Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:12 am by 
1
HOW FORGIVENESS PROMOTES UNITY on Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:10 pm
Number of posts: 6
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Registration date: 2008-07-28
Forgiveness is a common word and in fact it is an every day word. Why should we forgive one another? There are many reasons. The foremost reason why we should forgive is that we are in need of God’s forgiveness. The Bible tells us that we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, that we are constantly in need of his forgiveness. Rom. 3:23.
Another reason why we should forgive is to be in line to receive forgiveness from God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the model prayer that he gave to his followers, made God’s forgiveness of us dependent upon our having forgiven others. Matt. 6: 9 – 13: Jesus did not say we were to pray that God forgive us our debts as we intended to forgive others but ‘as we also have forgiven our debtors’. Jesus well knew that as imperfect, forgetful humans we are only too ready to promise that we will forgive others so as to get forgiveness ourselves. But then we may forget or refuse to forgive others because it is not always an easy thing to do.
What a wretched position we would be in if our heavenly Father refused to extend mercy to us! Yet God gave his own Son as a sacrifice so that He could, in keeping with his justice, forgive repentant sinners who exercise faith. Eph. 1: 7: ‘By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness.
In one of Jesus illustrations, he emphasizes the need for us to be forgiving if we expect Jehovah to forgive us. He told of a king who generously canceled an enormous debt that a slave had incurred. The king later severely punished this same man when he refused to cancel the incomparably smaller debt of a fellow slave. Jesus concluded his illustration by saying: in like manner my heavenly Father will also deal with you if you do not forgive each one his brother from your hearts Mat. 18: 23-35.
The lesson is clear. The debt of sin that Jehovah has forgiven each of us is immeasurably greater than any transgression anyone may have committed against us. What is more, Jehovah forgives us daily. Surely, then, we can forgive the occasional offense others commit against us. If God can be that forgiving, should this then, not prompt us to be even more forgiving than we have been?
Read Eph. 4:26 God’s word counsels us: Let the sun not set with you in a provoked state.
Forgiving others promotes good relations. The Bible urges Christians: Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.
Forgiveness brings peace. This is not just peace with fellow humans but inner peace as well.
Forgiving others helps us to remember that we ourselves are in need of forgiveness. Yes all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Rom. 3:23
Forgiving others clears the way for our sins to be forgiven by God.
Read: Luke 6: 31 Just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them. A husband or wife will forgive the other, those mistakes for which Jehovah freely forgives us, a friend will forgive his erring companion and the Christian minister will forgive those who treat him rudely.
However, it should be noted that forgiveness is a mercy. It cannot be demanded by the erring one as a right even as humankind cannot demand mercy from God.
When a person is unforgiving, the resulting conflict creates stress. In turn, stress can lead to serious illnesses.
It must be noted, however, that since the heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. It does not always lean towards forgiveness even when it should. Thankfully, our heart can be trained to do what is right.
Ephesians 5:1 indicates this: Therefore, become imitators of God, as beloved children. The preceding verse, says Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you. Eph. 4:32 By Uche Onah
Another reason why we should forgive is to be in line to receive forgiveness from God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the model prayer that he gave to his followers, made God’s forgiveness of us dependent upon our having forgiven others. Matt. 6: 9 – 13: Jesus did not say we were to pray that God forgive us our debts as we intended to forgive others but ‘as we also have forgiven our debtors’. Jesus well knew that as imperfect, forgetful humans we are only too ready to promise that we will forgive others so as to get forgiveness ourselves. But then we may forget or refuse to forgive others because it is not always an easy thing to do.
What a wretched position we would be in if our heavenly Father refused to extend mercy to us! Yet God gave his own Son as a sacrifice so that He could, in keeping with his justice, forgive repentant sinners who exercise faith. Eph. 1: 7: ‘By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness.
In one of Jesus illustrations, he emphasizes the need for us to be forgiving if we expect Jehovah to forgive us. He told of a king who generously canceled an enormous debt that a slave had incurred. The king later severely punished this same man when he refused to cancel the incomparably smaller debt of a fellow slave. Jesus concluded his illustration by saying: in like manner my heavenly Father will also deal with you if you do not forgive each one his brother from your hearts Mat. 18: 23-35.
The lesson is clear. The debt of sin that Jehovah has forgiven each of us is immeasurably greater than any transgression anyone may have committed against us. What is more, Jehovah forgives us daily. Surely, then, we can forgive the occasional offense others commit against us. If God can be that forgiving, should this then, not prompt us to be even more forgiving than we have been?
Read Eph. 4:26 God’s word counsels us: Let the sun not set with you in a provoked state.
Forgiving others promotes good relations. The Bible urges Christians: Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.
Forgiveness brings peace. This is not just peace with fellow humans but inner peace as well.
Forgiving others helps us to remember that we ourselves are in need of forgiveness. Yes all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Rom. 3:23
Forgiving others clears the way for our sins to be forgiven by God.
Read: Luke 6: 31 Just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them. A husband or wife will forgive the other, those mistakes for which Jehovah freely forgives us, a friend will forgive his erring companion and the Christian minister will forgive those who treat him rudely.
However, it should be noted that forgiveness is a mercy. It cannot be demanded by the erring one as a right even as humankind cannot demand mercy from God.
When a person is unforgiving, the resulting conflict creates stress. In turn, stress can lead to serious illnesses.
It must be noted, however, that since the heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. It does not always lean towards forgiveness even when it should. Thankfully, our heart can be trained to do what is right.
Ephesians 5:1 indicates this: Therefore, become imitators of God, as beloved children. The preceding verse, says Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you. Eph. 4:32 By Uche Onah
