Forgiveness?
Lately the topic of forgiveness has been something that I have really been wrestling through. What does it look like exactly? How do we find ourselves at this point of total forgiveness? How do we get rid bitterness that creeps up on us from wrongs done more than 5 years ago that we were sure we dealt with? On our own we don’t. And this is the big thing about forgiveness that I have been learning about lately this year. We cannot forgive others on our own. We can’t. We are grudge-holding, hurting, bitter (at times) sinful people. We are just not capable of forgiving someone on our own.
It is only through recognizing what Christ did for us so we could we forgiven by God for every wrong we made and are about to make, that we can forgive others. This is a theme that has popped up in so many random places. I honestly don’t think I’ve really thought of that before until this year. I mean, I always knew the Gospel but I never really thought about how the Gospel really sets me free from so many things, including having the freedom to forgive others. Without the Gospel, I can’t fully forgive. I’m too human, sinful and hard hearted.
“…it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus……For it is by GRACE, you have been saved, through FAITH-and this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God” –Ephesians 2:1-8
This verse just really reminds me that there is nothing I can do, to be saved. Especially the part, “and this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God”
When I recognize what God did for me, how Christ died for me and the grace and freedom that was offered to me just because He loved me? Whoa. It is so freeing and humbling and reminds me that by HIS power I can give grace to others no matter what.
Then this got me thinking, we don’t have the right to hold anyone else’s wrongs as worse than our own because we are all equally sinful. So why hold someone accountable to what they have done? That’s not my job. That’s God’s job and I should let Him do His job. I’m not “God” though sometimes I try to be and try to decide how someone should be punished but that’s not my job. And harboring bitterness in my heart for wrongs made doesn’t do any good. Instead, it just makes you more miserable and does not set you free.
This even includes forgiving yourself and not being bitter towards yourself. I don’t know about you but I know I wrestle to forgive myself more than others but Christ’s blood shed has even set me free from that! It’s incredible.
So how do we forgive?
By God’s grace and power. In recognizing what Christ has done for us and the price He paid so that we could be forgiven, we can forgive others and ourselves. And something else that I’m learning is it is not a said and done thing. We have to daily surrender our bitterness to God, ask Him to help us forgive and recognize that it is only through Him and with Him that we can forgive others and ourselves. It is through Him that there is freedom from hard hearts, grudges and hurts. And even remembering that on your own is difficult because after all you are human, but you can ask God to help you to remember and surrender.
Think of someone in your life who you may need to forgive and I’d encourage you to look over these verses, be reminded of the grace that was given to you and how it is through this grace given, that you can move past this bitterness and hard-heartedness and even pain if that may be a part of what you need to forgive.
Romans 6: 17-18
Romans 6:6-7
It is only through recognizing what Christ did for us so we could we forgiven by God for every wrong we made and are about to make, that we can forgive others. This is a theme that has popped up in so many random places. I honestly don’t think I’ve really thought of that before until this year. I mean, I always knew the Gospel but I never really thought about how the Gospel really sets me free from so many things, including having the freedom to forgive others. Without the Gospel, I can’t fully forgive. I’m too human, sinful and hard hearted.
“…it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus……For it is by GRACE, you have been saved, through FAITH-and this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God” –Ephesians 2:1-8
This verse just really reminds me that there is nothing I can do, to be saved. Especially the part, “and this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God”
When I recognize what God did for me, how Christ died for me and the grace and freedom that was offered to me just because He loved me? Whoa. It is so freeing and humbling and reminds me that by HIS power I can give grace to others no matter what.
Then this got me thinking, we don’t have the right to hold anyone else’s wrongs as worse than our own because we are all equally sinful. So why hold someone accountable to what they have done? That’s not my job. That’s God’s job and I should let Him do His job. I’m not “God” though sometimes I try to be and try to decide how someone should be punished but that’s not my job. And harboring bitterness in my heart for wrongs made doesn’t do any good. Instead, it just makes you more miserable and does not set you free.
This even includes forgiving yourself and not being bitter towards yourself. I don’t know about you but I know I wrestle to forgive myself more than others but Christ’s blood shed has even set me free from that! It’s incredible.
So how do we forgive?
By God’s grace and power. In recognizing what Christ has done for us and the price He paid so that we could be forgiven, we can forgive others and ourselves. And something else that I’m learning is it is not a said and done thing. We have to daily surrender our bitterness to God, ask Him to help us forgive and recognize that it is only through Him and with Him that we can forgive others and ourselves. It is through Him that there is freedom from hard hearts, grudges and hurts. And even remembering that on your own is difficult because after all you are human, but you can ask God to help you to remember and surrender.
Think of someone in your life who you may need to forgive and I’d encourage you to look over these verses, be reminded of the grace that was given to you and how it is through this grace given, that you can move past this bitterness and hard-heartedness and even pain if that may be a part of what you need to forgive.
Romans 6: 17-18
Romans 6:6-7
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