Why do you forgive someone who has sinned against you? Why would you even consider it?
Let's remember what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is releasing someone who has sinned against me their sin debt to me and agreeing to live with the unchangeable consequences of that act. We're talking about sins of significance, not small or petty offences. The small things we're supposed to overlook anyway. Proverbs 19:11 says that it's the glory of a man to overlook an offence. Literally, it's his crowning honor to overlook it. As we begin to mature in Christ, the small stuff should roll off us like water off a duck's back. If small slights or inconveniences really bother us and upset us, we have a pride problem that we need to deal with before the Lord. (See Proverbs 13:10.)
Many of us would immediately think of the command and example of Jesus. He commanded through prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, "forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." And He commanded it through precept in Matthew 18:21-22,35: 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times...So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Remember Jesus on the cross? "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We have command and example.
Let's remember what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is releasing someone who has sinned against me their sin debt to me and agreeing to live with the unchangeable consequences of that act. We're talking about sins of significance, not small or petty offences. The small things we're supposed to overlook anyway. Proverbs 19:11 says that it's the glory of a man to overlook an offence. Literally, it's his crowning honor to overlook it. As we begin to mature in Christ, the small stuff should roll off us like water off a duck's back. If small slights or inconveniences really bother us and upset us, we have a pride problem that we need to deal with before the Lord. (See Proverbs 13:10.)
Many of us would immediately think of the command and example of Jesus. He commanded through prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, "forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." And He commanded it through precept in Matthew 18:21-22,35: 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times...So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Remember Jesus on the cross? "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We have command and example.
Often we hear that we should forgive others because of its benefits to us. And we are benefited when we forgive! We no longer carry the weight of the grudge. Our hearts are clear and unburdened. The root of bitterness that can so easily poison our entire outlook and spill over to other relationships is removed. My vertical relationship with the Father is open and unobstructed. These are all real benefits to granting forgiveness! But are these worthy of being my motive to forgive?
Look again at Jesus' example. Do we really think that He was asking the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him so that He could feel better?! No! Jesus' forgiveness of His martyrers was based on love and was focused on them, not on Himself.
Forgiveness is divine. It's a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit in us, empowering us. Forgiving is an act of the will rather than a simple emotional response. When love for Christ and the love from Christ abounds in our hearts, we can forgive from the heart. The challenge we have in our growth as disciples is to ferret out the motives of our hearts and to submit our hearts and wills to the ongoing work of repentance so that we can become like our Lord Jesus. Offences are opportunities for change and growth if we will respond in Christlikeness rather than react in the flesh.
