Forgiveness

“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” (Matt. 6:14–15).

Just as God is love, everything in the life of the believer should be born out of love. It flows into every aspect of our lives and aids us in all the areas of our Christian walk, especially in this all-important subject of forgiveness. As we study the Word of God, we’ll soon learn that Jesus spoke about the issue of forgiveness frequently. As with the focus on every subject, we’ll take our teaching from the words of Jesus Himself and allow what He said to shape our understanding, and ultimately our approach to cultivating alignment with His desires and thoughts in our lives.

While the introduction to the great message on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) is the Beatitudes, I would like to draw your attention to a middle portion, Matthew 6:5–15. It is here that Jesus begins to deal with the topic of prayer. Let’s focus on verse 12, “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors” (NKJV). In this model of prayer, we’re learning the manner in which we should pray, and not just the verbiage. Jesus is showing us how to approach prayer and the things that should be emphasized, which we’ll deal with in a later chapter. We see in the text that one of the things Jesus teaches us to emphasize is the issue of forgiveness.

It’s important for us to understand that prayer becomes a powerful vehicle for both receiving forgiveness and also releasing it unto others. Please don’t miss this point because people who pray are the most prepared to deal well with areas of offense. Injuries that afflict our hearts are not easy to heal from. This is why prayer, and open dialogue with the Father, is mentioned in context with forgiveness; it’s in this place that we can effectively deal with the pains that cause most people to falter.

Notice that Jesus teaches us that we should seek the Lord for forgiveness of our sins, as well as acknowledge and confess our forgiveness of others. As you can see, our forgiveness is tied to our willingness to forgive others. This is one of the most significant points that we’ll need to dwell on. While many of the subjects Jesus addresses deal with how we live on the Earth, this one, in particular, has ramifications in both the present and in eternity. We cannot treat the subject of forgiveness as a minor matter. We will learn, as we continue to study what Jesus taught regarding forgiveness, that it is a major component when it comes to us walking in freedom and obtaining eternal life.

“Forgive us our debts, sins or trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” It’s the “AS WE” that is most important in the entire subject of forgiveness. Meaning the forgiveness we receive is based upon the forgiveness that we release. This is a major eye opener, because it’s not the measure that we have the audacity to ask for, it’s the measure that we are willing to extend others that determines what we receive. This is a kingdom principle that translates across all aspects of our lives. It’s what you give away that makes space for what you receive. “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matt. 7:2 KJV). So AS WE forgive, we receive forgiveness. It’s not enough to merely ask for forgiveness if we’re not willing to extend unto others what we’re wanting from God. When this truth is fully revealed in our heart, we will be victorious in overcoming offenses.

Questions:

(1) How did Jesus teach us to deal with our offenses?

(2) Explain how harboring 'unforgiveness' can affect you now and eternally?

(3) How does allowing offense to linger unaddressed affect your faith?

Transformative Prayer:

Father, I repent for every sin I’ve committed, and for all the times that I’ve been the offender in any relationship. I receive of both your mercy and your grace. I also willingly forgive everyone that has mistreated and offended me. I understand that I can only receive what I’m willing to give. So with the same measure that I desire to be forgiven by you, I freely extend that unrestrained mercy to others, in Jesus’ name, amen.