Forgiving Others

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:15-16.

Jesus is giving us an obvious truth that is often neglected by God's people. It is very simple; forgive others of their trespasses against you and you will be forgiven by God for the trespasses you have committed against God, and if you do not forgive men their trespasses God will not forgive you of your trespasses. I have read this verse so many times I can't count, but today I just realized that I have some forgiving to do. I have been harboring hatred in my heart and I am scared to think that my Lord has not forgiven me. This same concept is found in the Lord's prayer which is mentioned right before these verses in the book of Matthew, when Jesus say for us to pray, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Again it is found in the parable in Matthew 18:23-35, "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

When we are forgiven by God through Jesus Christ, our sins are washed away, and not because we deserved it, but because God is gracious and merciful. When he takes away our sins, it is not because of anything we have done to make him happy enough with us to take them away; it is all based on the grace he has shown us through sacrificing his only Son, Jesus Christ. It was a despicable and hard thing for the Lord to do, to watch his only Son take on the sins of the world as he hang on a cross, dying.

How should this effect us? When someone does something very wrong to us when we didn't deserve it how are we to forgive that person? Should we go give them a hug and tell them we love them and forgive them when they aren't asking for forgiveness? I don't think that is what the Lord meant for us to do, unless it was a family member or close loved one who offended you and the relationship was reconciled. I believe we have to release the hatred and bitterness in our hearts and say, "Dear Lord God, I forgive this person for the sin they have committed against me, and I pray that you forgive them also. For they did not know what they were doing." Think of the grace and mercy the Lord has shown us. He could easily let his anger burn against us, kill us and send us to hell to suffer for eternity for the sins that we have committed against his perfection. We ought to be on our knees crying out loud, "THANK YOU GOD FOR BEING MERCIFUL TO ME!!". You can be guaranteed it is totally of his mercy when he forgives us, so we should strive to be like God and show mercy to others. "Be ye therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect", as our Lord Jesus Christ says.

This is a hard pill to swallow, but even if you or I don't feel like forgiving someone for the sin committed against us, just pray to the Lord to forgive them and he will give you a heart to forgive sooner or later. We just have to obey his commands. God bless you and keep you.

The Main Message

There is one message in the Bible, one central theme; Glorify God by love and obedience. That is true worship. There is one sermon in the Bible, the same one Noah preached, the prophets of old preached, the Apostles preached, and the Lord Jesus Christ preached; repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We humans are prone to be disobedient to the only God of heaven and earth. As an entire race we have gone away from Him and can do NO good. He created us; He is God and King and the Father of us all. No amount of ignorance or disbelief can take away truth, and that is truth. No matter how much a man believes the sky is green it is still blue. You can't change truth. Another truth is that all men are separated from God. Separation from God includes separation from all benefits associated with God such as temporal blessings and special protection. But the most terrible tragedy is the loss of eternal life in heaven and the promise of eternal punishment in hell. This broken relationship with God is caused by sin; your personal sin. However, since God is merciful and loving He has granted provision for the restoration of this broken relationship; He has made a way to wipe our slate clean, take away all the sin in our life, and grant us eternal life in heaven. Jesus Christ is that way, and He is the only way. He took the punishment you deserve. Without Him you are condemned to eternal hell because of your sins. It is not because you haven't accepted Christ but because you are laden with sins that God must condemn. Let Jesus bare your load of sin. Though your sins be as red as scarlet Jesus will make you white as snow. Don't delay because we are not promised another day. James 4:14, "Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow; for what is your life? It is a even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." Life is short. Give your life to God through Christ today. Repent, turn away from your old way of life, and turn to Jesus for forgiveness.

People have noticed that I usually write only about one thing, and that is salvation. Well, when God puts it on my heart to write about something else I will; but until then, people are dying and being sent to eternity in fire and torment. Let me ask you, Christian, can you live with that? Can you live with the fact that the person you are sitting next to at work may one day be burning in fire eternally? Can you imagine a family member in torment forever? That's right - FOREVER. God have mercy on us for neglecting the salvation of souls.