Forgiveness Is Mandatory

Forgiveness is Mandatory

(1) Forgiveness for forgiveness’ sake: If you want to be forgiven of your sins against a Holy God, which sins warrant your destruction, then you must forgive others. If anyone tells you that in time it will be easier to forgive, then you need to remember that tomorrow isn’t promised to you, you need to learn to forgive today because your own forgiveness depends on it. Matthew 6:14-15 “14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” This truth is even evident in the Lords Prayer in Matthew 6:12. See also Mark 11:22-26 & Luke 6:37.

(2) Forgiveness is mandatory after repentance: Forgiveness should be done immediately within the heart, but after the guilty party repents, your forgiveness of them is mandatory, and it should be made known to them. Luke 17:3-4 “3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” It’s well worth noting that this is not a license to hold a grudge, if someone has wronged you, and not repented, their repentance is merely the point where it is mandatory for you to forgive. The need for immediate forgiveness [regardless of the persons repentance] is evident in that we are to: turn the other cheek Matthew 5:38-40; and love our enemies Matthew 5:44. Please read and carefully consider Luke 6:20-49.

Bitterness [often caused by un-forgiveness] defiles you, and it will hinder your peace with others, as well as your holiness in general, and will thereby keep you from seeing Jesus. See Hebrews 12:14-17 “14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness [due to, among other things, grudges held for trespasses] springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Again, bitterness defiles you, and it will hinder your peace with others, as well as your holiness in general, and will thereby keep you from seeing Jesus.

(3) Sins against God compared to sins against us: Now let’s look at a parable from Jesus that reveals the comparison of our sins against God, to others sins against us. Matthew 18:23-35 “21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents [about 160,000 years wages in Christ’s day]. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence [about 100 days wages in Christ’s day]: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” God has forgiven you of roughly the equivalent of 160,000 years worth of debt, so how can you not forgive 100 days worth?

(4) They who are forgiven of much, also love much: Luke 7:36-50 “36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor, which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

Never cast down, in word or in your heart someone that you feel to be a sinner above all else, because when God saves that person, they may love Him much more than you do, and you will be exceedingly ashamed, if not dealt with by God.

(5)Forgiveness without forgetting is not Biblical: You or someone you know may say something like, “I have forgiven them, but I will never forget”. Please do not convince yourself that this is a Biblical way of thinking. Jesus has already shown in the unjust servant parable that we are to forgive as God forgave us, which also means in the same way, by the same parameters. Psalm 103:12 says that He has removed our transgressions as far from us as the East is from the West. Can the East even see the West? No it cannot. So why should we remind our transgressors, or ourselves of the wrongs against us? In Jeremiah 31:34 God says that He will remember our sin NO MORE. Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17 echo this as well. If you are choosing to remember what someone did to you even after they have repented and you claim to have forgiven them, and you have convinced yourself that this is okay, then you are deceived, and you need to repent and forget what was done to you. If your transgressor repents, forgive them and forget what they have done, it is commanded of you.

Summary

In summation, forgiveness is not an option. If you dear brother or sister Christian, struggle with un-forgiveness, then you need to passionately seek the Lord Jesus Christ for help. One thing to do is to constantly remind yourself of the value of the debt that you need forgiveness of, roughly 160,000 years worth according to Jesus’ parable, while He only valued the debt against you at 100 days worth. If you cannot forgive such a small amount, then you can expect to pay a remarkably larger sum for yourself. Also remember that He died for the sins of the entirety of humanity, past, present and future. We all owed Him a massive debt, and we only need to repent and believe on Him to be forgiven of it. How shameful it is when one who calls himself by the name of Christ; that is, one who calls themselves a Christian, is so unforgiving. I remind you that calling yourself by His name, and living in opposition to Him, is what’s known as taking the name of the Lord in vein, see Proverbs 30:7-9. If you call yourself a Christian and you refuse to forgive, then you have taken the Name of the Lord in vein.

I know that there are those out there who have had unspeakable things done to you, and I mean in no way to give the impression that what may have been done to you is no big thing, but never-the-less it is of paramount importance that you learn to forgive. If you are in a situation like that, and the person has not asked you to forgive them, it may be a good place for you to start by simply asking yourself, “How would I respond if they asked forgiveness?” You may want to respond with your emotional pain, but I strongly urge you to respond in light of the Scriptures, and pray for God to reveal what needs to be done by you, in order to get your heart right for forgiveness.

If someone has asked your forgiveness, and you refuse it because you feel that the pain they’ve caused you is too great, then you are only causing yourself more hurt. You are actively cultivating a root of bitterness, which will affect all of your relationships, and will ultimately cause alienation from God. There are not many greater difficulties than forgiveness for some people, but harboring bitterness, which alienates you from God, will also mean that the wound that you’ve suffered will remain, and it will grow and fester, rather than being healed by God.

There are no two ways about it; you must forgive. If some great atrocity was done (or is being done) to you as a child, that you feel you can never forgive the person or persons for, then I remind you of Jesus’ words for those who harm the children that believe on Him; Matthew 18:6 [also stated in Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2] “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” The terror that will befall those who have done these things to you will be hard even for you to witness, regardless of the anger you feel. But even so, if you die having refused to forgive, then you too will be under wrath for your own sins, not having those sins forgiven since you did not forgive. God wants to heal your wounds, but it will not happen with un-forgiveness.

Is There Any Sin That Cannot Be Forgiven?

There is only one unforgivable sin, and that is blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Mark 3:22-35 reveals that this is done when you see someone performing the gifts of the Spirit, and you say that an evil spirit did the work, thereby blaspheming the Holy Ghost. Other than that, there is nothing that you could have done that is greater than Gods forgiveness. That means murder (which includes unjust anger), adultery (which is as simple as lusting when either party is married), fornication (also as simple as lusting) and all the rest. If you are wrestling with feelings that say, “surely God will not forgive my sins”, then you need to become aware of the fullness of Gods forgiveness, and His Love for you. The punishment for your sins was satisfied on the cross of Jesus Christ by the shedding of the sinless Blood of the fully God, fully man, Jesus Christ. This forgiveness for sins by God is only for those who repent and believe that He is who the Word of God says that He is. He is the Son of God, and the only way to be forgiven and to see God the Father. Faith is believing God, which includes all the promises contained in the Word of God. Faith is believing the Gospel message.

What Is The Gospel Message?

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of The Living God (Matthew 16:16-17), and faith in Him is the only means of eternal salvation and the only means of escaping eternal damnation. Man cannot be righteous by the standard of God’s law because man cannot keep God’s law (Romans 3:19-31, 9:31-32); God will only see someone as righteous, when they believe on Christ (Romans 3:22, Philippians 3:9), so that Christ’s Righteousness can be transferred to them (I Corinthians 1:30). Punishment in the lake of fire for refusing the sacrifice of the Son of God is real (II Thessalonians 1:8-9, Revelation 14:11). The lake of fire was made for the devil and his angels, not for us, (Matthew 25:41), God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and He is not willing that any man should inherit the lake of fire, but that all should come to repentance, (II Peter 3:8-9), Sin cannot go unpunished, (Romans 6:23), unless the blood of a sacrifice is shed, (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22), but the Blood of Christ was shed once and for all, (Hebrews 7:27-28, 9:27-28, 10:9-21), so that we may live, and not die, (Romans 6:23, 10:9). No one can enter into the presence of the Holy Father except through Christ, (John 14:6), that is, to enter into the Holiest of Holies which is the presence of God, (Exodus 25:22, 26:31-34, Leviticus 16, Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45, Hebrews 6:19, 9:1-9, 10:19-20). Man can only enter in thanks to the covering Blood of Jesus Christ, (Hebrews 10:19-20). Righteousness was by faith from the beginning, (Genesis 15:6, Psalm 106:31, Romans 4:3), it is not by works [good deeds, or the keeping of the law] (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:21). Along with Christ’s new covenant in His Blood, there was also a need for a new law (Hebrews 7:12), which is, that we would love one another as Christ has loved us [sacrificially] (John 13:34). Keeping this law is how we show God that we love Him, and Christ will manifest Himself to those that do (John 14:21). Keeping this law is also how we receive what we ask for (I John 3:22-24), if it is according to God’s Will (I John 5:13-14).

If you accept all of this, and feelings of guilt still haunt you, then either you still do not understand forgiveness, or else you are perhaps under spiritual attack. Satan and his angels [legitimately called demons] are real, and they are all around. If guilt persists after you confess Jesus Christ is Lord and after you confess your sins to God, then you need to examine the things that you allow into your life, your heart, and your home. There may be something there that is essentially a vehicle that allows demons to have access to you. Look at the Old Testament for clues. God never changes, Hebrews 13:8, and therefore, although the Old Testament law has changed in a manner of speaking, the things that God detests have not and will not change. When something is called an abomination to God, then it is forever so. Look over these lists in Proverbs 6:16-19, Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and Leviticus 18:6-25. Especially note the sexual sins, and the witchcraft, sorcery, and occult practices in general, which include tarot, astrology [horoscopes], fortune telling, and communing with the dead. When we do things that we know God detests, we are sinning. We need to repent of those, which will mean that we get rid of them; in my opinion that includes music, movies, and television that promote these things, or anything that you know God hates, no matter how innocently they are presented.

These things are rebellion against God, and rebellion brings a curse. These accursed things will curse your entire house, Deuteronomy 7:26. ISee also in Joshua 6 & 7 we read God’s warning to Israel about not taking things from the people group that they are about to war against. This place was consecrated to false gods and false religions, as is all occult practice, and God is revealing here that things consecrated to false gods are accursed. Joshua 6:18 “And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.” and Joshua 7:13 ” … thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.” These are called stumbling blocks, and Balaam taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel by seducing them with food sacrificed to idols, and with fornication, so that in turn God would fight against Israel, since Balak stood no chance against them himself when they were obedient to God. See Revelation 2:14, and Number 22-25. The enemy still works this way. He seduces God’s people with things that are forbidden, which cause God to remove Himself from us, so that Satan can have free range. The fact that Satan still uses this technique, and that it is still effective to a believer is evident in that Jesus addresses it specifically in Revelation 2:14 and in this case it is fornication [which is both literal and it is also as simple as lusting after someone] and the eating of food sacrificed to idols, and this is taking place within the church at Pergamos. If you know that you have allowed rebellious practices into your life, then you may have cursed your entire house Joshua 6:18, and you will not be able to stand before your enemies Joshua 7:13, and your enemy, among others, is the devil I Peter 5:8.

Repent and believe. Forgive or you will not be forgiven. Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you. Luke 6:22 “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.”