One of the most powerful virtues in our Christian walk is forgiveness and yet it is also one of the least practiced. I must admit; it’s not easy as our natural tendency is to get back at people when they offend or hurt us deeply. People will go as far as quoting the Old Testament passage that says … “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth… “(Exod 21:2, Lev 24:20, Deut 19:21). However, it is inevitable that once we live here on earth , we’ll get offended one way or another in our dealings with people. It is therefore imperative that , we overcome unforgiveness with the help of the Holy Spirit and enjoy all the benefits of God’s Kingdom.
When we carefully study the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, he said he was COMMANDING us to LOVE one another just as he had loved us. Forgiveness is part of walking in love and if it is a commandment, then we have no option but to gladly obey our Lord as true disciples. Besides, he is not expecting us to do all he tells us to do in our own strength. We can do ALL THINGS through him who strengthens us (Phil 4:13).
So, why should we forgive? Firstly, it is a commandment and we can only experience the power of this new life and the benefits of the Kingdom when we walk in obedience. Jesus said if we really love him, we’ll keep his commandments (John 14:15). Secondly, if we expect to be forgiven by the Lord or by our fellow brothers and sisters, then we must do the same for others (Luke 11:4). Thirdly, it is a proven scientific fact that walking in bitterness and unforgiveness can result in diseases such as Hypertension, Heart attacks and emotional imbalances such as high stress levels. I’m sure we don’t want to attract all that junk into our bodies (remember our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit) when the people who supposedly have wronged us may be enjoying life oblivious to what we may be enduring simply because we’re not “LETTING GO” !
How do we forgive? Well, we just have to DECIDE to forgive if we say we love the Lord enough to want to please him in everything we do. For me, forgiveness is a decision and has nothing to do with how we FEEL. In fact, you may not even feel you’ve forgiven anytime you think about what was done against you or you see the one who caused you the pain. That is normal, but as you continue to remind yourself of the decision you’ve made to forgive and with the help of the Holy Spirit with time, the feelings will align with your decision with TIME.
To help us put all these in perspective, let’s examine one of the most powerful parables Jesus narrated to his disciples about the importance of forgiveness. In Matthew 18:21:35, The apostle Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive our brother when he sins against us. Jesus replied by saying it should be 70 x 7 (i.e. 490 times for one person) after Peter had suggested 7 times. Jesus then compared the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN to this scenario about this servant who owed a King 10,000 talents (equivalent to 10 Million US Dollars) and begged for more time to settle the debt when it was due. The King had mercy on him and forgave him ALL this huge debt. However, someone owed this servant 100 denarii (about 20 US Dollars) but this servant had his debtor thrown into prison even though the debtor asked for more time to settle the debt as well. On hearing the story, the King turned this servant over to the torturers (or tormenters) until he could pay up his debt which was considerably more.
The lesson here is this; The servant owing this King (10M US) is equivalent to our debt of sin which would take us all to HELL. There is no way we could have paid for our redemption . Whatever sin or wrong that may have been committed against us is equivalent to us being owed ONLY $20. Trading off $20 with $10 Million, in my opinion, is the bargain of a lifetime. I think I would gladly do that anytime, any day. Do you remember the torturers? They are equivalent to demon spirits who will get free access to our lives because of our refusal to walk in forgiveness. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have the peace of God, free from any demonic oppression and enjoy all the benefits of being a citizen of the Kingdom of God than demons harassing my life.
I trust that anytime we’re faced with an issue of unforgiveness and we go back and meditate on this story, it will ease our pain and give us the strength to forgive as promptly as we can.
