Forgiveness isn’t about a free pass; it’s about freeing you from your past. It’s not about erasing your pain; it’s about ensuring that pain doesn’t engrave on your heart.
Forgiving someone who has deeply wounded you can seem impossible when you can’t see past the pain or offense.
God calls us to bring our hurts and troubles to Him because He cares for us. He doesn’t want us carrying burdens that become heavy while His yoke is meant to be light.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:17-18
While we are harboring hurt and offense, our hearts harden from the bondage they bring. Forgiveness is just as much for us as it is for the one who wronged us.
Forgiveness is a Gift
In Him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Ephesians 1:7
We have all experienced making a big mistake that hurt someone. Once we realized the hurt we’ve caused, all we wanted to do was take it back, right? How sweet and undeserving did the one offering us forgiveness make us feel? Maybe empowered by grace to do better and not repeat the same mistake? Perhaps it equipped us to want to forgive others more. We were so grateful for another chance.
Forgiveness is a Second Chance
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
God gave us a second chance. He isn’t asking us to be perfect but to trust in His perfect way. That’s why He knows how beautiful and necessary it is for His children to extend that same forgiveness to one another. His death on the cross initiated the ability to pay forward that offering to others.
Forgiveness is a Sacrifice
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
-Ephesians 4:31-32
Just as Christ poured out His life and endured the pain to extend us forgiveness, He’s telling, not asking, us to make the same sacrifice. It takes the focus off self and centers it on surrendering to Christ. Forgiveness demands the release of our pain to give it to God. Driving that ache into the cross allows our hearts to be opened for more of Christ to be poured in.
Forgiveness is a Necessity
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22
If we continue to bear the weight of that pain and proudly display our hurt like a badge of honor, the true sacrifice of forgiveness will remain hidden. Instead, we will develop a thorny thrall, a situation that ensnares us so profoundly that finding an escape becomes difficult.
This is the precise kind of trap that Satan would employ to capture us. He aims to prevent us from fully experiencing the transformative power of Christ. However, when we harbor unforgiveness within our hearts, our effectiveness in serving the Kingdom diminishes.
Forgiveness is a Command of Christ
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
-Matthew 6:14-15
When we don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us. That’s a tragedy we cannot bear. Don’t be swallowed up by pride, anger, bitterness, or resentment. You have one life, one beautiful life to live for Him.
Forgiveness is a gift from God—a precious gift that He tells us we need to give and extend to others. He doesn’t request it; He commands it. And He does it for our good and the good of others.
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