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Sydney V • March 8, 2021

Habits of a Good Christian - Pt. 2: Forgiveness

Forgiveness.

It's easier said than done, we know. But God says there are real benefits to forgiving those who have wronged us. It can be really difficult to forgive people when they have put you in so much pain, and they may not even be sorry for doing so. But we have to learn to forgive them anyway, even if it's hard to do.

Verses about forgiveness: 
○ Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
○ Mark 11:25 says, "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in      heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
○ Matthew 18:21-22 says, "Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As      many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.'"
○ Luke 6:37 says, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be                forgiven."
○ Colossians 3:13 says, "Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has        forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
○ Proverbs 10:12 says, "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses."

Why are these verses important?
These verses show that God has given us so much grace and has forgiven us even when we've wronged Him. Because Christ always forgives us, we have to do the same. Holding a grudge over people who have hurt you won't make them feel the pain they caused you, in fact, it won't affect them at all. It will only make you bitter and cold. Think about it this way, when you sin, God doesn't try to make you feel the pain that you caused Him when you sinned, so we shouldn't be that cruel to others. The nature of grudges and revenge is not what God would do and only ends up hurting you more. God says for you to hold no hatred for anyone. This doesn't mean that you have to have a relationship with people who have treated you badly, it just means that you don't have to hold on to that pain anymore. By not forgiving, you're letting that person win. God has forgiven us for all of our sins, so we have to 'take the plank out of our eye' and forgive those who have wronged us because we were forgiven when we wronged God. But by no means feel like you have to go back to a toxic relationship or friendship just because you've forgiven the other person. Sometimes, God even takes people out of your life because he heard the conversations that you didn't.

Let go of your grudges, and let yourself be free. That's what God wants for you, and that's what you deserve.
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