Forgiveness

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:23)

As we look at this scripture and the Holy Spirit brings light upon the Word of God, probably the first question that enters your mind is the same one that entered mine as I began to comprehend the power of forgiveness. I questioned, “God, can that be true?” But there it is, spoken by our Lord just after He had breathed on the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. Certainly we know that Jesus bore the sins of the world upon Himself at Calvary, but has He given us the power to remit or retain another’s sins to them?

In searching the scripture, we find that Paul spoke basically the same thing in 2 Cor. 2:10, "Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ"

But, what if we choose not to forgive? Jesus stated very plainly in Matt.6:14-15, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Do not miss this message, for it is a most vital issue concerning our Christian walk and discipleship. The very basis of our eternal life relies upon the forgiveness of our sins so that we can be reconciled to God. I encourage you to study the parable in Matt.18:23-35. It will benefit us if we take to heart the message it speaks.

Have we yet begun to understand the power and necessity of forgiveness? “But how do I appropriate this truth to my own life", you might ask,? As this message became intense in my heart, I began to read the references given in my Bible. In Matthew 16:19, Jesus gives some insight in this area. He said, "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Could forgiveness or unforgiveness maintained in our hearts be one of the keys that Jesus was speaking of? Keys, being plural, would mean several or many, but according to our scripture text, forgiveness is one of them. We must learn to use this key properly, unlocking the windows of Heaven to pour out a blessing to our fellow man, not closing the windows through unforgiveness. Is a thought about this scripture, I wondered if it were possible, that through our lack of understanding, if the Church, as a whole, could have some responsibility for the condition of sin in our nation? Have we refused to pray for individuals who have sinned, and held those sins in our own hearts, enabling the powers of darkness to stay upon others, being unwilling or unable to forgive? Refer once again to our scripture text, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:23)  Jesus teaches in Matt.5:44 to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and in verse 45, He says it is “in order that you may be sons of your Father Who is in Heaven.” Let’s not forget that God sent His Son into the world, that the world might be saved. Jesus clarified this by saying (John 3:17) "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." If Jesus did not live on earth to condemn or judge the world and mankind…the question we need to ask is this…should we?

To illustrate the power of forgiveness, think about this…as Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary that day, one of the last statements that flowed from His lips as He looked out at the crowd that day was, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Less than two months later as Peter preached to that very same crowd, the Bible records in Acts 2:41… “and that day about three thousand souls were added to them…” Talk about revival!! Then in the 7th chapter of Acts, the Bible records Stephen’s last words just as he was being stoned to death for his faith in Christ… “Lord, do not charge them with this sin…”(verse 60) and then he died. As he lay among the heaps of stones that had been hurled at him, the 1st verse of chapter 7 says, “Now Saul was consenting to his death.” What a powerful impact Stephen’s forgiveness of his murders must have had on the Apostle Paul’s life. What a powerful impact we can have on the lives of those around us when we choose to forgive.

But, you might wonder how we can forgive, when our natural instinct is to hold a grudge or to look for revenge. First, we must understand that the enemies of God and of man do not come in fleshly form, but our battle is in the realm of the spirit, and that is where we need to wage our warfare. We don’t need to strive with one another. Paul reminds us of this in Eph. 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We can use the key of forgiveness to bind the strong man (Satan), and loose a heavenly blessing to all who will walk in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ. A battle in the spirit realm must be fought in the spirit realm with spiritual weapons. We can depend upon the Lord, that if there is truly injustice, then revenge belongs to the Lord, and it is with loving-kindness that He chooses to draw people to Himself (Jer.31:3). Our goal is to be used to fulfill His plan for the world, that men might be saved. We must pray for all men, seeking the good of each one and trusting that God said in His Word that He will pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh.

In the likeness and form of our Redeemer, we must “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it many be defiled.” (Heb.12:14-15) But rather, let us love others as Christ loves us, patiently enduring for the sake of others, esteeming or honoring others above our own selves…for this is the way of Christ, the way of the cross, and the very essence of the Kingdom of Heaven.

We can allow the same Spirit which raised Christ Jesus from the dead, the Spirt which was sent from Heaven to give us power to be witnesses unto Him, and to comfort us and guide us in all truth, also teach us to forgive. The abundant life that Jesus promises (John 10:10) depends on it. We cannot maintain the peace which surpasses understanding by maintaining bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts.

But this ability cannot be found in our own strength or good intentions. We can’t even will ourselves to forgive the hurts that others have inflicted us, and just saying the word of forgiveness isn’t enough. But only as we recognize the truth, and earnestly seek God to enable us to forgive any and all who have trespassed against us can we finally be set free. We must once again humble ourselves, admit that we have not truly forgiven from our hearts, and then ask God to apply the blood of the Lamb once again, to wash us white as snow and to remove the impurities that remain in our hearts. We must ask again, “Father, teach me to forgive” and then be willing to act in obedience, confessing to God our desire to lay all unclean thoughts and motives at the foot of the cross. If by His Spirit, He gives specific instruction to pursue peace with someone, we must be willing to obey. It may seem difficult at first, but as we step out in faith, trusting our Father, He will lighten our load, remove the burden, and restore the joy to our hearts. We may be instructed to simply allow our attitude to be altered, and we may need to offer up prayer for someone we have not allowed ourselves to pray for previously. Whatever the Spirit speaks to our hearts, we must be willing to do. Then we must guard our minds against the evil that satan would bring against us intending that we stumble. Refuse to think unkindly or unjustly against that person. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Seek to encourage, to build up and to strengthen others, for this is the will of God. And at last, as Paul encouraged the church at Philippi (Phil.4:8), may we also encourage you, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let you mind dwell on these things.” May the God of peace dwell richly within you!