Forgiveness Ras Robinson

Transcription

1 Forgiveness Ras Robinson Forgiving and asking forgiveness of one another is essential in the body of Christ in order to experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. He is grieved and hindered greatly when there is not forgiveness. The doctrine of forgiveness throughout scripture is given great importance. A CASE IN POINT "To forgive my grandfathers would be to tell a lie that they are not guilty of molesting me! I can never do that! This prayer counseling person was sent to us by a nationally known counseling agency. She had been sexually molested by both her grandfathers. The first question my wife asked this person was, Is there anyone you need to forgive? Her answer was intriguing and disturbing to us who want to see people walk in liberty. In that discussion it was discovered that both grandfathers were deceased. The disgraced and offended granddaughter refused repeated offers by my wife to forgive these offenders. In her mind to forgive these predator men would be compromising justice and acting like they were not still guilty. Sadly, she left the session refusing to forgive. To forgive means of send forth, lay aside, let go, put away, remit or to yield up. It means to set aside the wrong that has been done. There is no question about the wrong. The issue is whether or not we will forgive. This forgiveness is of course what God does with our own sins in the salvation experience. But it is so difficult for us to offer the same grace and mercy. We have the promise from the Lord in Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. There is further evidence of how serious God is about forgiveness when He promises that if we do not forgive, He turns us over to the torturers (a picture of the demonic): Matthew 18:35 So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. And yet this prayer counselee had a very, very serious offence. ANOTHER CASE If I forgive them, they will simply do it again. I have forgiven them before and they turn and offend again. There seems to be no solution to this situation. This case was one of leaders offending one another endlessly. The roots of offence and

2 bitterness ran deep. The question was, "How can you forgive someone who is continuing to offend? The scriptures are: Mark 11:25-26: And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions. Luke 11:4: And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation. God takes forgiveness serious enough that He says that we forgive, He forgives but if we will not forgive, then He will not. That truth is riveting. John 20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. The difficult portion of forgiveness in this case is how many times do you forgive: Luke 17:3-4 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him. The Apostle Paul continues: 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 But whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes. The reason we forgive also is that we do not want the attack of Satan in our lives. The standard raised for our forgiving others is that we are to forgive others and Christ has forgiven us: Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. We did not deserve it and while we were yet sinners, God forgave us. And in case we ourselves need forgiveness, we are to ask the Father. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Christ, all my sins have been forgiven. 1 John 2:12

3 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. SEVEN PRINCIPLES GUIDING THE GRANTING OF FORGIVENESS 1. FORGIVE AS COMMANDED BY GOD Forgiving others is not just a spiritual idea of something good to do in the course of your life. It is clearly commanded by scripture. The Holy Spirit makes it abundantly obvious that the Father intends for believers to walk in forgiveness towards other. 2. FORGIVE IF YOU WANT TO BE FORGIVEN The scriptures state that our own forgiveness of our sins and trespasses is contingent upon our forgiving others of theirs. This is a hard and contingent provision concerning our own forgiveness. It says, If you want to be forgiven, you must forgive others! God loved and forgave us while we were yet sinners. We must do the same for others. 3. FORGIVE IN THE SAME WAY YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN God wants us to forgive people while they are still sinners and before they get everything right. He wants us to forgive in full expression of grace towards them. Show unmerited favor towards those who have wronged, offended or wounded you. Forgive those who do not deserve it. 4. FORGIVE TO SET PEOPLE FREE Somehow in the mystery of God He gives us the prerogative of setting people free through our forgiving them of their sins against us. There is then a bondage we either place on them or keep them in when we refuse to forgive. It is interesting that the ministry of the Holy Spirit seems to be tied to this forgiveness. In the same command by Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit He goes on to give the challenge to forgive the sins of others as if the forgiveness is necessary for the freedom of the Holy Spirit to be experienced. 5. FORGIVE TO AVOID THE ATTACK OF SATAN The Apostle Paul gives the teaching of how important forgiveness is. In this teaching, He speaks of the importance of agreeing with one another about forgiveness of others because he intimates that Satan is scheming to entrap, hobble and entangle the Christians who are unforgiving as well those who are unforgiving. It is best to forgive and grant forgiveness. 6. FORGIVE TO PROVE THE MATURITY OF YOUR STANDING WITH GOD A measure of the maturity of the Christian is whether we can walk in continual forgiveness in the same manner that God the Father does towards us. When Christians walk in total forgiveness of one another, there is a unity that the world sees as good. This is why Christians suing one another is such a bad witness to

4 the world and such a violation of the will of God. 7. FORGIVE TO DEMONSTRATE THE LOVE OF GOD WITHIN YOU The bottom line of forgiveness is that when we have the love of God manifesting in us, we do grant forgiveness. If we love with God s love, we forgive readily in the grace and mercy He gives. FIVE PRINCIPLES GUIDING THE ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS 1. CONVICTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT God begins to move in your heart that something is wrong between you and another. There is someone who possibly has an offence towards you. You feel and sense it or someone tells you of it. At first the conviction is strong. That is the best time to act. To delay hardens the heart. 2. REVELATION OF THE SCRIPTURE CONCERNING OFFENCES A. First and foremost, we are to ask forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. B. God has given the Holy Spirit for the purpose of preparing the bride for Jesus. Holy Spirit is well able to keep her skirts clean if she will but listen and obey. C. If we come to altar or to the communion table and there find someone who has ought against us, we are to leave our gift in waiting until we have gone and gotten right with our brother or sister. 3. DESIRE TO SEE NO ONE KEPT IN THE BONDAGE OF UNFORGIVENESS We have the power to set people free or to keep them in bondage according to our willingness to ask forgiveness. When a person is offended, it is incumbent upon the offender to make things right. To refuse to ask forgiveness once knowing or being told of an offence lacks the love of God and repentance is necessary. 4. SEEKING AFTER MAINTAINING THE UNIT OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE It is God who gives unity of the Spirit. He then expects us to maintain that unity. We cannot be unified with others who have ought against us until we have dealt with asking their forgiveness.

5 5. FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD The kingdom of God (the rule of God in hearts of believers) is advanced in unity of the Spirit. Therefore the Christian is mandated to do everything possible to help achieve the unity for which Christ prayed in John 14. Asking forgiveness and unity go hand in hand. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO 1. Determine to forgive all offenders, including yourself. A. Set your will to take the right steps of restoration. B. Confide your hurts and steps of action in your pastor and spiritual authority. C. Continually thank God for the past and bless Him. D. Set your will to move on with your life positively. 2. Study and meditate upon God s word concerning Malachi 4:5-6 and continually ask for His instructions. 3. Do a word study on: granting and asking forgiveness. 4. Set your will to ask forgiveness of any and all who may have an offence towards you. Seek the Lord. You will find Him right in the middle of forgiveness issues. Hear His voice. Do what He says. Do it today! Ras Robinson serves as President of Fullness in Christ Ministries. Ras Robinson Bio. You can reach him by e mail at: Contact Us. When commenting on an article by e mail, please give the article title. Copyright Revised July 8, Fullness in Christ Ministries, Inc. Use by written permission only. With written permission, include the following as part of the article: "Used by permission. Further use requires written permission from the Author/Publisher." Use of this article requires listing this entire copyright line and the following signature. SIGNATURE: Ras Robinson, Fullness in Christ Ministries, Inc., P. O. Box Fort Worth, TX Website: Contact Us. For a free subscription to the brief and daily prophetic word from both Ras and Bev Robinson, "What the Lord is Saying Today," send your name and address to: fullnessonline subscribe@myinjesus.com. (SUBJECT: Subscribe).