Forgiveness

When someone hurts me, why should I forgive them? When I hurt God, why should he forgive me? When someone hurts me, how can God forgive them? What is forgiveness?

What does the Bible say about forgiveness? -

1. Jesus Forgives - Luke 23v32-38
2. Jesus asks us to forgive - Mark 11v24-25
3. Our need for forgiveness - 1John 1v5-10
4. Our need to forgive - Matthew 18v21-35
5. Prayer for forgiveness - Psalm 51v1-6

Jesus Forgives

Luke 23v32-38

Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

Questions for reflection or discussion

1. For what is Jesus forgiving those who were presiding over his execution?
2. How much did these people deserve or even desire forgiveness?

Thoughts to consider

When Jesus asked his Father to forgive his executioners and mockers, he was making a decision to release his resentment and desire for vengeance against them. When I forgive like this I gain freedom from an anger that would otherwise eat me from within.

Jesus asks us to forgive

Mark 11:24-25

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Questions for reflection or discussion

3. What is the condition given in this prayer?
4. Why would forgiveness be a significant factor in clearing the way for prayer?

Thoughts to consider

Resentment between two people breaks their relationship. To have a relationship with God, we need to have forgiven people who have hurt us. This does not necessitate that the relationship is reconciled. But, from our side we let go of resentment.

Our need for forgiveness

1 John 1v5-10

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Questions for reflection or discussion

5. Could anyone you know say that they have no darkness in them?
6. How can we, who live to some degree in darkness, live in fellowship with God who is light?
7. What does God do to make our relationship possible?

Thoughts to consider

Whether I have committed the most terrible crimes, or merely caused a person some offence, I have done more than enough to make myself unacceptable to God who is pure light. Yet, God through Jesus, offers us forgiveness.

Our need to forgive

Matthew 18v21-35

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Questions for reflection or discussion

8. Compare the attitude of the king with that of the man who was forgiven by the king?
9. Why would God our Father take such offence over someone who refused to forgive?

Thoughts to consider

In this passage, the king has shown compassion by forgiving a huge debt. When the forgiven person will not extend the same mercy, he tramples underfoot the king’s gracious gift.

Prayer for forgiveness

Psalm 51v1-6

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.

Questions for reflection or discussion

10. What does David the writer recognise about what he has done in his relationship with God?
11. What does he do to clear the relationship with God?

Thoughts to consider

This prayer follows both a murder and adultery, yet there is an amazing sense of peace in David’s attitude as he prays. He has confidence that God will forgive him because he has come in humility and asked him for forgiveness.

Overview questions for reflection or discussion

12. How would you define forgiveness?

Thoughts to consider

Forgiveness is not about forgetting, but about not holding something against someone. The king in the passage above would after forgiving be able to eat a meal with the servant, but would be foolish to entrust further millions to him.

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