Unforgiveness

As I sat and prayed this morning about what the Lord may want me to write about, I heard the word 'unforgiveness'.  I knew it was not my idea because I had some ideas of things that I may write about but didn't have clear direction on any of those.

When that word came up in my mind I felt as though I did not really want to write about unforgiveness but I realize now that as we come together with family during this Thanksgiving holiday, there are people that we encounter that we may need to forgive.

 I cannot help but think of what a detriment to our ability to live lives of thanksgiving before God if we are resigned to hold onto an offense.  But the implications of unforgiveness are not just that we are unable to be truly thankful but we are unable to be forgiven ourselves.

When we choose to hold on to unforgiveness in any area of our lives and relationships we drive a deep wedge between ourselves and the One who wants to be in relationship with us.

After  Jesus gave instruction about how we should pray in Matthew 6, he followed the Lord's prayer with this statement,

For if you forgive others their trespasses, 

your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 

but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, 

neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Why is that? Well I would conclude that when we refuse to forgive someone we are acting as god, and as we act as god we are serving ourselves and not the One true God.

God is a just judge and we are not, and yet he took our sin upon himself.

When we look at the debt of others instead of forgiving them, we are holding that debt over their heads.  This heart position gives us a sense of power and God says, go ahead, have your power but if you exchange the power of forgiveness through Christ for the power of indebtedness, then you will suffer the consequence of being ostracized from communion with God.

In this posture of unforgiveness we claim right to a superior identity that is lording over the individual that has hurt us.

Generally, we feel a sense of entitlement in our stance of unforgiveness, like we have every right to be upset with the individual.  When we cling to this attitude of entitlement we put ourselves in the seat of judge and in essence declare that we are god over this individual's sin.

We have the power to forgive them but will we?

God graciously and mercifully extended forgiveness toward us when we were still sinners!

So if you want to act as god over the sin someone has committed against you, then you must forgive!

Romans 2:6-8 says

He will render to each one according to his works;  

to those who by patience in well doing seek for 

glory and honor and immorality, he will give eternal life; 

but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, 

but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 

In Matthew 9 Jesus heals the paralytic and is met with the vitriol of the pharisees.  Jesus told the man  that his sins were forgiven and he healed him.  He did this so that everyone would know that there is healing in forgiveness.

Again in Matthew 10 as Jesus instructed his disciples to go and heal the sick and raise the dead he reminded them,

You received without paying; give without pay.

This shows us what our response to unforgiveness must be.  We have been forgiven much so we too must forgive much.  We must give forgiveness freely, even when people are still sinning against us at this very moment.  Why?

Romans 5:6-8

For while we were still weak, 

at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - 

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - 

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

So what is God telling us to do when we forgive?  DIE!  And isn't that the point of the gospel?

Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say then? 

 Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  

By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  

Do you not know that all of us 

who have been baptized into Christ Jesus 

were baptized into his death?  

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, 

in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead 

by the glory of the Father, 

we too might walk in newness of life.  

Are you walking in newness of life today?  Or are you clinging to the debts of others so that you can make sure that you are vindicated?

Romans 6:5-11

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, 

we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order 

that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, 

so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  

For one who has died has been set free from sin.  

Not if we have died with Christ, 
we believe that we will also live with him.  
We know that Christ, 

being raised from the dead, will never die again; 

death no longer has dominion over him.  

For the death he died he died to sin, 

once for all, but the life he lives he lives in God.  

So you also must consider yourselves 

dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Dead men have no feelings!  Put to death your old man that wants to hold onto offense and unforgiveness!  Do not allow sin to sit on the throne of your heart exalting yourself as god.

Romans 6:12-14

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, 

to make you obey its passions.  

Do not present your members to sin 

as instruments for unrighteousness, 

but present yourselves to God 

as those who have been brought from death to life, 

and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.  

For sin will have no dominion over you, 

since you are not under the law but under grace.  

So do not hold others to the standard of the law 

but live as children of the light!

Be kind to one another, 

tenderhearted, 

forgiving one another, 

as God in Christ forgave you.