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Forgiveness

flexmdflexmd
edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
I just wanted to post this and see if we all might have an interesting discussion….

1. What is forgiveness? Is forgiveness a conscious choice?
2. What are the benefits of forgiving?
3. Is there any limit to our willingness to forgive others?
4. Is there anywhere in the bible where it seems an act was unforgiven?

Comments

  • jydeaconjydeacon
    Great topic, people generally don't talk about actual forgiveness so this is great really.
    1. Forgiveness is where you have let go something someone has done to you and i do believe it is a conscious choice, its when you treat others as if they did nothing to you and as if "forget" they've done anything to you. Forgiveness is more than merely just accepting someones apology. Its forgiving them even when they have not apologized and treating them the exact same way as if nothing has even happened between the parties. Its good to be quick to forgive and just let things go because when you don't and you hold grudges, it leaves "scares" that are hard to fix. You feel resentment towards this person(s) and you eventually can't get along with them. Forgiveness is a necessity to live with others. All make mistakes and all fall short of the Glory of God.

    2. There are many benefits to forgiving. Staying in touch with people, more patience on your part, clear conscious. By forgiving, you yourself are forgiven! Or what we say in every prayer is meaningless? "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Are we hypocrites to expect God to forgive us if we can't find the mercy in our hearts to forgive others and look past their mistakes? For sure this would be a mistake on our parts to think that. The benefit is for us and for the other person as well. You've shown mercy on the recipient and in turn he/she will remember this mercy and dispense it on others when the chance comes. As I've said before, by us forgiving we gain forgiveness.

    3. There should never be a limit or an unwillingness to forgive others, because the minute we stop forgiving and showing mercy, we lose the mercy of God ourselves. Simple as that.

    4. The only thing that is unforgivable is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Which means basically you have stopped letting Him work in your life till you die and then have lost the opportunity to repent, confess etc..

    God Bless and Pray for me and my weakness
  • MeeMzMeeMz
                                                                                +

    I agree with "ΙΙδιακον" and just add one more thing... In the Lord's Prayer, when we say Our Father... we say "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Therefore, the second we stop or can't forgive someone, we can't ourselves ask for forgiveness.

    God Bless
  • rpmrpm
    A wonderful topic, something that we and the whole world needs more of.

    Unfortunately, in practical day-to-day life, we find ourselves less inclined to forgive and more inclined to keep account of rights and wrongs. Some factors that hinder our ability to forgive, that I can think of -

    Reactionary - We justify our acts as being a response to others' wrong acts. Even trivial arguments at home start this way and affects our subsequent response.

    Arrogance or a lack of humility causes us to take the moral high ground and justify non-forgiveness by "teaching the other party a lesson". We sometimes get an entitlement complex and start to expect that we should be given priority over others

    Self-pity makes us to think of ourselves as the aggrieved party, causing us to withdraw into our shell and sulk privately, while harboring grudge inwardly, often for long periods of time.

    Poor understanding of His Love and Sacrifice - Our failure to remember Him on the cross, as He prayed for His tormentors after being whipped, spat at, publicly humiliated and hung on the cross like a criminal - all for the sake of us sinners.

    Fear of getting hurt again - One bad experience with someone causes us to be wary of that person, forgetting that he also has human flaws.

    Hypocrisy & double standards - the feeling that we deserve a 2nd, 3rd & a 4th chance for our failures while being extremely exacting when dealing with others' flaws.

                I believe we ought to take the initiative, confess, seek repentance and forgive past wrongs, regardless of reciprocation from the other side - thereby glorifying God and His grace.

    God bless,
    r

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