Forgiveness: A Healing Forceনমুনা

Forgiveness Demands a Change

Forgiveness is full of compassion, but it demands a change in conduct. To forgive another person without demanding change is to make the grace of God an accomplice to evil. 

Let's look at the ministry of Christ. The Pharisees brought the woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Obviously, by the law of Moses, she was to be stoned. Jesus, being absolutely perfect and pure, looked at the woman and said, "Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more (John 8:11)."

The message is…I expect you to change. Grace gives you the opportunity to repent. It's not a license to sin…ever.

How do you forgive? Totally. 

Jesus, our teacher, told the story of the unmerciful slave. The king, who wanted to settle his accounts, called in a slave that owed him ten million dollars, which was ten times the national debt of that nation. And when the slave announced that he didn't have the resources, he pleaded with the king not to throw him, his wife, and his child into debtor's prison. The king forgave him of that enormous fortune. So, what does the slave do? He went right out in the streets and found somebody who owed him $20. And he had that guy thrown into debtor's prison because it was his right as a debtor. The other slaves heard about it, and they went to the king, and said, “Do you know what happened to that guy that you forgave of ten million dollars? He went out and found a guy that owed him 20 bucks, and that guy is now in jail.” 

The king went back to the slave that was released from the ten-million-dollar debt and said, “You unmerciful servant. I forgave you, and you went out and incarcerated another person.” And the Bible says, "and he was turned over to the tormentors."

When you refuse to forgive someone else, God will turn you over to the tormentors. And in our society, medical science calls these tormentors bitterness, rage, resentment, ulcers, and high blood pressure. These issues destroy your health, producing major physical illness. 

How often shall I forgive? There is a Jewish teaching…if you forgave three times, you were good. So, Peter thought he'd impress the Lord and say, "seven times."  But Jesus said, "Seventy times seven times." The message is, you forgive until it becomes a habit. Don't keep records of anybody's faults but your own, and you'll find that you have very few to keep.

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace. Every day is a glorious adventure with God on your side. From this day forward, release the burden of unforgiveness from your life. The handcuffs have been broken. Prison doors have been shattered. Walk out and live your life with all the glory that God has designed it to have. In Jesus’ name, we pray this blessing. Amen.

You can be set free from the bondage of forgiveness! Find out how the decisions you make determine your destiny at jhm.org/forgiveness.