Being Forgiven and Forgiving are the Same Thing

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Same Thing  

Thursday, March 27, 2014

    "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive

your sins."
 Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

Forgiving and being forgiven different names for the same thing.   They are inseparable.   One without the other is impossible.   The heart that refuses to forgive is too hard to receive forgiveness.   Conversely the heart that cannot receive cannot give.  

In Prayer:  Finding the Heart's True Home, Richard Foster notes realistically that "Forgiveness does not mean that we will cease to hurt.  The wounds are deep, and we may hurt for a very long time. . . Forgiveness does not mean that we will forget. That would do violence to our rational facilities . . . Forgiveness is not pretending that the offense did not really matter.  It did matter, and it does matter, and there is no use pretending otherwise      . . . Forgiveness is not acting as if things were the same as before the offense.  We must face the fact that things will never be the same . . ."  

As C. S. Lewis notes "I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, 'Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.'  If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive.  In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites."

"The first thing that you have to do if you're going to forgive that person is to receive the grace of God. Until you receive grace from God and His forgiveness of you, you will not be in a position to forgive somebody else.  The second thing?  Acknowledge the wrong. Name it, whatever it was.  Name it in the presence of Christ.  Be straightforward with Him.  Number three, lay down all your rights. Forgiveness is the unconditional laying down of the self.  And now, number four? . . . If that person asks forgiveness, forgive . . . if he does not . . . forgive him anyway in a private transaction with God . . . ask for grace to treat that person as if nothing had ever happened. Stand with Christ for him."

“Lord,  I’m done.   I’m done with holding grudges.  I’m done with avoiding those who’ve hurt me.  I’m done with hurt, anger and wanting bad things to happen to certain other people.   I’m done with what all of that does to me.   Yet, Lord, please deliver me to a higher plan than that of wanting to forgive others for my sake only.   Give me your love for “my enemies.   Amen”

 

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