Thoughts on Forgiveness

During the Sunday service we learned that love "keeps no record of wrongs". The following shares shares some thoughts on what forgiveness is, and isn't. Hope it helps.

What Forgiveness is not - Forgiveness isn’t saying, “What you did to me is Okay” What the person did may be dead wrong. Forgiveness is not forgetting that it ever happened. . Forgiveness isn’t denying that it hurt. Forgiveness doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt anymore. It doesn’t mean that you no longer feel any emotions when you think about it.

Forgiveness is not pretending “I can’t pretend it didn’t happen.” God doesn’t call us to pretend, or retreat from reality. Forgiveness isn’t forgetting reality, it’s facing reality. Forgiveness is not closing our eyes to the past. But it is opening our heart to the future..

Forgiveness is not Foolishness - If you steal from me, I can forgive you, but I don’t have to loan you money again. It’s doesn’t mean you have to go back to being best friends. It doesn’t necessarily mean you ever have to spend time with them again. It doesn’t mean things are going to be like they were before.

What forgiveness is - What is forgiveness? Forgiveness means that when someone sins against you, you put the punishment for that sin into God’s hands. It’s giving up your right to be repaid for the wrong committed against you. You let go of their debt and put it in God’s hands. God if you want to collect it, or punish them, that’s your business. But I’m not going to demand they be punished. I’m not going to demand they pay me back. I means that you no longer reserve the right to hold your hurt against them in God’s sight Forgiveness is the opposite of prosecution. Forgiveness is deciding not to prosecute the case in God’s court of law

The Bible uses the analogy of debt. In the Lord’s prayer, it says, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Forgiving someone who sins against you is like forgiving the debt of someone who owes you money. You’re not saying that they didn’t take the money, you’re not saying that you don’t have a right to collect the money, you’re not saying that you don’t have the right ask them to pay you back. You simply choose to not exercise that right. You sign the note over to God. You release your claim to God and let Him decide whether or not He wants to collect from them.