“WHAT DOES CHRISTLIKE FORGIVENESS LOOK LIKE?” CHRISTLIKE FORGIVENESS – PART 2

Being aware of what someone has done & still forgiving them... Colossians 3:13 (NIV) Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Choosing to keep no records of wrong… 1 Corinthians 13:5 Love “keeps no record of wrongs” Isaiah 58:9 (NIV) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk…” Love is a choice, Christlike forgiveness is a choice.

Refusing to punish… 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. Deuteronomy 32:35 “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.” This verse is even cited twice in the New Testament (Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30).

Not telling what they did… When I recall that Christlike forgiveness is forgiving others as I have been forgiven, I remember: I won’t be punished for my sins. Nobody will know about my sins, for all sins that are under the blood of Christ will not be exposed or held against me.

Being merciful… “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt. 5:7). Isaiah 53:6 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. Luke 6:36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”. We will also be shown mercy Matthew 5:7 Proverbs 11:17 (KJV) “The merciful man does good to his own soul”.

Graciousness… Philippians 4:5 (NIV) Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Graciousness … John 8:7-10 (NIV) When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

An inner condition… Matthew 12:34 “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”. Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Relinquishing bitterness is an open invitation for the Holy Spirit to give you His peace, His joy and the knowledge of His will.

The absence of bitterness… Ephesians 4:30 (NIV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many”.

Forgiving God …

Forgiving Ourselves … There is no lasting joy in forgiveness if it doesn’t include forgiving yourself. It is anything but Christlike forgiveness if we forgive God and those who hurt us, but we are unable to forgive ourselves. It is as wrong as not forgiving others, because God loves us just as much as He loves others; He will be just as unhappy when we don’t for

Let’s Pray…