Forgiveness

July 26, 2018

Anyone who has ever been in any type of relationship has had to forgive the other person ! The problem is why and do we really forgive ?  When we get saved ALL of our sins (past, present, and future) are forgiven !  When your spouse hurts you and then you forgive them .... do you ever mention it in the NEXT fight ? Is that forgiveness ?  This "Key" is so critical to biblical love that without forgiveness we would not have eternal life, any human long term relationships, no long term working relationships, no family relationships, etc. In fact, without forgiveness I believe society as we know it would cease to exist !!!

"For which is easier to say "your sins are forgiven you" or to say "Arise and walk"" ? (Matthew 9:5)  In this verse Jesus is equating the healing of the body to the healing of the soul !  We also see that Jesus says  "which is easier" leading them to believe that just saying the words "You are forgiven" is much easier than actually healing someone. BUT is it ? Jesus could speak health to the man but He had to die to forgive him !  Think about that. Forgiveness was and is so important to Jesus that He
was willing to suffer and die for you to be forgiven !  Is forgiving your spouse that important to you ?

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them ; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." ( John 20:23 )  WHAAAAT !!!  Is Jesus saying here that we have the power to forgive sins ?  Absolutely not !  What Jesus is telling the Apostles as they prepare to go out on their own is this : You now understand the truth and forgiveness, If based on their response to the Gospel they repent then you can know they are forgiven. If, on the other hand they do not repent, then you will know that they are not forgiven and are not saved. Jesus is not telling them to judge but He is telling them to look at their fruit once they have received the Gospel. This is exactly what we are to do ... be fruit inspectors.

" John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4)  We can see here that baptism does NOT lead to the forgiveness of sins, but is only an outward sign of repentance that has already happened in the heart !  This is a real problem for many people who think that because they have been baptized they are going to heaven. Nothing could be further from the truth ! Forgiveness comes from repentance. Repentance is a conscience decision to turn away from sin and towards God !  THAT leads to forgiveness. The same is true in our relationships. Forgiveness should only be granted when the offender has turned away from hurtful behavior and towards mending the relationship !!

There are many verses in the bible that talk about the connection between forgiveness and relationship and love !  I believe we all know the importance of forgiveness, I do not believe we all understand the consequences of forgiveness or NOT forgiving. When we get saved ... only God knows the condition and intention of our heart and therefor He is the only one able to decide if we are sheep or goats !  When we forgive each other we do not know the condition of the other person's heart. That is why Jesus says we are to forgive our brother 70 times 7. This is not a math problem we are to keep track of, it is a picture that when our brother asks ... we are to forgive. No matter what !  Unless we know for sure that their heart is not right. Remember : Do not judge....but inspect the fruit closely.