Forgiveness-Part One, Bible Verses

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of the most important principles found in Scripture. I will it over and over again that I do not believe as a Christian it is an option to not forgive. Matthew 6:14-15 makes that clear.

Matthew 6:14-15
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”

I will also say rather you are a Christian or not, it is critical to walk in forgiveness. The consequences are the same for those who are Christians or not. If you do not live a life of forgiveness you will live a life of bondage to hatred, anger, bitterness, resentment, etc. In our previous podcast we talked about the end result is our mind, body, relationship with others, and our relationship with God is affected.

In this podcast we are going to look at several Bible passages that make it clear that we are to forgive others without exception. A Christian who does not forgive is a disobedient Christian and a disobedient Christian will be carrying burdensome baggage that they do not need to carry. If you are not a Christian, God can out of His mercy give you the ability to forgive so that you are not carrying burdensome baggage.

Grace to Forgive

I will say it over and over again. Since we are commanded to forgive, God is obligated to give the grace to forgive or He is a mean, cruel, unjust God. God can give the grace but we must be willing to receive and want the grace. Forgiveness may not always be easy to do, but His Grace is Sufficient.

Forgiveness and Freedom

When we live a life of forgiveness by the grace of God we will have a life filled with peace and freedom. We will not be haunted and taunted by thoughts of past experiences. We will not be controlled by thoughts of bitterness, hatred, resentment, vengeance. In our next podcast we will talk about forgiveness and freedom.

For now let’s look at some of the Bible passages regarding forgiveness.

Bible Verses
Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

We are to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving because God forgave us. When we have the mindset of You need to pay, suffer, be in pain because of what you have done to me, do we ever think of what we deserve from God for our sinful rebellion against Him? Instead of being harsh to us He sent His son to die for us so that we may receive forgiveness and eternal life. We should forgive others because God forgave us.

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Bear with each other. Have patience with each other. Be burdened, carry a load, for the sake of another. Interesting we are called to do this even for those whom we may have a grievance against. Why? Because God had grievances against us but sent His Son to bear the consequences. God forgave us so we should forgive others.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NRSV)
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”
This passage makes it clear that if you do not forgive others that God will not forgive you. It cannot be any clearer. So, if God requires you to forgive to be forgiven, He is obligated to give you the grace to forgive others or He would be a mean, cruel God.

Mark 11:25 (NLT)
“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Once again we are told that if we want forgiven we must forgive, but this goes further. It says before you pray you must forgive. That means if you do not forgive before you pray, your prayers can go unanswered. How much more do you need to be convinced that forgiveness is of the highest priority to God.

Romans 12:1-18 (GNT)
Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.
No matter what., we are not to repay others with evil that have committed evil unto us. But this passage goes further. It is as much as possible to be at peace with all people, even those who have wronged you. How in the world can you be at peace with someone if you do not forgive them.

Forgiveness Podcast Series
Forgiveness-Introduction
Forgiveness-Part One, Bible Verses
Forgiveness-Part Two, Freedom and Peace
Forgiveness-Part Three, What is True Forgiveness?
Forgiveness-Part Four, Testimonies
Forgiveness-Part Five, Application
Forgiveness-Part Six, Prayer