Forgive and forget

[Ddavid from NC]

Forgiveness is the ultimate act of love. It is a gift you give someone that doesn't deserve it. You are promising that I will never bring it up unless you want to discuss it. I will not use this as leverage against you at a future time. I will suppress any negative feeling I have against you. I will do everything in my power to restore the relationship as far as my efforts are concerned to the status it once was. I will pray for you and not agianst you. I will not damage your reputation with repeating this event to other parties. It is my goft to you, because I have been given the same gift.

[tsth]

Forgiveness is the ultimate act of love. It is a gift you give someone that doesn't deserve it. You are promising that I will never bring it up unless you want to discuss it. I will not use this as leverage against you at a future time. I will suppress any negative feeling I have against you. I will do everything in my power to restore the relationship as far as my efforts are concerned to the status it once was. I will pray for you and not agianst you. I will not damage your reputation with repeating this event to other parties. It is my goft to you, because I have been given the same gift.

I'm curious though, does the gift apply, if you didn't ask for it? I mean, do the concepts remain the same? Jesus offers forgiveness for ALL, but not all want it. Is it the same with us? What if someone doesn't want it? Something to consider.

Think about Joseph. If you notice in the story, when he reached the status that he did, he could have sent for his family at any time! He didn't, in fact, he purposely put them out of his mind for a time. But, he was prepared to forgive, when the time came.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[jackie d]

I'm curious though, does the gift apply, if you didn't ask for it? I mean, do the concepts remain the same? Jesus offers forgiveness for ALL, but not all want it. Is it the same with us? What if someone doesn't want it? Something to consider.

I guess that would be on them...I don't imagine that our forgiveness toward them would be null and void in the eyes of God just because the other party isn't willing to accept the forgiveness or doesn't want to be forgiven.

[Ddavid from NC]

I'm curious though, does the gift apply, if you didn't ask for it? I mean, do the concepts remain the same? Jesus offers forgiveness for ALL, but not all want it. Is it the same with us? What if someone doesn't want it? Something to consider.

I guess that would be on them...I don't imagine that our forgiveness toward them would be null and void in the eyes of God just because the other party isn't willing to accept the forgiveness or doesn't want to be forgiven.

"Father forgive them, they know not what they do"...Forgiveness is your responsibility, if they don't receive it, its their issue

[Grace1479]

I know from experience that it's not easy at all to forgive, but if you really rely on the Holy Spirit to see you through, eventually the forgiveness comes. I didn't know how to forgive, but I asked my father to help me, for I don't want to forgive, but I trust that He will help me to want to. Faithfull as He is, He really helped me up to a stage where I could say, Father help me to forgive and forget. With sincere forgiveness, I think you can forget the pain, not the action. But you don't keep the action against that person anymore.

I've learned that to forgive sets me free. And unfortunately, Satan comes to me time and again to bring up the past, but I tell him straight that I forgave an it can't hurt me anymore, for I've put it at the Throne of grace.

God is so extremely faithful if we ask Him to help us, as I said even if you feel you don't want to, but need to.

Love

Grace

[Ddavid from NC]

I know from experience that it's not easy at all to forgive, but if you really rely on the Holy Spirit to see you through, eventually the forgiveness comes. I didn't know how to forgive, but I asked my father to help me, for I don't want to forgive, but I trust that He will help me to want to. Faithfull as He is, He really helped me up to a stage where I could say, Father help me to forgive and forget. With sincere forgiveness, I think you can forget the pain, not the action. But you don't keep the action against that person anymore.

I've learned that to forgive sets me free. And unfortunately, Satan comes to me time and again to bring up the past, but I tell him straight that I forgave an it can't hurt me anymore, for I've put it at the Throne of grace.

God is so extremely faithful if we ask Him to help us, as I said even if you feel you don't want to, but need to.

Love

Grace

I would add it frees you, but it also frees them to receive ministry from you

[Grace1479]

I know from experience that it's not easy at all to forgive, but if you really rely on the Holy Spirit to see you through, eventually the forgiveness comes. I didn't know how to forgive, but I asked my father to help me, for I don't want to forgive, but I trust that He will help me to want to. Faithfull as He is, He really helped me up to a stage where I could say, Father help me to forgive and forget. With sincere forgiveness, I think you can forget the pain, not the action. But you don't keep the action against that person anymore.

I've learned that to forgive sets me free. And unfortunately, Satan comes to me time and again to bring up the past, but I tell him straight that I forgave an it can't hurt me anymore, for I've put it at the Throne of grace.

God is so extremely faithful if we ask Him to help us, as I said even if you feel you don't want to, but need to.

Love

Grace

I would add it frees you, but it also frees them to receive ministry from you

Unfortunately, some of the people I had to forgive passed away before I could do that, but I still forgave them, because I need to be set free. Others, well, they didn't want to accept it, but I gave that over in God's Hands.

[Physicsfreak]

Forgiveness is the most basic concept of Christianity, but we seem to have the most shallow understanding of what it really is. Somewhere down the road someone began to confuse forgiveness with forgetting. In fact, the biggest stumbling block to forgiveness in relationships is people waiting for the pain of offense to subside before they forgive someone else. People bringing up the past in later conflicts proving they never forgave it, but they say I can never forget it, but you told them you forgave it. So what is the connection between forgiveing and forgetting. Is forgiveness amnesia or the discipline to never use it against someone?

God didn't forgot the disobidiance (*is that correct?) of the people of Moses. Actualy, he made them walk for 40 years in a desert.

Jesus had forgiven Peter (apostel) already when he saw Peter after His death and resurrection ask at the lakeside, where He did remembered Peter about something (three time denial)

Just two things that came to my mind when reading this...

[psalmone]

When the due parties are duely contrite, it can so satisfy the offence that there may be no recollection of the offence. When this happens it is most pleasant, with a genuine experience to the offence forgotten, overtaken by the 'joy' of reconciliation.

Edited January 29, 2008 by psalmone

[Guest Biblicist]

Forgiveness is the most basic concept of Christianity, but we seem to have the most shallow understanding of what it really is. Somewhere down the road someone began to confuse forgiveness with forgetting. In fact, the biggest stumbling block to forgiveness in relationships is people waiting for the pain of offense to subside before they forgive someone else. People bringing up the past in later conflicts proving they never forgave it, but they say I can never forget it, but you told them you forgave it. So what is the connection between forgiveing and forgetting. Is forgiveness amnesia or the discipline to never use it against someone?

God didn't forgot the disobidiance (*is that correct?) of the people of Moses. Actualy, he made them walk for 40 years in a desert.

Jesus had forgiven Peter (apostel) already when he saw Peter after His death and resurrection ask at the lakeside, where He did remembered Peter about something (three time denial)

Just two things that came to my mind when reading this...

Lets not forget that God's forgiveness is perfect, and when he says he "remembers not" he does not. And when he judges a nation it's perfect judgement and his punishment is exactly what was needed to draw those he loves back to himself.