Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
As I grew up in the catholic church, I was told I needed to go to a priest to confess my sins and be forgiven. For me this was extremely uncomfortable, also it didn't seem logical. As a young child I questioned this practice in my mind. How can a sinner forgive a sinner? Isn't God the one who judges my sin? How can 3 Our Fathers and 4 Hail Mary's pay for my sin? Didn't Jesus pay for my sin? I was confused.
One night as I knelt down on the side of my bed for prayer, I heard a whisper, a still, small voice. At first it was sort of scary but somehow in my child like faith, I knew it was God speaking to me.
"I can forgive you and I do forgive you. Just speak your sins to me and I will wipe them away."
"But what about the priest? Don't I need to confess to a priest in order to be forgiven?"
This conversation went back and forth for a while until I got it. So with blind faith and trust, I began to seek my forgiveness from God. There were so many confusing things told to me as I went through catholic school and high school, which I won't get into, but I didn't listen to those that weren't what God has whispered to me as a child.
Forgiveness is one of those topics that people don't like to discuss, it's like a double edged sword. Like this verse above says. if we forgive others, God forgives us. So what if we are unwilling to forgive others? Does that mean we won't be forgiven?
Listen I am not a biblical scholar or a theologian, but from what I have read, the answer is yes. I don't know maybe I'm wrong, that is what this journey is all about for me, to find answers. I truly believe that if we hold on to our anger and rage, if we hold on to our forgiveness, unwilling to forgive those who hurt us, then God will do the same.
It's like the story in the Bible about the guy who went to the king to ask for forgiveness for his huge debt. The king forgave him and wrote off the dept as "paid in full", yet when the guy came across a guy who owed him a couple bucks, the guy said no, pay up or go to jail. My friends is so much like us. We expect God to forgive us our sins when we are unwilling to forgive those who have hurt us. How sad!
This world is full of anger, hate and unforgiveness. This sickness invades every area of our lives even churches. I don't get it. I for one know that I have hurt people intentionally and unintentionally. I admit I have sinned. I need forgiveness from God and the people I have hurt, but I also have been hurt by many people. I want to have a heart that forgives others.
Let's be honest we are not perfect, we screw up, we sin, we make mistakes, we say things we shouldn't, we do things we shouldn't and we are a mess. But out of our messes comes forgiveness from a God who should punish us. By all rights we should be found guilty and condemned, yet we're not. If God can forgive us for our sins, why do we think we are better than God and so unwilling to forgive others?
Lord, forgive me for my selfishness, arrogance and pride that keeps me from forgiving others who have hurt me. Help me to be a loving example of your forgiveness. Thank you for forgiving me and reaching down to whisper to a small child with questions. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Some food here for thought Sister on your search to the truth that sets each Child of God free, personally and collectively. How so?
ReplyDeleteWe have a before the cross, under Law, under the curse of the Law, Not the Law itself. For the Law itself is perfect.
yet when this Law perfection flows through me to do it, I find me a sinner again for the perfect law shows me this truth that I can't be perfect and Father accepts only those that are perfect.
So Christ is the only way for perfection as in Col. 1:22, that is done for you Sis and all people on earth all the way back to Adam, All that is left is to stand in belief to this done work of Son for you in thanksgiving and praise to God asking David looked forward to in Psalms 100:4 and Job also in Job 19:25. We today are looking back to this at the cross of
The dividing line of Human History.
So before the cross we had to under Law forgive to be forgiven
After the cross we forgive because we are today forgiven it is done John 19:30
And we today cannot truly love until we receive this truth and then we love in response not a having to do as under Law requires and not one can ever be perfect but Christ the only one that ever could or ever will be
So accept the adoption by belief he is risen for you and Father gives this to you to respond to in Psalms 100:4, 103:12