From the desk of Pastor Ben

Forgiveness of One Another – Part 2

“. . . If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
(Matthew 18:35b)

True heart forgiveness is a trusting forgiveness, one that views the offending brother exactly as if he hadn’t sinned. Even though sin against God, the church, and individual brethren can produce long-lasting hurt, the restoration process can be characterized by generosity and trust. If the sin was theft, we can again entrust the offender with something precious. If the sin was shirked responsibility, we can give him or her other important tasks to do. If slander was involved, we can again entrust them with our reputation — we will again fully love and trust one another.

The genuinely forgiving person will not dwell on an offense, but there can be reminders beyond his control that he can’t forget. And real forgiveness will not merely excuse an offense — sin is always sin and we should never seek to dismiss it. However, true forgiveness will terminate bitterness, anger, and resentment that only exacerbate the sin rather than remove it.

Again, the sort of forgiveness we have discussed is impossible in our own strength. It is a supernatural trait and is possible only through the power of the in dwelling Holy Spirit. Only as a believer walks by the Spirit is he able to “not carry out the desire of the flesh,” which can include holding a grudge rather than forgiving (see Galatians 5:16-21). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (vs. 22-23). If we have such spiritual fruit, we will also have a constant attitude of mutual forgiveness (vs. 24-26).

Ask Yourself:
Should we treat continual sins any differently from one-time sins of the past? What kind of character is called on when forgiveness is not a single occurrence based on a former act but rather a heart attitude that must be repeatedly employed to deal with ongoing offenses?