We need forgiveness as much as we need to forgive the people that have sinned against us

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ! Welcome to „Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”! Until now we have talked about the benefits of forgiveness, how we are forgiven in God; we have discussed that sincere repentance is a prerequisite of forgiveness and how we can restore our relationships with other people. Today I would like to start talking about the other side of forgiveness – about how we need to learn to forgive our debtors just as we are need for our debts to be forgiven: 
«And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors»(Mathew, 6:12).
 We need forgiveness as much as we need to forgive the people that have sinned against us. It is important to see that forgiveness towards our debtors is a prerequisite for us to continue receiving forgiveness from God. The way we treat other people that are how God treats us. God uses the same measure we measure with. I would like to point out that the verse above doesn’t say: «Forgive us because we have forgiven others»; it says:«Forgive us AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS». In other words, the channel of God’s blessings is blocked until we forgive our debtors, our brothers and sisters. It is also the only condition mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer: 
 « Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen .» (Mathew, 6:9-13).
 In order to avoid any misunderstandings, Jesus added right after giving the example prayer: 
 « For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses » (Mathew, 6:14-15).
 Jesus treats us the way we treat other people. The very same principle is reflected in other verses of Scripture. 
« Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (..) You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgement.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift » (Mathew, 5:7, 21-24).
 
« And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespass » (Mark, 11:25).
 
«If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear» (Psalm, 66:18).
  Based on these verses we can see that it is impossible to worship God until the relationships with other people are in order. Also worship is impossible if we have unforgiven sins in our hearts: «If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear» (Psalm, 66:18). I once read what one general said to John Wesley: «I will never forgive!» John Wesley answered him:« I hope you have never sinned, sir». If you need forgiveness, then you can’t risk and afford to live in unforgiveness. Quite often we behave like the servant from Jesus’ parable who did not forgive his debtor even though he was just forgiven so much (Mathew, 18:21-35). Jesus told us this parable to show us how important it is to forgive those that have hurt or offended us. Tomorrow we will talk about it in detail! Be blessed! Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Support us so we can do more

We’ll get right to the point: we’re asking you to help us support our Church online minisry. We’re a nonprofit that relies on support from people like you. If everyone reading this gives €12 monthly, Spirit and Truth city Church can continue to thrive for years.

Similar Posts

  • Concentrate on the reward, not on the pain and discomfort

    In order for us to seize the potential advantages that are hidden in pain and sufferings, we must learn the true nature and essence of sufferings. Firstly, our present pains are temporary comparing to eternal torture that awaits every person who lives a life of compromise in pursuit of personal comfort. Secondly, our present pain is light comparing to the glory of God that awaits every person who endures pains with dignity. By going through the temporary sufferings, we gain eternal glory and joy. Temporary sufferings multiply our eternal glory if endured with the right attitude.
  • Constant fellowship with God

    Having constant fellowship with God we begin to see ourselves as God´s chosen ones, holy and beloved. Each of us is unique and some can see it and believe it, however, not everybody has revealed it for himself. If you look at yourself as at the God´s chosen one, you life will easily reflect a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance. In addition you will notice how these qualities reflect in your inner world and your relationships with God and other people as well.
  • God is the only one who knows the true meaning of human life

    We are saved by Jesus Christ not by our deeds, to be followed by good deeds God has determined for us. Once we realise that He created us, we understand that our life on this Earth is absolutely meaningless without Him, without relationship and collaboration with God. Without Him we would resemble those who lack brain, wandering in the desert, having no certain way to go. Therefore, such people walk in the dark without light, staggering like a drunken man.«He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.» (Job 12:24-25).
  • Worthy Goal for Life

    Every person has a goal, whether he talks about it or not. He is driven to do something. But if we talk about goals, it is important to determinewhether it is WORTHY or UNWORTHY. Paul had a worthy goal and talked about it all the time:«…according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
  • How to develop a habit of prayer in our life? IV

    “ … for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)Prayer unites us with our Heavenly Father, helps to know the depth of the His heart, His love and His plans for our life.Do you remember Daniel? He was a man of God, similarly to David, one, whose attitude to prayer and fellowship with God was very serious. In Daniel 6:10 we read:«When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem) and he bowed down on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before».
  • Your surrounding has an impact on you, it determines whether you enter the destiny God has prepared for you or you don´t III

    There are many things that make people joyful and that´s great. However, Jesus pointed out that His disciples joy should rather be based on the goals and values of the Kingdom of God. Being glad about passing things is not the true joy, yet. The true joy comes when you can connect all the events of your life with fulfilling of the eternal purpose, one you are even ready to suffer for.