Notes on forgiveness

Been contemplating forgiveness lately. I've gone through the topical search on Libronix to find verses that discuss forgiveness, and this is what I've come up with so far. An attempt and cohesion in the form of an actual article may come later, but I thought it would be interesting to share the notes I wrote as I read through Scripture. Comments welcome.


1) we know it must always happen, as often as injury is done (Matt. 18:22, Lk 17:4)

2) it must be done even when there is little benefit for the one forgiving (Lk 23:34--Jesus dying on the cross)

3) we know it is commanded--not forgiving is sinning (Mk. 11:25)

4) not forgiving can become a hindrance when relating or worshiping our creator (Mk. 11:25).

5) forgiving can be releasing the quest for justice to God's hands (Ro. 12:19)

6) forgiving another person mimics God's forgiving nature, and is therefore a testimony of it (Lk. 6:36)

7) We must forgive those who sin against us if we expect God to forgive us (Mk. 11:25)

8) We must forgive those who sin against us because God forgave us. (Eph 4:32, Col 3:13)

9) (Parenthetical) there is so much about what we must do with forgiveness, but nothing really defining exactly WHAT forgiveness is.

10) A form of forgiveness (if the translation is correct) can be overlooking an offense (Pr 19:11). IOW, if someone cuts you off in traffic, choosing to not get angry and confront them about it when they pull into the gas station (what good would that do anyway? In that case, it's not only glorious to the person overlooking, it's just practical, particularly with small stuff like this).

11) Forgiveness and kindness are linked hand in hand (Ge 45:5-11, Ro 12:20). Is it you offer kindness--and that is your forgiveness, or do you forgive in order to offer kindness? Is it both? Either way, I think kindness for the other person can both be a sign of and a gateway towards forgiveness.

12) Forgiveness involves prayer for the one who has done you injury (Mt. 5:44). This can be lumped in with kindness. If you either forgive your enemy or are learning to, you must pray for them. What better act of kindness can you bestow than to entrust them into God's hands, and trust that his extensive love and patience for sinners, which is far greater than ours, may bring them to repentance?

13) Forgiveness of others solicits God's forgiveness for our personal sins. (Mt. 6:14,15, Lk 6:37, Jas 2:13).

14) Forgiveness means the cancellation of sin. The consequence of it (spiritual? physical? intellectual?) is no longer on the perpetrator to be paid or endure it.

15) It is imperative to forgive, because God can use anything, even evil for his glory (Ge. 50:20, 21). To not forgive demonstrates a lack of trust in God's power and control over his creation.

16) One of the reasons the most notable men of Scripture are the most notable is because of their capacity to forgive (Ge 50:20,21, 1Sa 24:7, 2Sa 18:5, 19:23, Ac 7:60, 2 Ti 4:16)

17) Forgiveness means loving your enemy (Ex 23:4, 5, Prov. 24:17, 29). It means saving him or her in their time of need (Prov. 25:21, 22). Forgiveness means showing mercy to the one who injured you (Mt. 5:7). Loving your enemy means submission (Mt. 5:39-41) to him or her, even when they do evil against you--but it is more than reluctant submission to what is merely required. It means going above and beyond what they unfairly ask of you.

18) Forgiveness of your enemy and loving your enemy is special in God's eyes (Lk 6:32-34). It sets the one forgiving his or her enemy apart from those who would only forgive a friend. Forgiving a friend is easy. Forgiving an enemy is hard. There is truth to the trite phrase, "To err is human, to forgive divine." Forgive an enemy--that is the power of God at work.

19) Forgiveness does not make light of sin. (Luke 17:3,4). Perhaps it even helps to define the evil deed as sin--why would you need forgiveness for something that is not a sin? Forgiveness may be an identifier; the victim of the evil deed, when he or she forgives the perpetrator, calls attention to the sin committed by the perpetrator and its damaging effects. It is imperative when forgiving another person that that person KNOWS what exactly he or she did that was wrong. Forgiveness in this case, is confrontational and merciful at the same time. Confrontational because it lays bare before the perpetrator what evil he or she has committed, but merciful because it brings it to that person's attention and allows them an opportunity to get right with the one the sin was committed against as well as with God. This is why forgiveness is and must be associated with an act of kindness. This is why forgiveness is and must be accompanied by prayer for this person. Because just as much as you are handing over your quest for justice over to Him, you are showing mercy to the one that wronged you by showing him/her that their hope lies with God, not with your own heart. Our hearts are not big enough. God's is. By telling someone that they wronged you and telling them you forgive them, you are essentially witnessing to them, and telling the truth of to whom they now must turn to make things right.(I could use other verses to support this idea. Anyone?)

20) Forgiveness can mean re-directing punishment or conequences away from the one who deserves it onto someone else (Philemon 18, Jesus' death on the cross). God forgives us because Christ died to pay the debt.

21) Forgiveness is an act of worship, and it shows that we are submitting to God's will. We are recognizing his holiness and recognizing our brokenness at the same time (Ge 50:19-21).