Forgive as the Lord Forgave You
The Necessity of Forgiveness
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
– Mark 11:25
1. I am a sinner.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, -Romans 3:23
2. Justice demands a payment for my sin.
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. -Hebrews 9:22
3. God is merciful and kind, even to the wicked.
he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. -Luke 6:35
4. The blood of Jesus was shed as payment for my sin.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. -1 John 2:2
5. When I believe, the blood of Jesus covers me and God forgives my sin.
everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. -Acts 10:43
6. God’s forgiveness is unilateral.
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. -Titus 3:5
7. God’s forgiveness is total. (Forgiving is forgetting.)
I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. -Hebrews 8:12
8. To receive forgiveness and deny it to others is wicked in God’s sight.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. -Matthew 18:35
9. At best, unforgiveness in my heart is a temporary interruption in communion with God and effective prayer.
10. At worst, unforgiveness in my heart is a sign that I have not been forgiven and do not have communion with God.
11. Forgiveness can’t wait.
Forgive as the Lord Forgave You
10 Steps Toward Total Forgiveness
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
– Colossians 3:13
Step 1: Make a decision. Determine whether you want to hold on to God or bitterness. Choose which you want to release – you can only choose one.
Step 2: Name the hurt -what happened and all the negative repercussions from the person’s actions and words. Include everything – what you’ve lost. What’s been hard. How it’s made you feel.
Step 3: Remember God’s mercy for you.
“Thank you, Lord, that you are merciful and kind to the wicked. Thank you that you loved me while I was still a sinner. Thank you that through the cross of Jesus you have forgiven and forgotten my sins and canceled my debts. Lord, show me the depth of my sin so that I may learn to be merciful.”
Step 4: Ask for God’s help if you are struggling to forgive.
“Lord, I don’t want to forgive now, but could you make me willing to forgive? You have forgiven all my sins and I know anything I forgive others is small by comparison (Matthew 18:21–35). But I cannot do this without you. Please help me.”
Step 5: Accept that you cannot change the past, but God controls the future. “I can’t undo what happened. I can’t control the future. I am not in control of my circumstances. It is God who determines my days.”
Step 6: Thank God that what others intend for evil, He can turn out for good.
“Thank you that no one but you has the power to define my identity or determine my destiny. Thank you that you are a healer of the brokenhearted. Thank you that you can bring good from deep evil.”
Step 7: Remember that God has demanded justice for the wrong that was done to you. Blood was shed for the injustice you endured. Jesus stepped in front of the one who hurt you in order to pay the penalty that they deserve – the shedding of blood.
Step 8: Forgive. “I Surrender the right to hurt the one who hurt me. I Surrender the right to restitution. I Surrender the right to continue bringing up the hurt that was done to me – in my mind, to other people or to the one who hurt me.”
Step 9: Pray for the person who hurt you.
“God, please save ______________. Please show them mercy as you have shown me mercy. Do not give them what they deserve but what they need. Please reveal yourself to __________ . Give them the humility that leads to grace. Bless them with righteousness, peace and joy.”
Step 10: If feelings of bitterness begin to creep back in, remember your decision and choose to walk in forgiveness. Forgiveness is often granted before it is felt.
Forgive as the Lord Forgave You
Total Forgiveness
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
Isaiah 43:25
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12
“In those days, at that time,” declares the LORD, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.”
Jeremiah 50:20
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:22
Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.
Isaiah 38:17
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19
And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
Hebrews 10:18
Tom Brown is the planting pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Wichita. Tom and his wife, Mandy, have worked together in ministry for 18 years and have four children. More about Pastor Tom Brown