Christian Living

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"A Matter of Forgiveness"
353 words
© 2004 Joseph Perrello (Josprel)



A Matter of Forgiveness
by
Josprel

"Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" This question was asked of Jesus by the Apostle Peter. Jesus replied, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven (Mt, 18:21-22). Christ's answer indicates that the Lord places no limits on our need to forgive. We might just as well ask, "How often shall I breath?" We must continuously breathe to survive physically and, to survive spiritually, we must constantly forgive.

God's Word offers no possibility for us to rationalize the matter of forgiveness. Our Savior's prayer for those who crucified Him was, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). He is our pattern for forgiving. We forgive others as He has forgiven us - total, unqualified, and without reservation or resentment against those who may commit an offence against us. It is this characteristic in our walk with God, more than any other, that exhibits the presence of the Spirit of Christ within us.

An out-flowing forgiveness is a barometer of our faith in, and obedience to, the Word of God. The Bible records two imperatives in the relationship of believers toward others.

1. To guarantee the flow of God's forgiveness to us, we must continue the flow of our forgiveness to others. In Matthew 6: 12-14, Jesus taught that the forgiveness we receive from God is conditional to the forgiveness we extend. It is, therefore, imperative that we forgive those who trespass against us, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6: 14-15).

2. The outflow of our forgiveness to others must be as boundless as the forgiveness God has extended to us. For believers to offer an unbounded forgiveness to all, without reservation, demonstrates to our sinful world that the Word of God has priority in our lives. It shows that we are governed by the Holy Spirit and that we belong to the Great Forgiver.

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