Hebrews 12:15 CSB – Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.
Ephesians 4:32 CSB – And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
Matthew 18:21 CSB – Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”
Matthew 18:22 CSB – “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:23-25 CSB – For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him. Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.
Matthew 18:26 CSB – At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.”
Matthew 18:27 CSB – Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.
Forgiveness Is Not Minimizing
Forgiveness is Not Trusting
Forgiveness is Seeing People Through God’s Eyes
Forgiveness is Absorbing the Hurt
Isaiah 5:5 CSB – But He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.
Forgiveness Means Joy
“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way of remembering. We change the memory of our past into hope for our future.” –Lewis Smedes
“You will know you are in the healing stream when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.” – Lewis Smedes
Forgive Because We Have Been Forgiven Much
Matthew 18:28, 29 CSB – That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
Matthew 18:30, 31 CSB – But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.
Matthew 18:32-35 CSB – Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart.
Withholding Forgiveness Imprisons Us
The problem with revenge is that it never evens the score. It ties both the injured and the injurer to an escalator of pain. Both are stuck on the escalator as long as parity is demanded, and the escalator never stops. – Lewis Smedes
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. – Lewis Smedes
Experience Jesus’ Forgiveness Yourself
Ephesians 4:32 CSB – And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
Forgive Quickly and Slowly
Hebrews 12:15 CSB – Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.
Forgive Through Action, Not Emotion
Ephesians 4:31, 32 CSB – Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
