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Doug Cryer –
Importance of Forgiveness
At the end of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says:
“For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.” Matthew 6:14,15
Without forgiveness, we cannot receive the full benefit of the grace and love of God.
Forgiveness has two purposes:
Forgiveness helps us to live at peace within ourselves.
Forgiveness is part of God’s plan to reconcile the world to him.
Misunderstandings
Clarifying some misunderstandings regarding Forgiveness
To forgive is not to forget.
To forgive is not to excuse.
To forgive is not to ignore.
To forgive is not necessarily to extend unconditional trust.
So what is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness is remembering the wrongs committed against us without having malice so that we can live at peace within ourselves and so that we can keep in God’s plan of reconciling others to Him.
Matthew 18:10–35
continue
a.Matthew 18:10 – 14
Parable of the Lost Sheep
b.Matthew 18:15 – 22
Restoring Christian Relationships
c.Matthew 18:23 – 25
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave
Forgiveness
Forgiveness means to release anger.
The overriding emphasis forgiveness receives in Scripture makes it one of the most important concepts in Christianity.
Reminder of what Jesus has said: “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.” (Matthew 6:14,15)
True Forgiveness
Forgiveness is letting go of my malice and my right to retaliate and letting go of my right to hang on to the emotional consequences of the hurt.
Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)
So, in choosing mercy we give a gift of forgiveness. We set free the one who has wronged us. We give them a gift they do not deserve.