Forgive others who sin against you

[PeterJens]

"Forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us"

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.
Matt 6:14-15

This line from the Lords prayer is profound. If we do not recognise our own failures and those of others, why should the Lord forgive us our sins.

A contributor once told me we were commanded to forgive others.
You will find throughout scripture we are not commanded to forgive, we are simply told if we do not rightly recognise our debt to the Lord of all, and his forgiveness and mercy, and forgive others in like measure, the Lord will not forgive us.

Without this insight into ourselves, our weakness, frailty, tendency to give in, lash out, hurt, be selfish, how can we see other people in a loving supportive and forgiving manner. How can you love your neighbour, love your enemy, unless you understand the flaws and innocence and also beauty of the needs within, from which spring hope.

Imagine you met a man who was completely evil, beyond hope or empathy. Are they a victim of the evil within, possesed by it or an unforgivable work on insanity? The answer for me is I am not the one to judge, I am called to forgive as I am forgiven, because I will never know if this is true and it is not my place to try.

Some have called this old covenant thinking, living under the law. This is insane and blind language. To know love is to know forgiveness, hope, desire, seeking blessing where evil seems to reign, turning that which is dominated by death into a place dominated by life. If you cannot walk in forgiveness, you cannot walk in love, and you cannot walk in fellowship with God.

Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matt 6:32-35

 

[PeterJens]

Interesting side issue

If someone claims to have been saved, yet does not forgive those who sin against them, they will not be forgiven, so will loose their salvation.

No wonder those who hold to OSAS, cannot hold to forgiveness is part of the gospel.

But what Jesus is saying is ownership of everything is in the Lords hands, and we are commanded to share and be open, and walk with hearts of love, which do not hold wrongs against others, because His will, blessing and love rule in His kingdom.

So if you claim to be a member of this Kingdom, yet hold a wrong against you higher than the Lords love, you do not hold the loves love as your highest aim, and ruler in your soul, so deny you own existance in the Kingdom and sin against the Lord.

Can you willfully choose not to forgive, though you walk with Jesus? Yes, so you can fall away.

 

[Grace777x70]

Did Jesus Put Price tags on Forgiveness? (Matthew 6:14-15)

The gospel that Jesus revealed declares that God loves you like a father, he holds nothing against you, and he longs for his sons and daughters to come home. It’s the good news an orphaned world desperately needs to hear.

So why did Jesus say this:

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. (Matt 6:14-15)

This sounds like bad news, as though you must earn God’s forgiveness through works of forgiveness. How are we to read these words? I’m going to give you three interpretations, and then you can choose.

1. Jesus is preaching law

As many grace preachers have said (including me in this post), Jesus was preaching law to those who lived under law.

Jesus was the greatest law preacher of all time. He preached law so the self-righteous would see their desperate need for grace.

The old law-keeping covenant has gone but the self-righteous who remain need to hear the harsh words of Jesus. The truth is you cannot earn God’s forgiveness. The measure of forgiveness we need is infinitely greater than any forgiveness we could show to others.

Did Jesus put price tags on forgiveness? In this passage, he does! But on the cross he paid that price on our behalf. The very condition for forgiveness that Jesus preached on the Mount, he fulfilled on the cross. Only in Christ do we receive the Father’s forgiveness.

2. Jesus is describing the fruit of grace

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20)

Taylor Swift sang “Haters gonna hate,” but the lyrics are from John. Haters gonna hate because hate is in their heart. The fruit reveal the tree. But if you have been apprehended by the love of your heavenly Father you won’t be a hater anymore. You’ll be a lover and a forgiver.

Paul wrote, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col 3:13) and that’s the proper order. God acts, we respond. But if we don’t respond it’s as if God never acted. Do you see the connection? If we don’t believe God has forgiven us then Christ died for nothing. That’s what Jesus is saying here:

In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. (Matt 6:14-15, MSG)

Unforgiveness is a form of bondage. It’s a grace killer. If you are unable to release forgiveness to others, you’ll have trouble experiencing the forgiveness that God has given to you.

It’s not that God will become unloving and travel back through time and stop Jesus from carrying your sins on the cross. God never changes! But if you don’t respond to what he has done, it’s as if he’d never done it. Grace without faith is worthless.

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus tells the story of a king who forgives an indebted servant (Matt 18:23-35). But the servant is unchanged by the king’s grace. By choosing to remain graceless and unforgiving the servant reveals his contempt for the gift and the giver. He does not, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Instead he scorns grace and ends up miserable.

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25-26)

Again, there are two ways to read this: (1) as a law the self-righteous must obey if they are to keep up their charade, or (2) as an exhortation to walk in the grace of a Father who has already forgiven you in Christ.

“Paul, how can you say God has forgiven you when Jesus says he may forgive you?” Because I’ve seen the cross! To forgive is to send your sins away and Jesus did that already. He will never do it again and you cannot undo what he has done (Heb 9:26).

Because of Jesus God is no longer counting your sins against you (2 Cor 5:19).
The issue is not “what can I get God to do?” but “what God has done and what can I now do because of what he has done.”

Has someone hurt you? Are you the victim of an unforgiveable crime? By the grace of God you can be free from that wound! Don’t hold onto the sins of others like the unforgiving servant. You’ll be miserable.

The flow of grace will be poisoned by the bitter root. Let go of sin and take hold of grace. Be better, not bitter. See the cross. See what Jesus did for you them forgive them in Jesus’ Name and be free!

3. It’s both, for Jesus speaks to all of us at our point of need

What you look through determines what you see. If you are trusting in your own performance, you will read Jesus’ words as law. “I must work to earn God’s forgiveness.” You cannot succeed! When life hurts you this law will condemn you as a law-breaker in need of grace, and the sooner that happens the better.

However, if you are trusting in Christ’s righteousness, you will read his words as an exhortation to walk in grace. You want more grace? Then give from the abundant supply he has given to you. Let no bitter root grow that causes you to fall short of grace (Heb 12:15).

Jesus spoke words the whole world needs to hear. The genius of Jesus was that he could speak to crowds of people and meet everyone – the self-righteous and the hungry – at their point of need.

It’s a mistake to dismiss the words of Jesus as irrelevant or old covenant or pre-cross. If it’s in the Bible it’s useful for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). The words of Jesus either reveal the self-righteousness that leads to death or the Christ-righteousness that causes you to reign in life!

The followers of Jesus still know that He has the words of eternal life!

This is the link for those wanting to read the comments at the bottom of this teaching..sometimes I get insight from the questions people asked at the bottom.

Did Jesus Put Price tags on Forgiveness? (Matthew 6:14-15) – Escape to Reality

 

[Budman]

If someone claims to have been saved, yet does not forgive those who sin against them, they will not be forgiven, so will loose their salvation.

By that reasoning, anytime you sin, you'll lose your salvation. You can't pick and choose what sins will, or will not, cause you to lose salvation.

So my question to you is: How many times a day do you lose your salvation and get saved again?

 

[PeterJens]

Do you hear the spirit of rebellion against forgiveness?

Walking with Jesus is walking in forgiveness. We are saved because we are forgiven.

Some will preach, forgiveness is instant. No, forgiveness is a walk and takes time. I have found things build up, and suddenly I find I hold something bad against someone, which then I need to forgive, so I do.

Our faith is reckoned as righteousness. This covers our failures, but our walk is simple. If we lack forgiveness why should the Lord forgive us? This is what Jesus said, pure and simple.

Why are people in rebellion against this?

There must be things they do not forgive in their hearts, or else why do they not see this is what walking in love is all about.

 

[PeterJens]

Comment - Grace7x77 appears to be saying lack of forgiveness destroys grace. So he agrees, we need to forgive from the heart to walk with God.

Oddly it does not sound like that at the beginning, he seems to be saying it is like legalism, a condition on being forgiven.
But that is actually true, it is a condition. But to admit that openly would deny the general position against legalism or conditional salvation, when this is exactly what Jesus is saying.

As I have said before generalisations are dangerous, like this idea of what legalism is and condemning large parts of scripture as meaningless or with little value.

 

[FreeNChrist]

After the Cross.....

Colossians 3:13
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 

[Grace777x70]

After the cross we forgive because we know that we are forgiven - just like we love because He first loved us.

On the subject of forgiveness that we have in Christ now because of His precious Blood...here is what the scriptures say..

1 John 2:12 (NASB)
[SUP]12 [/SUP] I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake.

have been forgiven = perfect passive

perfect = The perfect tense expresses perfective action. Perfective action involves a present state which has resulted from a past action. The present state is a continuing state; the past action is a completed action. It is continuously in the present

passive = voice = action is happening to you....you are not doing it

Without a doubt this verse says that the sins are forgiven from a past action that remains in a continuous completed state and that was put on them....not something they did

Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
[SUP]7 [/SUP] In whom we have redemption through his blood,the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We have redemption = present continuous action...so this means we have present continuous forgiveness of our sins...

and look...that grace stuff shows up again!...it's all according tothe riches of our loving Father's grace that He has given to us in Christ our Lord.

Colossians 1:13-14 (NASB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
[SUP]14 [/SUP] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Same thing here too...present continuous action = forgiveness of sins


Redemption!..we have been bought with the precious Blood of Jesus... Let's honor His work


Brethren ...we have a great salvation in our Lord!

 

[Chuckt]

Interesting side issue

If someone claims to have been saved, yet does not forgive those who sin against them, they will not be forgiven, so will loose their salvation.

No wonder those who hold to OSAS, cannot hold to forgiveness is part of the gospel.

But what Jesus is saying is ownership of everything is in the Lords hands, and we are commanded to share and be open, and walk with hearts of love, which do not hold wrongs against others, because His will, blessing and love rule in His kingdom.

So if you claim to be a member of this Kingdom, yet hold a wrong against you higher than the Lords love, you do not hold the loves love as your highest aim, and ruler in your soul, so deny you own existance in the Kingdom and sin against the Lord.

Can you willfully choose not to forgive, though you walk with Jesus? Yes, so you can fall away.

I believe they will be saved but just not forgiven.
Matthew 18 gives the reasons not to forgive.
My church has taught that we can give people a time out.


When the Bible says to forgive as we were forgiven, how were we forgiven?
We confessed our sins and often times people who habitually sin against us do not say they are sorry.

 

[Chuckt]

After the Cross.....

Colossians 3:13
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

I confessed I was a sinner to God. People who sin against me do not confess their sins to me.
So I am supposed to forgive as God forgave and they didn't do anything to ask for forgiveness but I did.

 

[Chuckt]

Did Jesus Put Price tags on Forgiveness? (Matthew 6:14-15)

The gospel that Jesus revealed declares that God loves you like a father, he holds nothing against you, and he longs for his sons and daughters to come home. It’s the good news an orphaned world desperately needs to hear.

So why did Jesus say this:

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. (Matt 6:14-15)

This sounds like bad news, as though you must earn God’s forgiveness through works of forgiveness. How are we to read these words? I’m going to give you three interpretations, and then you can choose.

1. Jesus is preaching law

As many grace preachers have said (including me in this post), Jesus was preaching law to those who lived under law.

Jesus was the greatest law preacher of all time. He preached law so the self-righteous would see their desperate need for grace.

The old law-keeping covenant has gone but the self-righteous who remain need to hear the harsh words of Jesus. The truth is you cannot earn God’s forgiveness. The measure of forgiveness we need is infinitely greater than any forgiveness we could show to others.

Did Jesus put price tags on forgiveness? In this passage, he does! But on the cross he paid that price on our behalf. The very condition for forgiveness that Jesus preached on the Mount, he fulfilled on the cross. Only in Christ do we receive the Father’s forgiveness.

2. Jesus is describing the fruit of grace

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20)

Taylor Swift sang “Haters gonna hate,” but the lyrics are from John. Haters gonna hate because hate is in their heart. The fruit reveal the tree. But if you have been apprehended by the love of your heavenly Father you won’t be a hater anymore. You’ll be a lover and a forgiver.

Paul wrote, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col 3:13) and that’s the proper order. God acts, we respond. But if we don’t respond it’s as if God never acted. Do you see the connection? If we don’t believe God has forgiven us then Christ died for nothing. That’s what Jesus is saying here:

In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. (Matt 6:14-15, MSG)

Unforgiveness is a form of bondage. It’s a grace killer. If you are unable to release forgiveness to others, you’ll have trouble experiencing the forgiveness that God has given to you.

It’s not that God will become unloving and travel back through time and stop Jesus from carrying your sins on the cross. God never changes! But if you don’t respond to what he has done, it’s as if he’d never done it. Grace without faith is worthless.

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus tells the story of a king who forgives an indebted servant (Matt 18:23-35). But the servant is unchanged by the king’s grace. By choosing to remain graceless and unforgiving the servant reveals his contempt for the gift and the giver. He does not, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Instead he scorns grace and ends up miserable.

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25-26)

Again, there are two ways to read this: (1) as a law the self-righteous must obey if they are to keep up their charade, or (2) as an exhortation to walk in the grace of a Father who has already forgiven you in Christ.

“Paul, how can you say God has forgiven you when Jesus says he may forgive you?” Because I’ve seen the cross! To forgive is to send your sins away and Jesus did that already. He will never do it again and you cannot undo what he has done (Heb 9:26).

Because of Jesus God is no longer counting your sins against you (2 Cor 5:19).
The issue is not “what can I get God to do?” but “what God has done and what can I now do because of what he has done.”

Has someone hurt you? Are you the victim of an unforgiveable crime? By the grace of God you can be free from that wound! Don’t hold onto the sins of others like the unforgiving servant. You’ll be miserable.

The flow of grace will be poisoned by the bitter root. Let go of sin and take hold of grace. Be better, not bitter. See the cross. See what Jesus did for you them forgive them in Jesus’ Name and be free!

3. It’s both, for Jesus speaks to all of us at our point of need

What you look through determines what you see. If you are trusting in your own performance, you will read Jesus’ words as law. “I must work to earn God’s forgiveness.” You cannot succeed! When life hurts you this law will condemn you as a law-breaker in need of grace, and the sooner that happens the better.

However, if you are trusting in Christ’s righteousness, you will read his words as an exhortation to walk in grace. You want more grace? Then give from the abundant supply he has given to you. Let no bitter root grow that causes you to fall short of grace (Heb 12:15).

Jesus spoke words the whole world needs to hear. The genius of Jesus was that he could speak to crowds of people and meet everyone – the self-righteous and the hungry – at their point of need.

It’s a mistake to dismiss the words of Jesus as irrelevant or old covenant or pre-cross. If it’s in the Bible it’s useful for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). The words of Jesus either reveal the self-righteousness that leads to death or the Christ-righteousness that causes you to reign in life!

The followers of Jesus still know that He has the words of eternal life!

This is the link for those wanting to read the comments at the bottom of this teaching..sometimes I get insight from the questions people asked at the bottom.

Did Jesus Put Price tags on Forgiveness? (Matthew 6:14-15) – Escape to Reality

So what they are saying is, God will remember my sins after I am forgiven by God.
Hebrews 8:12 says God will remember my sins no more.

 

[FreeNChrist]

I confessed I was a sinner to God. People who sin against me do not confess their sins to me.
So I am supposed to forgive as God forgave and they didn't do anything to ask for forgiveness but I did.

IOW, you make God the responder to you. Confusion abounds.

 

[FreeNChrist]

I believe they will be saved but just not forgiven.

Impossible.

 

[reneweddaybyday]

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.


Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.


Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.


1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

 

[JesusIsAll]

This is just a question to ponder, when considering the dimensions of forgiveness. Is forgiveness automatic of any transgression and transgressor? Does the Lord forgive unconditionally, or is repentance called for?

Luke 17:1-4 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Do you unconditionally forgive all unrepentant offenders against you, go blind to evils, take them into your life and confidence, until they've succeeded in destroying you? Repentance can be important, if you're going to be vigilant of avoiding a dance with the devil. Just wanted to mention this.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

This is just a question to ponder, when considering the dimensions of forgiveness. Is forgiveness automatic of any transgression and transgressor? Does the Lord forgive unconditionally, or is repentance called for?

Luke 17:1-4 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Do you unconditionally forgive all unrepentant offenders against you, go blind to evils, take them into your life and confidence, until they've succeeded in destroying you? Repentance can be important, if you're going to be vigilant of avoiding a dance with the devil. Just wanted to mention this.

I think we always have to nurture a forgiving heart, but Jesus clearly said that IF a brother repents, forgive him.

 

[JesusIsAll]

I think we always have to nurture a forgiving heart, but Jesus clearly said that IF a brother repents, forgive him.

Yes, He does. I used to willy nilly forgive when very young, and the same people would do bad things, or try to do bad things to me, as a vocation. I realized I was wearing rose colored glasses, entertaining the devil in my life. I began to realize that some people are even very dangerous, who never repent, won't repent, rather even scheme more evil. Not even God forgives those who have no conviction of their evil and no change of mind that agrees with the things of God. All you have of the unrepentant are spiritual criminals, the walking dead, and one is best advised to be vigilant and wise as to who our friends are.

 

[FreeNChrist]

This is just a question to ponder, when considering the dimensions of forgiveness. Is forgiveness automatic of any transgression and transgressor? Does the Lord forgive unconditionally, or is repentance called for?

Luke 17:1-4 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Do you unconditionally forgive all unrepentant offenders against you, go blind to evils, take them into your life and confidence, until they've succeeded in destroying you? Repentance can be important, if you're going to be vigilant of avoiding a dance with the devil. Just wanted to mention this.

Gods forgiveness is unconditional, as ours is to be towards others.

 

[JesusIsAll]

Gods forgiveness is unconditional, as ours is to be towards others.

Sure. Everybody's saved. No conditions. No repentance required. No faith required. Yeah, when we see things like "if he repent" in the words of our Lord, let's just edit them out and create our own doctrines.

 

[FreeNChrist]

Sure. Everybody's saved. No conditions. No repentance required. No faith required. Yeah, when we see things like "if he repent" in the words of our Lord, let's just edit them out and create our own doctrines.

Forgiveness is not salvation.