Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. Matthew 6:12 – NLT
The Scriptures exhort each of us to be kind to one another . . . and forgiving.
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13
Forgiveness is based on love. Sometimes it means bearing the cost of someone else’s mistakes. It can mean giving up our rights in certain circumstances and ignoring certain things, even when we know we are correct.
Forgiving can mean we have to swallow our pride asking others to forgive us, even when we we think they should be asking us for our forgiveness instead.
It means turning the other cheek.
I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. Matthew 5:39
When you forgive it is important that your decision is also to forget. This is true forgiveness.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5
Do you say, “I’ll forgive, but I won’t forget?”
Don’t pretend to forget or otherwise you may bring up an old grudge in a future confrontation. This is not true forgiveness. You need to pray until you can forget – that is until you no longer hold anything against that person in your heart.
Forgiveness does not mean saying someone is right when they have done evil or saying their actions do not matter.
Forgiveness also does not mean making ourselves vulnerable to those who have harmed us. We can’t allow them to harm us again. But it does mean refusing to retaliate with evil and refusing to harbor bitterness.
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9
To forgive someone is really for you – maybe more than for the other person. It allows you to have the peace of the Lord and the right heart, and that brings you a blessing.
Remember, Jesus taught us that God will forgive us only as much as we forgive others.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
Let’s look at what the apostle Paul teaches us from Philippians 3:13-14. Good advice for us all to imitate.
One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
We need to put the past behind us. Forgive and forget!
