Forgiving As You Are Forgiven - Evangelical Caucus/Devotional

Gracetoyou.org ^ | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. . . . For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matt. 6:12, 14-15).

An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms.

It's possible to confess your sins and still not know the joy of forgiveness. How? Failure to forgive others! Christian educator J. Oswald Sanders observed that Jesus measures us by the yardstick we use on others. He didn't say, "Forgive us because we forgive others," but "Forgive us even as we have forgiven others."

An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms because we are the forgiven ones! Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." God forgave us an immeasurable debt, saving us from the horrors of eternal hell. That should be motivation enough to forgive any offense against us, yet some Christians still hold grudges.

Here are three practical steps to dealing with the sin of unforgiveness. First, confess it and ask the Lord to help you mend the relationship in question. Second, go to the person, ask for forgiveness, and seek reconciliation. You might discover that he or she wasn't even aware of the offense. Third, give the person something you highly value. This is a very practical approach based on our Lord's teaching that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:21). Whenever I've given a book or other gift to someone who has wronged me, I've felt a great sense of liberty in my spirit. In addition, my joy is compounded because I feel the joy of giving as well as the joy of forgiving.

Don't ever let a grudge stand between you and another person. It will rob you of the full joy of God's forgiveness.

Suggestions for Prayer

-Before praying, examine your heart. If you harbor bitterness toward another person, follow the procedure given above. Then pray, thanking the Lord for the joy of reconciliation.

For Further Study

-Read the parable of the servant in Matthew 18:21-35.

-What question prompted the parable?

-How did the king respond to his servant's pleading?

-What did the servant do later on? Why was that wrong?

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TOPICS: Evangelical Christian; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: gty

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[bunkerhill7]

wrong wrong...wrong..in confession you have to say you are SORRY in the Act of Contrition. Who wrote this nonsense?

[imardmd1]

Obe of the most interesting activity is to read through Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, with a view toward discerning what the roles of the three principal characters represent, and what the lessons are that the reader may learn from, what true forgiveness means, and how it or the lack of it means to each of the protagonists,

[trebb]

“wrong wrong...wrong..in confession you have to say you are SORRY in the Act of Contrition. Who wrote this nonsense?”

Doesn’t matter - no priest can absolve you of your sins regardless of how you word it. In your heart, you should have regret for not being able to be less sinful - “Blessed are the poor in spirit....” refers to those who realize that they are, and will remain sinful, and, in that realization, they regret that their earthly natures keep them from even being 100% willing to be who/what they think God wants them to be - He forgave us all our sins because we were/are incapable of being/acting sin-free....all we have to do is realize it, tell Him, in our thoughts, and express regret and ask Him to be our Savior. Don’t even need a priest for any “formal” act of contrition...

[Z28.310]

“Forgive me as (in the same way & to the same degree) I forgive others”

REALLY NOW!
Does anyone truly want THAT?

Nobody wants that. We want to be forgiven perfectly, not like how we imperfectly forgive others.

When considered in light of this problem we realize how broken we actually are, because we humans have a difficult time with true forgiveness.

How does God forgive?
“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psa 103:12

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
Isa 43:25

We say “oh, I forgave that person”. Great!
Yet how often do bring up their sin again and again.
Do we bring it up to them?
Do we bring it up to others?
Do we bring it up to ourselves as we continue ruminating over the matter?
If so, then the matter is not really forgiven.

And THERE’S the proof of how imperfectly we forgive.

So again...Do we REALLY want to be forgiven by God in the same we we forgive others, or is this plea a call to humility before God, maybe compelling us to cry out “God please forgive me fully despite my difficulty in forgiving others and help me, lead me and teach me how to fully forgive others, as You forgive me. I long for Your perfect forgiveness as You long for me to perfectly forgive others, yet I cannot do this without you. And in this predicament I see that even in my failure to perfectly forgive others, I again sin against You.”

As Paul wrote “Wretched man I!”
Rom 7:14-25 (esp v24)

...then a plea
Only God can rescue me from my flesh nature.

Therein begins the humility and brokenness before He Who loves us.

Forgiveness is releasing someone from the debt, or obligation they owe us, when they harmed us.

Who pays that debt?
The one who was harmed!

God paid our debt, though our sin harmed Him.
We were unable to repay that debt.

So it is with us.
The one who was harmed pays the debt.
This is forgiveness.

[metmom]

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[BipolarBob]

The act of forgiveness here is referring to the person wronged NOT the person doing the wrong. The person doing the wrong may or may not have repented and if he/she hasn’t God knows that.

[BipolarBob]

For example metmom may forgive you for disturbing the spirit of this thread but you have to repent for God to forgive you. Is that clear?

[metmom]

Excellent insight.

[ShadowAce]

This is an Evangelical caucus thread.

And if you cannot see the acts/process indicates that you are sorry, then you need to have your eyes opened.

[ealgeone]

wrong wrong...wrong..in confession you have to say you are SORRY in the Act of Contrition. Who wrote this nonsense?

*****

For those who didn't read the post.

"Second, go to the person, ask for forgiveness, and seek reconciliation."