gn_062800

The Issue of Forgiveness - Part 2
by Pastor Bill Pevlor

Last week I began a series of columns on the subject of forgiveness. As hard as it may be, forgiving others is critical to receiving the forgiveness we so need and desire from God. Let me remind you again, Jesus said “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.” (Mat. 6:14-15).

When questioned about forgiveness by the Apostle Peter, Jesus illustrated the importance and true issue of forgiveness with a parable found in Matthew chapter 18, verse 23 to 35: “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents (in today’s economy, an amount of money equivalent to millions of dollars) was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (an amount of money equivalent to a few dollars). He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Like the wicked servant, when we receive the free gift of salvation from the Lord through His only Son, Jesus Christ, our debts (the sins we’ve committed) are forgiven. The slate is wiped clean. That’s Good News directly from God’s Word!

Like the wicked servant in the parable, we had millions of offenses (debts we were obligated to pay God for) piled up. When we trust in the salvation offered through Jesus Christ, in one sweep of His forgiving hand God wrote off all of our debts. And just like the wicked servant, we still want to require others, who owe us a mere pittance (in comparison to the great debt we owed) to pay us in full and right now! Though we were shown great grace and mercy by the one we offended so greatly, we want to throw the bums who offended us in prison (an emotional prison as well as a literal prison) until we are satisfied that they have suffered enough.

Go ahead; demand your rights. Go ahead; get even. Show them they can’t get away with treating you that way. Show no mercy. Make them sorry they ever messed with you. And while you are exacting your pound of flesh, think how God will respond to that type of attitude? Jesus told us God, the Father, will treat us the same way the king treated his wicked servant. Unless we forgive others, He will not forgive us.

Who are you holding in the “debtors prison” of your heart? Are you treating them the way you want God to treat you? Are you willing to throw away God’s eternal mercy in order to gain a moment of satisfaction?

The Bible is clear; God forgives us only if we forgive in kind. A wise man once said “We are most like beasts when we kill. We are most like men when we judge. We are most like God when we forgive.”

Determine to be more like God this week. Begin the process of forgiving others who have trespassed against you.

Forgiveness - Part 1 Forgiveness - Part 3 Forgiveness - Part 4

Back for more Good News

Victorious Faith Ministries
219 State Street, Algoma, WI 54201
Phone: 920-487-5775