Is someone holding a grudge against you? Are you holding a grudge against someone else? Forgiveness is essential to the Christian walk. As we progress in this New Year, it’s important that we do not bring negative baggage from the past along with us. Today’s Blog deals with forgiveness.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:14-15
We all have committed sins (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore we are all deserving of Hell. Going through ritualistic practices will not pay the cost of our sins. Jesus paid the debt for our sins (1 John 2:2), and He’s the only one who paid the debt. Therefore if a person receives Christ as savior, their debts are forgiven. This is something that society in general may not always grasp. Sometimes people may make comments (about someone who is still alive) such as “man you know he/she is going to hell because of what he/she did”. However people who make statements such as that are discarding the fact, that the individual who committed the offense can receive Christ, and receive forgiveness.
Throughout the course of our lives, people may do things that hurt us. There are so many ways this can happen; I’m not even going to begin listing examples. When people do us wrong, it can definitely be a difficult thing to handle. That’s why it’s important that we rely upon Jesus and not our own strength. I have made the point before that bitterness is like a seed. If you let it take root in your life, it will continue to grow, and the end result can be an even bigger problem than you were originally dealing with. When an individual has unforgiveness in their heart, they’re actually hurting themselves. They are often the ones who are constantly reliving the offense.
It’s important to remember that God forgave us so we need to forgive others. And you may be thinking, “yeah but that’s a lot easier said than done, how can I possibly do that”. The Bible let’s us know that it can be done. God has equipped us with the tools we need in order to carry out what He has said to do.
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
We also need to make sure that we ask others for forgiveness if we have done things that have wronged them. Put yourself in their position, how would you feel if they had done to you what you have done to them.
As we grow in our walk with Christ, remember the example of forgiveness that Jesus has taught us.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:14-15
We all have committed sins (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore we are all deserving of Hell. Going through ritualistic practices will not pay the cost of our sins. Jesus paid the debt for our sins (1 John 2:2), and He’s the only one who paid the debt. Therefore if a person receives Christ as savior, their debts are forgiven. This is something that society in general may not always grasp. Sometimes people may make comments (about someone who is still alive) such as “man you know he/she is going to hell because of what he/she did”. However people who make statements such as that are discarding the fact, that the individual who committed the offense can receive Christ, and receive forgiveness.
Throughout the course of our lives, people may do things that hurt us. There are so many ways this can happen; I’m not even going to begin listing examples. When people do us wrong, it can definitely be a difficult thing to handle. That’s why it’s important that we rely upon Jesus and not our own strength. I have made the point before that bitterness is like a seed. If you let it take root in your life, it will continue to grow, and the end result can be an even bigger problem than you were originally dealing with. When an individual has unforgiveness in their heart, they’re actually hurting themselves. They are often the ones who are constantly reliving the offense.
It’s important to remember that God forgave us so we need to forgive others. And you may be thinking, “yeah but that’s a lot easier said than done, how can I possibly do that”. The Bible let’s us know that it can be done. God has equipped us with the tools we need in order to carry out what He has said to do.
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
We also need to make sure that we ask others for forgiveness if we have done things that have wronged them. Put yourself in their position, how would you feel if they had done to you what you have done to them.
As we grow in our walk with Christ, remember the example of forgiveness that Jesus has taught us.