God Gives Us The Ability To Forgive Others
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you . Forgiving can be one of the hardest things that God requires of us. But, the good news is He doesnt command it of us and then leave us to do it on our own. He gives us Jesus as an example. And, He gives us the power, through the Holy Spirit.
I Forgive But I Dont Forget
Im going to be honest here. The subject of forgiveness always used to make me feel uncomfortable. Anytime Im given the task to examine myself, it always seems to show up. Heres my problem: I forgive, but I dont forget.
Recently, I realized that not being able to forget is a burden that I no longer wanted to carry, so I took it to the Lord in prayer and overtime He has relieved me of this burden.
While many of us can relate to this statement, I forgive, but I dont forget the reality of forgiveness is that its more than just the words we say, its the things that we do that demonstrates our forgiveness.
In essence, we must learn how to forgive, not just with our lips but with our deeds.
True forgiveness is a decision that we must intentionally commit to daily. And it doesnt require us to forget but to rememberremember that we forgave.
This is exactly what Jesus taught the disciples about forgiveness. When they asked him how many times should they forgive their brother of his offense. Jesus answered
I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven.
I always thought that number was a little insane. I mean really who wants to forgive a person that many times? But if we think about how many times the memory of what someone did or said comes against us, its that amount of times we are to remind ourselves we choose forgiveness.
As Kingdom people, the cross of Jesus is our constant reminder that we are forgiven.
Prayer for Forgiveness:
Is It Okay To Feel Anger And Want Justice For The Person We Need To Forgive
This question presents another reason to pray for the person we need to forgive. We can pray and ask God to deal with the injustices. We can trust God to judge that person’s life, and then we ought to leave that prayer at the altar. We no longer have to carry the anger. Although it is normal for us to feel anger toward sin and injustice, it is not our job to judge the other person in their sin.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
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Meaning Of Forget In The Bible
There are two primary words for forget in Hebrew: shakach and nashah. But they are not exact opposites of zakar. To forget in Hebrew also means to ignore, neglect, forsake or act in willful disregard of a person or promise. Israel was warned often not to forget God, as in Deuteronomy 4:23:
Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you.
To forget the covenant was more than just erasing the memory of it, but included the actions of forsaking and disregarding it.
So when God said He would utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence , He was saying that He would no longer honor the covenant with them because they had broken it. God would cease to intervene on their behalfnot erase knowledge of them from His memory.
Should I Forgive Someone Who Keeps Hurting Me
Moving away from that someone who repeatedly hurts you makes for a safer space in your life. And forgiving them makes for a stress-free space in your mind. Remember, setting boundaries, that is, marking what behaviors of others you will allow towards yourself, does not mean remaining vindictive to the offender.
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What Are The Benefits Of Forgiveness
The good news: Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack improving cholesterol levels and sleep and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression and stress.
What Does The Bible Say About Forgive And Not Forget
The Bible teaches us much about forgiveness, and all of it is the opposite of forgive and forget. In Matthew 6:14-15, For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
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How Do You Turn Remembered Pain And Sorrow Into A Godly Sorrow
A Prayer To Model Gods Way Of Forgiveness
When faced with the choice to walk in forgiveness, I have prayed a prayer such as the one below:
God, I desire to model Your way of forgiveness more than holding on to the hurt. You commanded us to forgive in Your Word, so I forgive my offender right now. Father, as Jesus did while hanging on the cross, I ask You to forgive my offender as well. Now, Lord, I release my offender to You. They are no longer guilty. I let go of any resentment towards my offender and will not allow a root of bitterness to take root. Any time my thoughts want to dwell on the offense, I cast it down. I refuse to keep a record of wrongs, therefore forgetting the sin committed against me. Thank You for the freedom from hurt that comes from walking in biblical forgiveness. In Jesus name. Amen.
Note: Natural memories of past circumstances might still be present, especially while we are still being healed from hurt. However, if we choose to remember because we are holding a grudge, that is when we walk through a door that leads to the root of bitterness.
You might be saying, You dont know what they did to me.
No, I dont. But God does, and despite the pain, He is a God of love. Doing these five truths cause us to walk in His way of forgiveness.
Its love in action.
How else can we model Gods way of forgiveness?
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It’s the whisper in your ear saying “Set It Free”
– Forgiveness – Matthew West
It is the norm to hear persons who have been betrayed or hurt by someone saying they have forgiven the perpetrator, but they will never forget. This usually follows through with their refusing to trust that person ever again. A once comfortable relationship has been reduced to polite hellos and there is no mistaking the marked difference in the interactions.
It is even worse when the ones who are finding it hard to forgive and move are Christians.
For insight on the issue, Family and Religion reached out to Rev Dwight Bryan of the … who reminds that the Bible clearly instructs to forgive even as God has forgiven.
“Mark 11:25-26 states that when we pray we ought to forgive, as this is a prerequisite for receiving our own forgiveness. So, one can clearly see that forgiving others is for one’s own benefit,” he points out.
Regarding moving on and trusting the offending party once more, Bryan drew reference to John 2:24, “‘But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people .” We see here that Jesus did not entrust himself to the adoring crowd. He knew well that they could shout ‘Hosanna’ one day, and ‘Crucify Him!’ the next,” he points out.
Does The Bible Say God Will Forgive And Forget
One of the greatest truths of the Bible is that God loved us so much He gave His only begotten Son for us . Jesus Christ sacrificed His life to pay for our sins in order to forgive us when we repent. God is a merciful God, and He will remove our sins as far as the east is from the west .
God clearly forgives. But many have asked if He really does completely forget. There are several passages that seem to indicate that God does indeed remove all knowledge of repented sins from His mind:
- Psalm 25:7: Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness sake, O LORD.
- Jeremiah 31:34: No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.
- Ezekiel 18:22: None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.
- Hebrews 8:12 : For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
However, consider that the Bible nowhere says God will forget our sins, only that He will not remember them. This distinction becomes clear when we understand what the Hebrew words for remember and forget really mean.
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What Is True Forgiveness
Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses.
Does God Say We Should Forgive But Not Forget
Forgive but not forget? Is it biblical? Learn the answer to that question plus five ways to model Gods way of forgiveness.
Ive been to Strife City. Its not pretty. When I stormed out its gates, I felt dirty all over. I tried to shake it off but still felt miserable.
The burning thoughts of the ugly encounter filled my head. Despondency inhibited me from planning what to do next.
Over time God reminded me that His truth makes me beautiful. This idea stirred me from my dismal state: my ugly encounter for His beautiful truth.
But how do I get from one opposite extreme to another? I was willing to be teachable.
He enlightened me on how to forgive completely.
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Bible Verses On Forgiveness
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
1. When you forgive, learn to forget.
Isaiah 43:25
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
2. Once we forgive, we are also forgiven
Matthew 6:14
3. Jesus forgave his persecutors
Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
4. He forgave us.
Acts 10:42-43
“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
5. Once you forgive, you find redemption.
Ephesians 1:7-10
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”
With this thoughts of mine shared, I hope you find a strategy to forgiveness that works for you.
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Forgiving Others Can Be Really Difficult
Forgiving others is important, but sometimes it can be really difficult to do. Why should I forgive, and how can I do it?
Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22.
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. Matthew 6:14-15.
Forgiving others who have wronged you, whether for a relatively small thing, or for a seriously damaging act against you, can sometimes seem like an insurmountably difficult thing to do. In some cases its a process that really takes time. Yet, the Bible is crystal clear on the necessity of it. And there are no caveats such as unless,if, or but. As in all things, we need to look to our Forerunner, Captain, and Master as our example.
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God Forgives And Forgets
Forgiving and forgetting shows us how he manifests true kindness, mercy, and compassion. His unlimited and eternal love is on full display as an example. He removes our sin from his presence and hurls them into oblivion- as far as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12
His mind is unfathomable. Who knows? He may be able to remove our sin from his mind like erasing a hard drive on a computer. All things are possible with God, so in that aspect, I think if he chooses to forget our sins, he can.
Forgiveness Does Not Mean You Are To Make It Easy For The Offender To Hurt You Again
They may hurt you again. That is their decision. But you must set boundaries on your relationship with them. The fact that you establish rules to govern how and to what extent you interact with this person in the future does not mean you have failed to sincerely and truly forgive them. True love never aids and abets the sin of another. The offender may himself be offended that you set parameters on your friendship to prevent them from doing further harm. They may even say, How dare you? This just proves that you didnt mean it when you said you forgave me. Dont buy into their manipulation. Forgiveness does not mean you become a helpless and passive doormat for their continual sin.
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What You Can Do
Understand what forgiveness involves. In the Bible, at times the word forgive means let go. So forgiveness does not always require that you forget what happened or minimize the wrong. Sometimes it means that you simply need to let go of a matter, for your own well-being and that of your marriage.
Recognize the consequences of not forgiving. Some experts say that holding on to resentment can put you at greater risk for a wide range of physical and emotional problems, including depression and high blood pressurenot to mention the damage it does to your marriage. For good reason, the Bible says: Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another.Ephesians 4:32.
Recognize the benefits of forgiving. A spirit of forgiveness allows you and your mate to give each other the benefit of the doubt rather than to keep score of wrongs. That, in turn, helps you to create an environment that keeps resentment in check and allows love to grow.Bible principle: Colossians 3:13.
Be realistic. It is easier to be forgiving when you accept your spouse for who he or she is, flaws and all. When you focus on what you didnt get, its too easy to forget all of what you did get, says the book Fighting for Your Marriage. Which list do you want to dwell on at this point in life? Remember, no one is perfectincluding you.Bible principle: James 3:2.
Is The Saying Forgive And Forget Biblical
The phrase forgive and forget is not found in Scripture. However, Scripture does say that love keeps no record of wrongs and that love conquers a multitude of sins. But does this mean you simply forget the sin committed against you? Forgive and forget most likely comes from passages like Psalm 103:12 and Micah 7:19.
As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
He will again have compassion on us he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Because of Christs atoning work on the cross, God will never again allow the knowledge of these sins to play a part in relating to you. Christ reconciles you to God the Father, who then sees you as washed us white as snow through Christs shed blood. Humans are not able to do this perfectly like God does, and this is why regular reminders of the gospel are so important.
Christs atoning work on the cross perfectly covers all of your past, current, and future sins. So any pain you have dealt with in the past, are dealing with in the present, or will deal with in the future is perfectly cared for by Jesus. The gospel frees you up! You have been forgiven so you are able to forgive .
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