Terry’s Take… April Week 1: Forgiveness
Image by Klára Hlaváčová from Pixabay
As Spring nears we begin to see the stirrings of new life. My tulip bulbs are about 2 inches through the topsoil now…and I hear birds chirping in the morning. I like the Season of “fresh starts.” In our relationships, there is no better way to start anew than to forgive. This month we will look at what the Bible teaches about forgiveness and offer ways we can incorporate forgiveness in our lives.
The definition of forgiveness is basically the act of pardoning an offender. In the Bible, the Greek word translated “forgiveness” literally means “to let go” as when a person does not demand payment for a debt. Jesus used this comparison in his parable of the unmerciful slave (Matthew 18:23-35) as well as when he taught his followers to pray “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is in debt to us” (Luke 11:4).
The Bible teaches that unselfish love is the basis for true forgiveness, since “it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5). Forgiving others means letting go of resentment and giving up any claim to be compensated for the hurt or loss we have suffered.
What IS true forgiveness?
Forgiveness is at the very heart of the gospel. Colossians 3:13 states, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” We were born sinners against God, but He loved us enough to send Christ, His Son to die for us.
In the same way, we are commanded to forgive those who do wrong to us, not just those who are asking for forgiveness, or those who are first-time offenders or whose wrongs seem forgivable. Jesus famously told Peter in Matthew 18 to forgive someone “seventy times seven” times and he makes the sobering statement that if we do not forgive others, our Father in Heaven will not forgive us (Matthew 6:15).
First and foremost, forgiving others is obedience, however, we also need to forgive others so that we don’t grow bitter. Resentment is a very unhealthy emotion; it hurts us far more than those who have affronted us or anyone else.
The Bible states this in Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it, many become defiled.” As we release unforgiveness and all the bitterness and anger that comes with it, we are freed to live and serve with real peace and joy and to grow in spiritual maturity.
Next week we will look at what true Forgiveness is NOT.