Forgiveness 101?

Question

Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
How would you describe the way God has forgiven us? (Consider Psalm 103:10-12)
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us

How should His forgiveness affect the way we deal with those who sin against us?

I know my answer to this question. I want to know what others think and interpret this.

*and how others interpret this. sorry.

Answer 1

Forgiving someone who has hurt you repeatedly is a very difficult thing to do, especially when they never ask for your forgiveness and never admit any wrongdoing on their part. I struggled with this myself for a long time. I knew that I was supposed to forgive, but my heart was still wounded and my mind kept replaying past hurts. These are the verses that kept haunting me:

"But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." -Matthew 6:15

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." -Luke 6:37

First, I tried to argue with God. I presented my case before Him, told Him how this person had hurt and mistreated me. Still, the verses convicted me that I was wrong. Then, I prayed and prayed that God would help me to be forgiving toward this person.

Finally, I realized that God was looking for a step of faith, that He was waiting for me to meet Him halfway. Sometimes, forgiveness begins with an action, and the feelings come later. Sometimes forgiving others is an act of obedience, not something we do because we feel like it. So, I changed my attitude and actions when it came to dealing with this person. Instead of being distant and cold like before (because I was hurt), I tried showing love and kindness. It was hard at first, but little by little, it became easier, and then I realized something amazing. I no longer felt the bitterness and anger like I had before. God had taken those from me and replaced them with a new compassion for this person.

It was like an enormous weight had been lifted. When we harbor grudges, we only hurt ourselves, not the person who hurt us. God has forgiven me for a lot of things. Too many sins to count. So, in light of His abundant love and forgiveness, how can I NOT forgive others their mistakes? Plus, when we forgive others, we are immitators of Jesus. God uses US to demonstrate His love to others. And, who knows? The love and forgiveness we show them might someday lead them to Christ.

God said others would know we are His disciples by our love. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:35

Answer 2

Forgiveness is not always easy for us but, Jesus has told us to forgive others just as God has forgiven us.

People are human with human faults. Try to look at them the way God does. He loves everyone and wants them to come and be saved even though we have done wrong things and we are so sinful. I have to remember how terrible I am and He still loves me. This helps me to forgive others.l

Answer 3

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Answer 4

we should forgive those who sin against us. It's one of the hardest things in our lives to do but we are supposed to. But we do not have to forget the sin or treat them as how we did before they sinned against us.

God never said "forgive and forget" someone who didn't alot of hurt towards others made that up. God doesn't want us to forget he wants us to grow and use that hurt and show him that no matter how hurt our hearts are we still love and forgive and live and thrive b/c we were forgiven by his perfect son before we were ever born.

Answer 5

The difference between man and God as I see it is this: Men do not forget...God does.

To forgive simply means to do your very best to not hold something against someone when they offend you. Try to see what might have caused them to feel the way they did...that really helps a lot.

Answer 6

Number 1: you can not be forgiven if you can not forgive. The golden rule is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." and you are supposed to turn the other cheek, this is all easier said than done. But I try to do this everyday.

Answer 7

yes its very true-"As I have forgiven you forgive others."
in salvation we owe Jesus everything-I repented from my sins asked Jesus into my heart to be my friend, and got born again. John 3 and Revelation 3:19&20 "I love you and ask you to repent quickly, Behold I stand at your heart's door and knock to come in, if you hear my word and open the door, I will come in and have fellowship with you and you with me."

I say unto you forgive 70 times 7.

"Vengence is mine saith the Lord, therefore I will repay."

a song-If I hold my peace and let the lord fight my battles, Victory oh Victory shall be mine."

good question, best would be the final question first, David

Answer 8

Well, sorry , but I'm just not too forgiving, aganist the people who sin against me ... Sorry, but that's the way it is
I am also a firm believer in God.. But just stuborn, he will straighten me out sooner or later

Answer 9

Those you hold bound on Earth shall be held bound in Heaven. And the ever popular, judge not, lest ye be judged (meaning, the criteria you use to judge others will be used to judge you)

Answer 10

I find the Buddhist concepts of Compassion and Karma more worthwhile in dealing with people who have done harm.

It's in the past, don't let it hamper your happiness or enlightenment.