It’s Time to Forgive
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Mt. 6:14-15
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37
It’s time to forgive, my friend. I don’t know who you are, but you know who you are. I feel so deeply compelled to write this to you. You’ve been holding onto this for a long time, haven’t you? The hurt. The pain. The anger. The bitterness. The resentment. The convincing yourself you don’t need to forgive. Or that you already have. But you haven’t, have you? And you need to, don’t you? But why? Why should you forgive?
I will tell you what the world will tell you, and perhaps already has. The world which revolves around self, the world which revolves around sin, the world which revolves around psychology and science and medicine and such. The world will tell you to forgive because you will feel better. Because you will be set free from the prison you’re in. Because you will have closure and resolution. Because then you can move on. Because you’ll be healthier in your body. And all sorts of things. Perhaps this is all true, but let’s go to the Bible together, shall we?
Forgiveness is an act of obedience to the Lord who commands us to love and to forgive. Period. End of conversation.
I used to try to forgive people because I was told it would be better for myself. Yes, self.
Now I forgive people because I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, my life is His, I live by the Spirit of God according to the Word of God for the glory of God. I forgive because He tells me to. I used to TRY to forgive. Now I DO forgive. I couldn’t forgive in my own strength. I forgive in His strength with His love for His sake. Am I blessed as a result? Absolutely. I need to forgive in order to be forgiven. I do feel healthier when I forgive. I feel clean and free when I forgive. But none of this, in my estimate, is the point.
The point is this. When we call Jesus Christ Lord, and believe He died on the cross and was raised from the dead, and we desire forgiveness and an everlasting relationship with the Lord, we need to live in submission to the lordship, to the reign, to the sovereignty, of the Lord. When He tells us to do something, including to love and to forgive, our response should be plain and clear.
Yes, Lord, I will forgive. And, should we need the love and strength to do so, we can ask Him for exactly this. He will give us the ability to do what He commands us to do.
I don’t know who it is you need to forgive, but please do. For the sake of the Lord. In obedience to Him. For His glory alone!