COMMANDED to FORGIVE!
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
by David Wilkerson
In the parable of Matthew 18:23-35 did the king overlook his
servant´s sin? Did he wink at his debt and merely excuse it? No,
not at all. The fact is, by forgiving him, the king placed upon this
man a weighty responsibility, a responsibility even greater than
the burden of his debt. Indeed, this servant now owed his master
more than ever. How? He was responsible to forgive and love
others, just as the king had done for him.
What an incredible responsibility this is. And it can´t be separated
from Christ´s other kingdom teachings. After all, Jesus said, "If
ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses" (Matthew 6:15). His point is clear: "If you don´t
forgive others, I won´t forgive you." This word isn´t optional, it´s a
command. Jesus is telling us, in essence, "I was forbearing with
you. I handled you with love and mercy and I forgave you out of
My goodness and mercy alone. Likewise, you are to be loving
and merciful toward your brothers and sisters. You´re to forgive
them freely, just as I forgave you. You´re to go into your home,
your church, your workplace, into the streets, and show everyone
the grace and love I showed you."
Paul refers to Jesus´ command, saying, "Even as Christ forgave
you, so also do ye" (Colossians 3:13). He then expounds on
how we pursue obedience to this command: "Put on therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man
have a quarrel against any. . . . Above all these things put on
charity, which is the bond of perfectness" (3:12-14).
What does it mean to be forbearing? The Greek word means
"to put up with, to tolerate." This suggests enduring things we
don´t like. We´re being told to tolerate the failures of others, to
put up with ways we don´t understand.
-Source-