… and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Summary: When the Bible talks about forgiveness, it touches a nerve people can relate to.
Suddenly, although it should not come as a surprise, we turn the corner of Paul’s thinking and come face to face with the Big Ask.
Paul has been instructing us about God’s love for us as his chosen people. God wants us to clothe ourselves with qualities that reflect God’s love; compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Then he adds “bear with each other,” meaning we need to put up with the things we don’t like about other people.
If that seems hard, it is nothing compared to what comes next!
Apparently, if you or I have a grievance against someone, we are supposed to forgive them.
Do you want to know what makes this hard?
God is asking us to forgive people who might not even think they need forgiving!
How many times have you been offended by someone who thought that they were in the right? Of course, you know that you are right and they are wrong. The only problem is that they won’t admit they are wrong.
It is easy to imagine that we would be willing to forgive if they could admit how stupid, clumsy, stinky, awkward, or insulting they had been. But what if they don’t realize they need forgiving? What if they don’t think they did anything wrong?!
Do you want to make the situation harder?
Imagine this: Not only does the person who has wronged you think they’ve done nothing wrong, but on top of this, they think what you did was wrong!
Aaarrrrggg!
What now?
Do we STILL have to forgive?
The answer is “Yes!” The reason has to do with being clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
If we refuse to forgive, we are refusing to be compassionate. Not forgiving is not being kind. Thinking we are too important to forgive is the opposite of being humble.
Can we be gentle and, at the same time, harbor a grudge? Can we claim to be patient if we cannot forgive?
Sorry, but the answer is “No.”
If we don’t forgive, we are not living as God’s chosen people.
Application: Practice forgiving. It is the loving thing to do.
Food for Thought: Why is forgiving others so hard to do?
Why is forgiving others so hard to do?
Because sometimes the wrongdoings done don’t just affect a person and that’s it. Sometimes it affect that person for tye rest of their life to the point of their marriage and family. How is a person to forgive the person for how they wronged other people you love an care about? Or when the person doesn’t even care how they have wronged you or even think what they did was wrong. Maybe it’s a scar that a person feels everyday or reminded about constantly. I know Jesus forgave us for so much and He was willing to forgive perfectly while he took on the wrath of our sinful decisions. We just want everyone to see how we see things and want the spotlight on us. We make everything about ourselves and how we want things our way.
Thank you T. Great insight and I appreciate your honesty. I think we can probably all relate to your sentiments here in some way. It sounds like you have some wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Well said, Tim!
Hurts run deep. Fortunately for us, our Lord’s hurts run deeper. He shows us how it is done.
I think as people we want to see repentance first, and oftentimes, compensation for what we view as trespasses against us. Then we judge the worthiness of the apology against the trespass, and decide “if” we will forgive. We place ourselves above others, holding them to a debt. Under this premise, forgiveness is not freely given, nor repentance freely felt.
But that is the exact opposite of what Christ gave. He gave us forgiveness first. It is a gift of grace. Unconditional. Our repentance can then be genuine and offered to Him freely.
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Thanks, Chris!
When we claim to be the ones who get to set the standards for “justice” no one else will ever be able to meet our standards all the time — not even ourselves!
Forgiveness is one of, if not the most difficult thing we will ever need to do. Canceling a debt owed to us (at least in our minds) of a deep hurt where the scars are still visible.
Has anyone else ever canceled a huge debt like this to set an example for us? Maybe someone who not only forgave, but paid the debt themselves? And if someone did that, would it not change us to make us want to forgive others?
Colossians 2: 13 – 14: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you d alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Thank you, Rich!
Nicely said! Yes … I think there is someone who fits the description you give. 🙂
Why is forgiving others so hard to do?
Forgiveness is widely misunderstood. Not fully understanding what forgiveness is and is not, only makes it more difficult to move forward. Also, it’s common “for our flesh “ to view other people’s sins as too big to forgive, which leads to categorizing other people’s offenses as forgivable or unforgivable. And finally once bitterness and personal resentment takes root, forgiveness becomes more difficult.
Believers remain on earth with purpose. We are called to become small, allowing Christ to become large and be seen in our new lives of worshiping service focused on God who has opened our eyes to the reality of who we are, and who we are becoming in Him, called to a new life of increasing humility leading to a closer life in Christ. Colossians 3:12-13
Human Pride is in direct opposition to God’s grace. Pride views faithful obedience to God as a weakness which leads to great resentment and communication problems. It blocks people from forgiving or apologizing, creating a toxic environment which harms relationships and growth.
Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 16:18, Psalm 10:4, James 4:6, Colossians 3:12-13
Understanding the difference between pride and humility is key to spiritual growth. The Bible warns about the dangers of pride.
Proverbs 8:13, Matthew 23:12, Philippians 2:3,Hebrews 12:15
Ephesians 4:32
Bravo Ron!
Very well said!
I especially appreciate your observation that “Human Pride is in direct opposition to God’s grace.”
So true!