"I think if God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than him." C.S. Lewis
"We forgive to the extent that we love." La Rochefoucauld
"It is in pardoning that we are pardoned." St. Francis of Assisi
"If I do not forgive everyone, I shall be untrue to myself." Albert Schweitzer
"Lead us not into the temptation of believing that we have truly forgiven, while rancor lingers." Katherine Zell
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13
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Forgiving people from things which happened in the past is truly one of the hardest things to do.
It takes a lot of prayer, an open heart, and willingness to take the first step.
It's not easy.
Is forgiveness a conscious choice, a physical act involving the will, or is it a feeling, an emotional state of being? The Bible offers insight and answers to these and many more common questions about forgiveness. We'll take a look at the most common questions and find out what the Bible says about forgiveness.
Is forgiveness a conscious choice, or an emotional state?
I believe forgiveness is a choice we make through a decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and his command to forgive.
The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us:
read Colossians 3:13
How do we forgive when we don't feel like it? How do we translate the decision to forgive into a change of heart?
We forgive by faith, out of obedience. Since forgiveness goes against our nature, we must forgive by faith, whether we feel like it or not. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete.
I believe God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. He completes the work in his time. We must continue to forgive (our job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord's job), is done in our hearts.
read Philippians 1:6
How will we know if we have truly forgiven?
We will know the work of forgiveness is complete when we experience the freedom that comes as a result. We are the ones who suffer most when we choose not to forgive. When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger, bitterness, resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us.
Most times, however, forgiveness is a slow process
read Matthew 18:21-22
Pastor Del read a remarkable poem in church two or three Sundays ago.
Anybody remember the name of that poem, and where it is published.
All I remember is the line about "all the ink in the ocean" but it was fairly long.
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men who here refuse to pray,On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Though stretched from sky to sky.
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