Jesus taught that repentance is the precursor  to forgiveness.

Ok so if they don't repent we don't forgive? Is that it in a nutshell?

This goes against Jesus' later teachings does it not? What about parents whose children die at the hands of a murderer, who when he is caught and led to jail after court he sneers at the parents?  Are you suggesting the parents should harbor unforegiveness for life?