Forgiving And Forgetting
Friday February 26, 2016
Forgiveness is something we do in obedience to God and for our own sake in order that we can be free. As we learned earlier this week, forgiveness begins by acknowledging that we have sinned and are in need of God’s forgiveness. In keeping with His word, God then commands us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Forgiving others then becomes primarily an issue of obedience between us and God. God leads us on this path because He knows that forgiving is how we find peace and eliminate the pain we’ve carried in our hearts for too long.
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:12-13 NLT) Forgiving is not just forgetting and it’s not just a feeling. Forgiveness is a choice we make, with God’s help, to let go of the resentment and bitterness that is attached to a hurtful event in our lives. We make a decision to no longer harbour the offence and the wound of the injustice committed against us. We commit the person and the event to God who is the righteous judge. We forgive the perpetrator and acknowledge the wrong we also have committed to God. We ask God to remove the power of the wrong from us and receive healing for the painful wound the injustice inflicted.
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (1 Peter 3:9, Matthew 5:44 NIV)
When God forgives us he chooses to wipe our slate clean. Even more incredible, the God who knows all things consciously chooses to remember our offenses no more. I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. (Isaiah 43:25 NLT)
God doesn’t have a defective memory but he does refuse to bring our sins to mind. He never condemns us for those things that have been forgiven. They are gone, permanently stricken from the record. This same kind of forgiving and forgetting is God’s standard for removing bitter grudges from our souls. We make a choice never to remind ourselves or another person of the offense. We no longer seek revenge. We no longer hold the offence against the person who committed it. Seems impossible? Without God it is impossible but with God real change and complete forgiveness is possible. ©2016 Partners in Hope
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