Repentance (Part 6), A FORGIVING SPIRIT
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000
Repentance (Part 6)
A FORGIVING SPIRIT
"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:
that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespasses." (Mark 11:25)
"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." (Matthew 6:14, 15)
In both of these places the word for forgive means in part to "send
away" and to "cancel a debt" (Strong's and Vine's). To forgive means
that you let the offender go free. If someone truly forgives another
from his heart, he will not be sifting through the mental "accounts" to
mull over how much that individual owes. True forgiveness will leave
the absence of any feeling or attitude of "But you don't know what all
they have done to me!" or "But, if you only knew how badly they have
treated me."
Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it very clear in these verses that one must
forgive in order to be forgiven. A sinner cannot expect God to forgive him
while he refuses to forgive someone who has done wrong to him.
In fact, Jesus also shows us in the parable of the "unmerciful servant"
that one might be forgiven and then afterwards still be punished by the
"tormentors", because of his own attitude of unforgiveness toward his
fellow man. "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye
from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
To me this teaches us that, as long as we are on this side of eternity,
we had better make sure we FORGIVE ALL who trespass
against us. (Matthew 18:23-35)
Think of the sinner seeking God's forgiveness against Whom he has
so sinned that he could never pay the debt except by spending an endless
eternity in the flames of Hell. Now think of how small in comparison is
the debt owed to this sinner by his fellow sinner, for that sinner too has
sinned primarily against the Almighty, Holy God. What evil one sinner
does to another sinner is logically less than the evil each of them deserves
as payment for their sins from the wrath of the just Judge of the universe.
What an incongruity! What an unreasonable thing! That a sinner seeking
God's forgiveness should think to get away with harboring ill feelings
toward
a fellow sinner. They are BOTH under the same condemnation and are in
need of mercy from God and their fellow man. Remember the words of
the penitent thief, "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation?" (Luke 23:40)
Oh how easy it is for one sinner to blame another sinner and hope that
God will let him "off the hook"! If you would be set free from condemnation
you must cease to hold a grudge, or to condemn, your neighbor, acquaintance,
friend, brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, husband, wife, etc.
If you
would have mercy you must be willing to show mercy. If you would have your
debt to God cancelled, you must cancel the debt owed to you.
IF YOU WOULD FREELY RECEIVE GOD'S FORGIVENESS,
YOU MUST FREELY FORGIVE OTHERS.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7)
This spirit of forgiveness will put the penitent in the place where he
can reach
up by faith and take from the loving hand of God a full pardon for all of
his sins.
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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