A forgiving heart is one of the core qualities that Christians are called to embrace and grow in. A quick browser search will show that some say there are upwards of 50 direct commands to us from Jesus and others say there are at least 300 commands from our Lord (source: This website and Also this website). Regardless of the precise number, forgiveness is one of the more widely known commands Jesus gives us for our Christian life. All Christians agree that forgiveness is an outgrowth of pursuing holiness. Pursuing holiness is abiding in the True Vine; pursuing a deepening relationship with our Lord and Saviour through understanding His Word, going deeper into the marvelous truth of The Gospel, through prayer, and through a life of worship, and by imitating Him in the way we relate to others. (read Matthew 18:21-22, John 15:1-17, 1 Peter 1:1-16, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Matthew 6:33, 2 Peter 3:18, John 1:14, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Colossians 2:6, John 8:31, John 17:17, Romans 8:29, Ephesians 5:1, 1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6, Philippians 4:9, Matthew 16:24).
This will be one article of many in a series about Forgiveness. I am asking God to lead me in writing these articles, as I always do, so I do not know how many parts will be in this series. Confidently, I can say it will be at least five because there are concepts that need to be broken down which would require more than a few paragraphs, but I still want to make sure the articles are not overwhelming to read and process. Rather, my goal is for the articles to be pleasant to read while being informative and encouraging. In this series, we are going to explore why it is so difficult to forgive sometimes,why exactly we should forgive, and the spiritual and practical ways in which we can forgive. Today, I’d like to dive into why forgiveness is so important to our Lord that He commands us to have a forgiving heart.
God is Holy
Looking at forgiveness purely from a logical standpoint, in order for there to be a need for forgiveness there must be an injustice, a violation, a wrongdoing from one image bearer to another. God is Holy, therefore, He is both Just and Loving (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 25:20, Romans 3:26, Romans 8:38-39, Romans 9:14-22, 1 John 4, ) (for more verses on God being Just and Love check out: https://www.logos.com/grow/26-bible-verses-about-justice/ and https://blog.cuaa.edu/love-bible-passages/). As the perfect embodiment of Justice and Love,
“For those who ask “well what about [insert situation]”? We were not called to find reasons not to forgive others, especially our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We were called to be compassionate and forgive as Christ forgives (Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15). Yes, we are also called to judge but with stipulations — we are to judge against false doctrine (Titus 2), we are to judge with care & fairness and love (Galatians 6:1), we are to judge with humility and look at our own sinfulness first (Matthew 7:1-5 and 18:21-22). And never ever ever forget, if you are IN CHRIST, the abounding grace showered upon you every moment of your life, a grace which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8); a grace which removes condemnation of sin as far as the east is from the west (Matthew 7:1-5) by a God who remembers your sin no more (Hebrews 10:17). This is not a license to sin. Christians are called to pursue holiness and imitate Christ, die to ourselves and follow Him. But as long as we are on this side of eternity we will battle our sinful flesh and the world’s lost souls (who will face a terrifying judgement) will worship themselves and other false gods. But for those whose souls are under the grace of God we are commanded to live a life of obedience to God’s commands (John 14:15) and bear good fruit, which only comes by intimate relationship with the True Vine (John 14:15). With all that said, where there is Law, because of Christ’s finished work on the cross, there must also be Grace. Even the Apostle Paul never brought up his own sinfulness and iniquity without also the encouragement of the grace and mercy available to Him because of Christ and His limitless, perfect love (all of Romans, Ephesians 1-3, Galatians, 2 Corinthians, etc). Now, back to forgiveness of others and those who think they just can’t because the sin against you or someone you love is so egregious… You CAN forgive in your heart, but also protect yourself with boundaries, removing yourself from the situation, church discipline, etc (this does NOT include heinous crimes — there are some things that would be understandable, in a human sense, to never forgive such as crimes against children, defenseless women, the sick or the elderly). And before you think “but Shauna, you’ve never been through what I went through, so it’s easier for you to forgive”. I have had my own years-long fight against bitterness and pursuit of holy forgiveness. I grew up with an emotionally and physically abusive mother, I was bullied and “mean-girled” in school, I was treated incredibly cruelly by people while grieving my fiancé’s suicide, and a slew of other sins against me. Forgiveness does not come easy and the more painful the damage done to you, the harder true lasting forgiveness is to come by. But God calls us to forgive and not give the evil of bitterness to take root in our hearts. And we can forgive and are empowered to forgive by the same power of The Holy Spirit who raised our Lord from death. Christ saved us from death, including the rottenness of our hearts because He covered us with HIS righteousness. We can rest in Him and lean on Him for the courage to forgive, not our own willpower because left to our own devices we will carry bitterness to the grave. We ought to strive to walk in the freedom Christ gave us, a peace that surpasses all understanding.”
With all the above in mind, my direct response to your question is, while you are judging with care towards others and self-examination towards yourself, keep in mind that God is the ultimate discerner of hearts.
Ask God for the humility, wisdom, and courage to navigate it all. (1 Kings 8:39, 1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10, Luke 16:15 and more). Matthew 7:16 Jesus says HE will know them by their fruit. God tells us by Paul’s writing in 2 Corinthians how importa t it is to rebuke sin. But we must first be sure we are seeking the person’s good and point them to Christ and The Gospel, not to win a debate, prove a point (however rightful), or to puff up in our feelings of being a “better Christian”. None of us are “better” than any other image bearer. Paul writes that not one of us is righteous. The righteousness that we can embrace is Christ’s alone who covers us and removes our sins as far as the east is from the west so that God The Father remembers them.no more (Hebrews). Rebuke is really reserved for false teaching and consistent patterns of personal sin/rebellion both of which are destructive in many ways and must be dealt with head on if faced with it — everything else falls under the category of discipleship and loving admonition. You say they are not displaying fruit in their life. That begs a more nuanced question — what fruit is not beimg displayed and what does the Bible say about it? For example, to some people by outward appearances I might not be bearing fruit in my life because I am not actively serving my church, I am not reading my Bible everyday like I was before I gave birth… I’m learning how to be a new mom and homemaker and that takes up all my time right now. But in my private life, which only my husband and baby girl see, I am patient, kind, gentle, self-controlled, and diligent in the care and love of my family with honoring the Lord as my main motivation, fueled by His grace alone. Also, what is the sin that they are condoning and is it directly affecting their life or the people they influence? Depending on the answer, it may call for a serious but loving discussion or it may require church discipline which Matthew 7:16 guides us on how to pursue that. Anyway, I pray that God gives you discernment in this situation and hope that no matter what, you and your family member will grow closer in the knowledge and grace of our Lord, deeper in relationship with Him and ever shaped by His image.
This is a sample daily devotional that Bless A Badge Ministries posts in our private group for First Responder & Soldier PTSD Recovery, Suicide Prevention, and Family Strengthening. If you are a First Responder or Soldier (active, retired, reserve) please join the group! When you join, invite other first responders and soldiers!
.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/138145911304382
.
disclaimer: I am not a Pastor, nor do I ‘personally’ feel it is my biblical place to be anything like that, where I would be ordained to be a spiritual shepherd over a congregation… but God has placed it on my heart to be an encourager and clarifier for those who seek to know God deeper through devotionals like this and other acts of love, as I learn these lessons or reflect on past experiences in my own journey. Thanks for your support!
Today’s focus is on 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6
“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you”
.
During the time this was written, the Thessalonians were under persecution. The Apostle Paul encouraged them to persist through the persecution. By doing so, they strengthen their faith and prove themselves truly saved in their hearts. The glory of God will shine in those who persist through suffering, trusting God’s judgement will be righteous towards those who hinder His purposes. The word righteous in biblical terms means perfectly blameless and without error. We have been made righteous in God’s sight through the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, yet who but God is truly blameless and perfect without error in all of the universe through all of time, the ultimate authority on what is righteous?
.
God is the Holiest of Holy, The Most High, He is perfection and he is righteous. Righteousness is more than being right by being correct. Righteousness is holiness. Therefore, righteous judgement is holy judgement. Only God is capable of righteous judgement. Furthermore, if we are to correct or admonish others whether they are in the faith or unbelievers or atheists, we are to first ensure that we are pursuing the righteousness of Christ, in other words, all that Christ is. This is going to sound harsh, and truth sometimes is, but blasphemers and hypocrites will often point fingers at others even going so far as to use unloving, accusatory language thinking that they are doing God a favor by bringing a person to repentance. But you are not serving God by attempting to love with unloving language: “check yourself”, “shame on you”, “how could you”, “if I were you”.
.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)
.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1)
.
That is not loving or empathetic. True empathy is not putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and asking yourself what would you do – it is asking yourself what would you do with the other person’s background, history of behavior, preferences, life position, etc. Even more importantly, true empathy involves seeking the things of the kingdom and righteousness and that brings us back to what is the kingdom and what is righteousness – Jesus Christ. How would Jesus speak to us? What would Jesus think? How would Jesus react? And to know the best answer to those questions is to know exactly who Jesus is and who He is not. He does not dwell in negativity. He does not accuse. He does not boast. He does not assign blame. For example, if you are finding yourself making assumptions about someone’s intentions and blaming or accusing them of thinking or doing something that they did not outright say to you of where their thought process is, you are are not being loving or empathetic. But if for example, you are wisely admonishing someone of sound doctrine and you simply state plain facts and Truth without name-calling, accusing the person of one thing or another, etc. then you are likely to be admonishing rightfully – not that you are necessarily 100% correct, but you can at least be rest assured you have the purest intentions and not self-seeking, self-soothing, or self-glorifying intentions. Like the perfect father, brother, everything he corrects and disciplines communicating what is necessary to point to Truth of The Gospel and Truth of His character but remains steadfast in love and peace and wisdom. True empathy is true love.
.
How do you know if person is rightfully admonishing another person? Here are some clues with one (of many) supporting scriptures:
They are in right relationship with God (Romans 8:6-10)
They are not living consistently in sin; there is continual habits of repentance and sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
There is consistent fruit in their walk of faith (Matt 7:15-16)
They are mature in their spiritual discernment and wisdom (not just head knowledge) (James 3:13–18)
They are obediently representing what is in scripture and the authentic message of the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)
They live a life of regular prayer with others and alone in stillness with the presence of God (Romans 12:12)
They have purity of heart (peaceful, lacking in anxiety, merciful, humble, making a priority seeking of Christ’s kingdom and righteousness) (Romans 12:2)
It is great to have knowledge of scriptures and be educated in theology because it assists you in understanding the context of what you read in the scriptures so that you can clarify misunderstandings of unbelievers. But if you do not have purity of heart, seeking the righteousness of Christ and His kingdom – it is not impossible, but it can make it very difficult to be transformed by Christ, not that He ‘cannot’ transform you but He will not if your heart is not willing, if you are not a surrendered vessel for Him to fill with His Holy Spirit. Sometimes the devil even uses intelligence and skill into a stronghold of pride. Thank God that we have a perfect Saviour in Christ Jesus that we can come to Him with our sinful nature and ask that we be renewed in the forgiveness that He has already granted us so that we do not have to dwell in shame and guilt over our sinful ways.
.
Great videos!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71O2q_PnV68
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq5dtAe9PkM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7UryDFwEhQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdYn8I6xNYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc-uHndUiRs
For those who ask “well what about [insert situation]”? We were not called to find reasons not to forgive others, especially our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We were called to be compassionate and forgive as Christ forgives (Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15). Yes, we are also called to judge but with stipulations — we are to judge against false doctrine (Titus 2), we are to judge with care & fairness and love (Galatians 6:1), we are to judge with humility and look at our own sinfulness first (Matthew 7:1-5 and 18:21-22). And never ever ever forget, if you are IN CHRIST, the abounding grace showered upon you every moment of your life, a grace which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8); a grace which removes condemnation of sin as far as the east is from the west (Matthew 7:1-5) by a God who remembers your sin no more (Hebrews 10:17). This is not a license to sin. Christians are called to pursue holiness and imitate Christ, die to ourselves and follow Him. But as long as we are on this side of eternity we will battle our sinful flesh and the world’s lost souls (who will face a terrifying judgement) will worship themselves and other false gods. But for those whose souls are under the grace of God we are commanded to live a life of obedience to God’s commands (John 14:15) and bear good fruit, which only comes by intimate relationship with the True Vine (John 14:15). With all that said, where there is Law, because of Christ’s finished work on the cross, there must also be Grace. Even the Apostle Paul never brought up his own sinfulness and iniquity without also the encouragement of the grace and mercy available to Him because of Christ and His limitless, perfect love (all of Romans, Ephesians 1-3, Galatians, 2 Corinthians, etc). Now, back to forgiveness of others and those who think they just can’t because the sin against you or someone you love is so egregious… You CAN forgive in your heart, but also protect yourself with boundaries, removing yourself from the situation, church discipline, etc (this does NOT include heinous crimes — there are some things that would be understandable, in a human sense, to never forgive such as crimes against children, defenseless women, the sick or the elderly). And before you think “but Shauna, you’ve never been through what I went through, so it’s easier for you to forgive”. I have had my own years-long fight against bitterness and pursuit of holy forgiveness. I grew up with an emotionally and physically abusive mother, I was bullied and “mean-girled” in school, I was treated incredibly cruelly by people while grieving my fiancé’s suicide, and a slew of other sins against me. Forgiveness does not come easy and the more painful the damage done to you, the harder true lasting forgiveness is to come by. But God calls us to forgive and not give the evil of bitterness to take root in our hearts. And we can forgive and are empowered to forgive by the same power of The Holy Spirit who raised our Lord from death. Christ saved us from death, including the rottenness of our hearts because He covered us with HIS righteousness. We can rest in Him and lean on Him for the courage to forgive, not our own willpower because left to our own devices we will carry bitterness to the grave. We ought to strive to walk in the freedom Christ gave us, a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Jeff Thompson Free will is such a misunderstood term among professing Christians. Man has the agency to choose, but because we are spiritually DEAD due to the curse of original sin we WILL NOT choose Christ. It is by God’s mercy and the miraculous work of regeneration of a sinner’s heart that initiates a person’s salvation. That is what makes The Gospel such a stunning truth. That’s what makes God’s grace so amazing. God does not throw out a life raft and say “grab on”. The dead cannot see or take action. God Himself goes into the water and raises the dead with new life in Him. Those who wonder about those who appeared to have been saved but “fall away” from the faith should really study the parable of the sower closely and exegetically. And, human pride breeds a sense of entitlement that all mankind has the willingness to choose salvation if only they are presented with the option. People have the right to choose, but again, humans will not. That is the gravity and devastation of having a sin nature. Before Christ raised you from spiritual death to life, you weren’t just kinda dead but just needed a little push to climb out of the pit yourself. No, you were utterly helpless in of yourself to save yourself.
What my husband and I say to each other if something really stings and the other asks for forgiveness “I’m having trouble forgiving in this moment, but I’m working on it”. Translation: “What you said/did really hurt me so the residual feelings need time to dissipate, but I’m committed to pursuing reconciliation and forgiveness because I love you”.