Should I Always Forgive Everyone in Every Way?

[SpiritLedEd]

Has she really forgiven? If she has, is it only a partial forgiveness? Will trusting the forgiven be a way of fully forgiving?

Forgiveness does not mean she has to drop her guard and expose herself to more pain; it merely means that she decides to drop her resentment campaign against the person who hurt her and thus eventually to rid herself of the emotional burden that comes with anger.

SLE

 

[B-A-C]

I have a hard time understanding why this is even a question. This is addressed over and over again in the Bible.

Matt 6:12; 'And forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven those who sin against us
Matt 6:13; 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'
Matt 6:14; "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matt 6:15; "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matt 18:21; Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
Matt 18:22; Jesus *said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
.... this parable continues on...
Matt 18:34; "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
Matt 18:35; "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

Mark 11:25; "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your sins.
Mark 11:26; ["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins."]

Luke 11:4; 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Luke 17:3; "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4; "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

It seems pretty cut and dried here. We are forgiven as we forgive others. Jesus tells us to forgive others up to 490 times. (7 x 70)
Forgiveness isn't always easy. But if the Holy Spirit is really living inside us, He gives to the strength to do what we can't do alone.
Maybe right now you are so hurt you don't want to forgive someone, but pray for them. Pray that God will give you the desire to forgive them.

Matt 5:44; "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

I personally believe we can even pray for God to exact justice upon them in they are in the wrong, but that doesn't mean we can't forgive them in the meantime.

 

[Spockrates]

Testing, this is a test.

 

[faithfulservant]

The reason why God commands us to forgive everyone is because of the spiritual implications. His principles will never be bent or broken, and clearly if a Christian withholds forgiveness from someone, it affects that person they aren't forgiving.

So why forgive? I believe when we release someone from whatever they did to us, it releases something very powerful in the spiritual realm allowing that person the opportunity to get closer to God. And doesn't God want everyone to come to repentance? Yes!

So... We're hurting because something someone else did. But we know this world is temporal. All the pains and trials will pass away eventually. Our perspective is eternal, and we should lay down our lives that others might live like Jesus did. Forgiving someone does that, I believe. That's why it's so important to forgive people when you're a part of God's Kingdom.

 

[faithfulservant]

Also, if it really needs to be answered, no, putting your trust in someone who has hurt you is not the ultimate sign of forgiveness. The Bible plainly states we really shouldn't put our trust in people whatsoever, but to trust God.

The sign that you have forgiven someone can be seen in how your soul handles thoughts about that person, I believe. So if you think about a person and situation that hurt you, and it brings up resentment, bitterness, anger, you have not really forgiven that person. If you can think about that person and the situation and sincerely pray blessings upon them, that is an indication you have forgiven them.

 

[10 Commandments]

Yes, I think this is one of the most important privileges given to God's children, the grace to forgive those who sin against us. When we forgive, we are just like our Savior and reflecting His image in us. If we cannot find His grace to forgive someone, I think it is a matter of pride in our own life.

 

[kvnchrist]

There is forgiveness and forgetfulness which are two very separate things. Forgiveness allows you to reset yourself and frees you from baggage that is no longer helpful to anyone to carry around. Forgetfulness is a thing that continues to place yourself in situations that are not always in your best interest to be. It allows you to be targeted over and over by those people who see you as less of a human being and more of a target.

Forgiveness allows you the freedom to move on beyond the point of anger, which is what ultimately greets you when you bear a grudge against something that caused you grief, loss or harm. Bearing a grudge is the same, IMO as being addicted to a drug. It becomes so familiar tat it becomes apart of your being and effects every relationship you have, since you will always be looking for signs that this new person resembles in some way, the person who wronged you.

One of the major milestones of forgiveness is the attitude of that person who brought you grief. If they are sincerely apologetic then it is far easier to forgive them, since they are a partner in this forgiveness. This is the key to continuing on a relationship with this person. If they are not responsive or uncaring, then the relationship was never there to begin with and you are losing nothing in walking away from the situation.

In the case of users, I think we as Christian's have the responsibility to pursue a debt of money or property and to let others know what a person is capable of, if they are truly evil in intent. The pursuit of money and property will let the person know that there are consequences to actions and teach those who are observing the same thing. We as Christians are required to love and a good part of love is looking out for those around us. This is why those who think we are judgmental are so wrong. If you care you care take. If you don't you facilitate wrongness and in doing that we share responsibility for it.

No matter what forgiveness frees you from the prison of vengeance. It is the only key adequate enough to completely remove you from the clutches of anger. Anger is, to me a form of insanity and it is the one thing that can completely drive love from your heart and with it God. God is love and those who love him need to love not the world, but those within it.

 

[kvnchrist]

Yes, I think this is one of the most important privileges given to God's children, the grace to forgive those who sin against us. When we forgive, we are just like our Savior and reflecting His image in us. If we cannot find His grace to forgive someone, I think it is a matter of pride in our own life.

Very well said. Thank you for that.

 

[Bendito]

Bumping this one.

Hey Spockrates...Hypothetically. I broke your car twenty years ago and boy were you angry. You ended our friendship and I moved on. Now I live four thousand miles from you and we haven't communicated for that entire twenty years but you're still angry. I've forgotten all about it. Who is carrying the burden, you or me? Who is being hurt by that anger? You or me? Who is locked into a past that hurts and can't move on? You or me? Do I care about it if I don't remember it? So you're carrying a debt against me that I can do nothing about and may not even care enough to do if I did know.
Ok Enough scenario. Why should you forgive me for breaking your car?

Right!! You forgive me so you can dump that burden and move on into a happier future. Now you can move on with Jesus too. What does that have to do with emotions? Not much. It has more to do with your health and your relationships. Is it a kind of love? Of course. You have to love yourself you know. I don't know why you wouldn't. If you're good enough for Jesus you should be good enough for you too.