Unforgiving at the End of the Age - Greg Gordon

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greggordon

greggordon

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St. Paul writes to Timothy giving us a picture of how it will look just before the second coming of the Lord. He shares that people will be “unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good” (2 Timothy 3:3).
In the end times there will be a great shift in how people live and act worldwide. Jesus spoke of children who will betray parents and how people will even want to put Christians to death (Matthew 24:9-10).
But we see the root of the issue in the attitudes of human hearts, and committed believers in Jesus Christ are not excluded. Not having love, not forgiving, and speaking evil of other good believers will be just part of the coming spirit of anti-Christ in the world.
Unforgiveness is a prison, a torturer. It will rob us of our joy, peace and even physical health. Jesus knew mankind and he knew that a great problem that many deal with is forgiving others. It is one of our Lord’s primary teachings and the apostles were very keen to this.
Peter said to Jesus in answer to his question of forgiveness, seven times! He understood that Jesus said to be extravagant in our forgiveness of others, and the current teaching by rabbis in that day was to forgive three times and then seek revenge. Our Lord’s response showed the extent of how God forgives and how those who claim to follow him should forgive, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). Our Lord is teaching that forgiveness is not optional. We should be like our Lord who forgives greatly, forgives deeply, and forgives the inexcusable.
Do you find it hard to forgive other brothers and sisters in the Lord? Do you find it hard to love others in the body of Christ because of hurtful things that were done to you? Are you speaking evil of those brothers and sisters and judging them? It is very important that we are clear of all such sin and are full of love, forgiveness and using our mouths to show mercy and love to others in order to restore them (Galatians 5:1).
Early believers lived in great anticipation of the coming of the Lord, and the thought of holding a grudge in unforgiveness with a believer and then entering eternity with this sin was unthinkable. In speaking about disputes, St. James writes, “Don’t grumble against one another” (James 5:9). The terrible reality to him was that the Judge was standing at the door, the Lord was coming back soon.
 
It has been my experience that whenever committed christians are referenced, it is usually religious christians doing the best they can by their flesh and will power.

It is not in our flesh to forgive; especially our enemies, but we can when we recognize our unwillingness and our inability to forgive, and ask Jesus for help in forgiving others.

Jesus did set the example by His hanging on the cross, asking the Father to forgive them, for they know not what they do, and yet those who plotted for His death was among them, mocking Him and inciting others to continue to mock Him.

Luke 23:[SUP]34 [/SUP]Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. [SUP]35 [/SUP]And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. [SUP]36 [/SUP]And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, [SUP]37 [/SUP]And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

1 Peter 2:[SUP]19 [/SUP]For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.[SUP] 20 [/SUP]For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.[SUP] 21 [/SUP]For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:[SUP] 22 [/SUP]Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:[SUP] 23 [/SUP]Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:[SUP] 24 [/SUP]Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.[SUP] 25 [/SUP]For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

So believers should not be committed christians, but christians entrusting the Lord to help them forgive since He is in us and we are the works of His hands by His commitment to us as the New Covenant is God's turn what man failed to do by the Old Covenant.

Luke 9:[SUP]23 [/SUP]And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

By denying ourselves as being able to follow Him, picking up the cross daily in crucifying ourselves with Christ in believing that it is not we who live, but Christ in us, then we are leaning on Him all the time for following Him.

So it is by faith in Jesus Christ, we shall find the love we need to forgive even our enemies whom are not asking for forgiveness at all, but still at it.
 
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