Forgiveness is not a Feeling
1. Forgiveness is NOT a feeling....It is a promise.
Isaiah. 43:25 When God said He "won't remember" it is not the same as forgetting our sins. God is omniscient and He cannot forget. But He can choose to "not remember". Forgetting is passive and is something that we humans do, not The Omniscient!
2. We must learn to forgive the way God forgives.When we say to someone, "I forgive you", it is a promise. And it is a threefold promise. We promise not to bring up their sin to: them, others or ourselves
3. When we have sinned or we remember someone has someone something against us, we are to go to them quickly!.
Many times people say, "Why should I go when they were wrong?" Because you are the one that knows there is a problem. Many times people may have offended you but they don't know it. The one who knows, goes!
4. "What if I don't feel like I have forgiven them". Forgiveness is not a feeling.
"Would I not be a hypocrite if I go to them when I don't feel like it?" No, we do things every day that we don't feel like. I came to work this morning and I didn’t feel like it. I would only be a hypocrite if I said to you, "oh, I really loved getting up this morning to go to work!" "But if I do that it just wouldn't feel right". Again, forgiveness is not a feeling.
5. The granting of Forgiveness IS conditionalRead Luke 17:3-4 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."
So many times we tell people we forgive them for something they never asked forgiveness for. Ultimately there was NO repentance.
If forgiveness was not conditional we would have no need for Matthew 18:15-18. At each point in the verse, we see the need to repent. When this is done, then there is reconciliation. If there was no repentance we are to move on to the next step. (However, we must forgive in our heart, even before going to them or they come to us)
Errors in "Forgiveness"
1. Forgive and Forget. This has been a big hindrance for some in the body. Because they have not forgotten, they believe they have not forgiven. Remember, forgiveness is a promise not a feeling. God does not "forget" He chooses not to remember.
2. Apologizing: An apology (apologia) is a defense of oneself against a charge of wrong doing.
3. Forgiving Self. God forgave you through Christ finished work on the cross. For you to believe you still need to forgive yourself means you are greater than Christ and you need to add to His finished work. No, we need to repent, then walk in the forgiveness He has already provided. And don't bring that sin up again to God, to others or to yourself.
4. Forgiving God. Yes, I have heard people say this. Usually I have heard this with the death of a child or very close loved one. No, we don't forgive God. He Is God!
The greater question is simply: Do you want your "right" to be angry more than uninterrupted fellowship with the Father!
Isaiah. 43:25 When God said He "won't remember" it is not the same as forgetting our sins. God is omniscient and He cannot forget. But He can choose to "not remember". Forgetting is passive and is something that we humans do, not The Omniscient!
2. We must learn to forgive the way God forgives.When we say to someone, "I forgive you", it is a promise. And it is a threefold promise. We promise not to bring up their sin to: them, others or ourselves
3. When we have sinned or we remember someone has someone something against us, we are to go to them quickly!.
Many times people say, "Why should I go when they were wrong?" Because you are the one that knows there is a problem. Many times people may have offended you but they don't know it. The one who knows, goes!
4. "What if I don't feel like I have forgiven them". Forgiveness is not a feeling.
"Would I not be a hypocrite if I go to them when I don't feel like it?" No, we do things every day that we don't feel like. I came to work this morning and I didn’t feel like it. I would only be a hypocrite if I said to you, "oh, I really loved getting up this morning to go to work!" "But if I do that it just wouldn't feel right". Again, forgiveness is not a feeling.
5. The granting of Forgiveness IS conditionalRead Luke 17:3-4 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."
So many times we tell people we forgive them for something they never asked forgiveness for. Ultimately there was NO repentance.
If forgiveness was not conditional we would have no need for Matthew 18:15-18. At each point in the verse, we see the need to repent. When this is done, then there is reconciliation. If there was no repentance we are to move on to the next step. (However, we must forgive in our heart, even before going to them or they come to us)
Errors in "Forgiveness"
1. Forgive and Forget. This has been a big hindrance for some in the body. Because they have not forgotten, they believe they have not forgiven. Remember, forgiveness is a promise not a feeling. God does not "forget" He chooses not to remember.
2. Apologizing: An apology (apologia) is a defense of oneself against a charge of wrong doing.
3. Forgiving Self. God forgave you through Christ finished work on the cross. For you to believe you still need to forgive yourself means you are greater than Christ and you need to add to His finished work. No, we need to repent, then walk in the forgiveness He has already provided. And don't bring that sin up again to God, to others or to yourself.
4. Forgiving God. Yes, I have heard people say this. Usually I have heard this with the death of a child or very close loved one. No, we don't forgive God. He Is God!
The greater question is simply: Do you want your "right" to be angry more than uninterrupted fellowship with the Father!
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