Will I be forgiven?

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Permalink Reply by brian scott hickey on March 10, 2010 at 8:34pm

if we dont forgive then our heavenly father wont forgive us.i see the cross and jesuses feet i leve it there as thoses things come up in my mind i forgive and leve it there.god will help you your not alone pray fore him to help you.forgive 70 x77 that what jesus said if the situation is a threat to your safety or anyone elses then you have to make the best choice you can by brian

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Permalink Reply by Christopher L. Schwab on March 10, 2010 at 8:49pm

Scripture should be interpreted in context, of course. Here, given the greater context of Jesus's teachings, it seems that when Jesus tells his disciples that if they forgive others' sins, God will forgive them (but if they don't, God wont!) he means simply this: Those who are saved by God and adopted as his children and who are being conformed to the image of his Son will take on the characteristics of our new heavenly family. Just as "we love because God first loved us" so it could be said that "we forgive because God first forgave us."

More simply: Forgiveness is a defining characteristic of transformed living in Christ. Those who truly know Christ will be forgiving people (even if not perfect in our practice). Those who are not forgiving show they do not know Christ and remain in their sins.

Let me add something more practical: Nobody should be forgiven "so he can do the same thing over again." Forgiveness is not about saying that something someone did is "OK." Just the opposite. The fact that forgiveness must be offered is the evidence that a sin has been committed. Forgiving a sin doesn't make it OK. When God forgives us, it doesn't make our sins OK. Our sins are still evil and wicked things. But when God forgives, they are nailed to the cross and put on Christ.

If you have been harmed or hurt in some way, forgiveness is not about giving a person permission to do it again and again. It's about saying "I will no longer hold this against you." It sounds as if you have endured some abuse at the hands of your father--perhaps emotional or psychological, perhaps financial, perhaps physical. Maybe I am wrong. But if I am right, you must not allow him to keep doing it. The past can be forgiven, but it doesn't mean we must lay down our future. We can still say "I forgive you" even while we say "No more. Never again."

Please, if there is abuse, get out of the situation. I will pray for you.

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Permalink Reply by Charles David Ziegler on March 10, 2010 at 9:41pm

Matt 6:14-15
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Does God ask the impossible? If we try to finish in our own abilities, then yes He does. But if He says things like :

James 1:5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
1 Cor 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

2 Peter 1:3-4
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Then in Him we can do it.

Matt 18:21-22
1 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Listen to this good news.

Phil 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Who here is doing the work? Whom is being worked on? This then brings hope.
Un-forgiveness as seen above(Matt. 6:14-15) prevents the Father from forgiving us which means that we are negating the forgiveness that Jesus bought for us with His giving Himself for our sins on the cross. The punishment that He took at the hands of an angry God was the judgment against US. The wrong done by US against God was far greater than any wrong committed by man against man. God is able to forgive us in Jesus for Jesus fulfilled all the law which frees us to walk in freedom no longer a debtor to the habits and characteristics of the old man.

2 Cor 5:17-19
7 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

God has made a way to let go of those hurts but you must release them. You are not bound by the flesh but if you allow your emotion to rule rather than making your emotions bow to the spirit, then the flesh will prevail.
Will un-forgiveness destroy your right standing with God, maybe not at first but your fellowship with Him will suffer for you are choosing to retain something that separates you from His table of fellowship and if left unchecked at some point may destroy your relationship.
If you can not forgive with in yourself at first DECLARE IN THE NAME OF JESUS THAT YOU FORGIVE THEM.Don't wait until you feel but start forgiving through Jesus and then the time will come that this hurt will not own you.

Heb 9:14
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Dead works-any thing that is not of God.

Phil 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

This is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will help you to be free from all the pain of the past and like Paul you too will say

Phil 3:13-15
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

See also the discussion What's Love got to do with it?
Your brother in Jesus Dave

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Permalink Reply by Charles David Ziegler on March 10, 2010 at 9:51pm

PS Your forgiveness is not a license for him or anyone to continue to injure you. Pray for intervention by God but stay submitted to God that He might fight your battle. Listen to God and obey, this will allow God to do it. You do not have to be a doormat but YOU MUST NOT HATE THE person HATE the offense, pray for the person and bless then. In this response God can work. I know, easy to say, more difficult to do. My prayers are with you sister.

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Permalink Reply by TO THINE OWNSELF BE TRUE on March 10, 2010 at 10:47pm

HI CRYSTAL
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU SOMETHING MY DEAR SISTER...HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD WE SIN AGAINST THE FATHER AND HE FORGIVE US???...I BELIEVE OUR FIRST CONCERN SHOULD BE WITH THE FATHER FORGIVING US AND NOT US FORGIVING OTHERS...IF WE DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS NEITHER WILL HE FORGIVE US...I AM MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER THAN I AM WITH ANYONE ELSE EVEN WITH THOSE WHO HAVE HURT ME...DO WE EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE FINISHED WORK OF THE RISEN SAVIOR AT CALVARY??? I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR ME TO HAVE TO PAY THE PENALTY FOR MY OWN SINS...THE SHAME, THE HUMILIATION OF HAVING PEOPLE MOCK HIM, SPIT IN HIS FACE, BEAT HIM, DRIVE NAILS IN HIS HANDS, AND WAG THEIR HEADS AS THEY PASSED BY HIM HANGING ON THE CROSS....

HE WAS ON WHAT WE CALL TODAY HIS DEATH BED...YET, THEY SHOWED HIM ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY...OMG!!!...I CAN'T IMAGINE DYING AND HAVE PEOPLE TREAT ME THIS WAY AND TOTALLY DIREGARD MY PAIN AND SUFFERING...BUT HE ENDURED THE CROSS... DESPISING THE SHAME FOR YOU AND FOR ME....IN LIGHT OF ALL OF THIS...I DARE NOT WILLINGLY HOLD UNFORGIVENESS IN MY HEART...I KNOW THAT WE ALL HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE FACED WITH THE ISSUE OF UNFORGIVENESS AS LONG AS WE ARE IN THESE EARTHLY BODIES...BUT GREATER IS HE THAT IS WITHIN US THAN HE THAT IS WITHIN THE WORLD...I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT GOD WILL NOT PUT MORE ON US THAN WE ARE ABLE TO BEAR WITHOUT PROVIDING A WAY OF ESCAPE...HOW HE PROVIDES THAT WAY OF ESCAPE FOR YOU...I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE I AM NOT IN YOUR SITUATION...REMAIN PRAYERFUL MY SISTER AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAYING AND SHOWING YOU...GOD BLESS!

1 PETER 4:12-14
12] BELOVED, THINK IT NOT STRANGE CONCERNING THE FIERY TRIAL WHICH IS TO TRY YOU, AS THOUGH SOME STRANGE THING HAS HAPPENED UNTO YOU...
13] BUT REJOICE, INASMUCH AS YE ARE PARTAKERS OF HIS SUFFERINGS; THAT WHEN HIS GLORY SHALL BE REVEALED, YE MAY BE GLAD ALSO WITH EXCEEDING JOY...
14] IF YE ARE REPROACHED FOR THE NAME OF CHRIST, HAPPY ARE YE; FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE GLORY OF GOD RESTETH UPON YOU: ON THEIR PART HE IS EVIL SPOKEN OF, BUT ON YOUR PART HE IS GLORIFIED.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Claus on March 11, 2010 at 4:19am

I often have wondered about some of the remarks Jesus had made early in his ministry, and then always ask my self this when studying the Gospels. What dispensation was Christ born in? What law did he place himself under? What was Christ's ministry before his rejection by Israel? What was he offering to Israel? and Do Christ'd teachings have a future application in reference to another dispensation (Kingdom teaching)? These questions have always helped me figure out the Gospel teachings

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Permalink Reply by Mary Lou on March 11, 2010 at 4:47am

I had a very hard time forgiving my ex-husband. He left me for my best friend and babysitter. I felt so much anger. The anger was destroying me! Someone told me to get rid of the anger I needed to pray for him. PRAY FOR HIM? I am the one that was hurt, but I was hurting my self by not dealing with this. So I started. I gritted my teeth and in an angry tone I said bless him. I did not mean it and the Lord knew I did not mean it, but I continued. Soon the gritting of the teeth went away and the angry tone. Eventually I thought he pays my child support so do bless him. Have him keep his job and be successful. My children were with him (and her) every other weekend to start with and as the boys got older they were with him mostly, and me every other weekend. They had seen a lot. I did not want them to go thru any more. My next prayer was bless his relationship so my children have a warm loving home to go to. It wasn't easy, and it did not make what happened right, but it made me ok. I have heard it said no one hurts us on purpose. That may not always be true, but in my case my husbands affair was done on purpose to hurt me. I have forgiven him. Her? She is not worth the anger or un forgiveness. I don't know how I feel about her. I guess she was following her heart also. She did alot of mean things to me, but she is not worth comming between my God and myself. So I guess I forgive her also. I hope this helps. You pray for your person. When I log off I will be pray for you.

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Permalink Reply by Debbie Hasty on March 11, 2010 at 10:19am

Our hurts, our fears our frustrations are those mountains that stand in our way and separate us from the joy of the Lord as we dwell on the problem and not the one (Jesus) who has the answers to all our problems. Usually when someone comes against me it is not that person, but usually Satan using that person without them even knowing it as Satan loves to use those who are not Gods to come against us to bring us down, to steal our joy and our faith. It's usually those we are close to like a family member that is hard to stay away from because they are family, but sometimes we just need to separate ourselves from that person and forgive them knowing that it is Satan that is using them.

Forgive your father like Jesus said on the cross, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. There are times, especially when we have tried to reconcile the situation, where you just have to walk away and pray for that person. Love is unconditional and is hard to come by with certain people, but if we do not love and forgive, neither will our Father in Heaven love and forgive us.

Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mar 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mar 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

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Permalink Reply by Crystal Benavidez on March 11, 2010 at 3:59pm

Thank you all for these wonderful wisdom filled coments!!

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