Forgiving One AnotherText: Eph. 4:31-32; Col. 3:12-13

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Forgiving One Another

• Is a Command of God.• Col. 3:12-13; James 2:10; • Is a Perquisite to Receiving Forgiveness.•Matt. 6:12; Matt. 6: 14-15; Mark 11:25; • Is to Our Glory to Forgive.• Proverbs 11:25;

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Forgive• The American Heritage Dictionary: “...tr. 1. To excuse for a

fault or offense; to pardon. 2. To renounce anger or resentment against. 3. To absolve from payment of. --intr. To accord forgiveness....”

• Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary: “1 a : to give up resentment of or claim to requital for <forgive an insult> b : to grant relief from payment of <forgive a debt> 2 : to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : PARDON <forgive one’s enemies> verb intransitive : to grant forgiveness….”

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Forgive• BDAG: “1. to give freely as a favor, give graciously (a common term in

honorific documents lauding officials and civic-minded pers. for their beneficence…) of God…. 2. to cancel a sum of money that is owed, cancel….This forms a transition to 3. to show oneself gracious by forgiving wrongdoing, forgive, pardon… Eph 4:32ab; Col 3:13ab….” (1078)

• Thayer: “...often in Grk. writ. fr. Hom. down; to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favor to, gratify; a. univ. to show one’s self gracious, kind, benevolent.... b. to grant forgiveness, to pardon.... c. to give graciously, give freely, bestow....where a debt is referred to, to forgive....” (#5483, 665)

• Vine: “to bestow a favour unconditionally, is used of the act of forgiveness, whether Divine....or human....” (453)

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Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• WILLINGLY • God is always ready and willing to forgive. (Neh. 9:16-

17; Psa. 86:5) • Jesus manifest a willingness to forgive. (Luke 23:34) • Stephen showed a forgiving spirit toward those who

stoned him. (Acts 7:60) • Paul indicated a willingness to forgive those who

abandoned him. (2 Tim. 4:16)

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Do We Have a Forgiving Spirit? • The Bible Warns Against Harboring Malice, Bitterness or

Uncontrolled Anger. (Eph. 4:26-27, 31) • We Are Not to Seek Revenge. (Prov. 24:28-29; Rom.

12:17-19; 1 Pet. 3:8-9)• A Forgiving Spirit Means We Will Treat an Enemy in the

Way We Desire to Be Treated. (Matt. 5:43-48; Matt. 7:12; Prov. 24:17-18)

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Objection: He must repent before I can forgive him.

(Luke 17:3-4)

Answered: Whether the offender repents or not we are to have a Christ like spirit that is

ready and willing to forgive. (Luke 23:34)

Objection: “I just don’t feel like forgiving!”

Answered: Forgiveness is an obligation. (Luke 17:3-4)

Objection: “To forgive would make me a hypocrite!”

Answered: to turn away from anger and forgive makes us like our Lord. (Ex. 32:7-14;

Num. 14:11-20)

Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• UNRESERVEDLY• Sins too heinous to forgive?

• David broke five of the Ten Commandments in his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:1-27)• He broke the 10th commandment by coveting his neighbor’s

wife (Ex. 20:17)• He broke the 7th commandment by committing adultery with

Bathsheba (Ex. 20:14)• He broke the 9th commandment by bearing false witness in

an attempt to cover up his sin (Ex. 20:16)• He broke the 6th commandment by killing Uriah with the

sword of the Ammonites (Ex. 20:13)• He broke the 8th commandment by stealing his neighbor’s

wife (Ex. 20:15)• God forgave David (2 Sam. 12:12-14)

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Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• UNRESERVEDLY• Sins too heinous to forgive? • David broke five of the Ten Commandments in his

sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:1-27)• Saul of Tarsus ravaged the church of God. (Acts

8:1-3) Yet, God forgave Paul. (1 Cor. 15:9-10)• The Corinthians committed contemptible crimes,

but God forgave them. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

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Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• UNRESERVEDLY• Sins too heinous to forgive? • Mary had to forgive her countrymen who crucified

her Son and later became Christians on Pentecost. (Acts 1:14; Acts 2:36)• The church in Jerusalem had to forgive Saul of

Tarsus when he became a Christian. (Acts 9:26-28)

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Objection: “It is too hard to forgive them for what they did!”

Answered: What is the worse thing that could happen to you? Rape? Incest?

Robbery? Murder? Ruin? Have We Forgotten How Much We Have

Hurt God and Been Forgiven? (Matt. 18:21-35)

Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• Conditionally • God is always willing to forgive. (Psa. 86:5) • God has placed conditions upon forgiveness.

(2 Chr. 7:14; Isa. 55:7) • We are to confess, repent and return. (Acts

3:19; 1 John 1:9) • If we are like our Father in heaven then we

will forgive conditionally. (Luke 17:3-4)

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Forgiving One AnotherText: Eph. 4:31-32; Col. 3:12-13

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Forgiving One Another

• Is a Command of God.• Col. 3:12-13; James 2:10; • Is a Perquisite to Receiving Forgiveness.•Matt. 6:12; Matt. 6: 14-15; Mark 11:25; • Is to Our Glory to Forgive.• Proverbs 11:25;

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Forgive• The American Heritage Dictionary: “...tr. 1. To excuse for a

fault or offense; to pardon. 2. To renounce anger or resentment against. 3. To absolve from payment of. --intr. To accord forgiveness....”

• Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary: “1 a : to give up resentment of or claim to requital for <forgive an insult> b : to grant relief from payment of <forgive a debt> 2 : to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : PARDON <forgive one’s enemies> verb intransitive : to grant forgiveness….”

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Forgive• BDAG: “1. to give freely as a favor, give graciously (a common term in

honorific documents lauding officials and civic-minded pers. for their beneficence…) of God…. 2. to cancel a sum of money that is owed, cancel….This forms a transition to 3. to show oneself gracious by forgiving wrongdoing, forgive, pardon… Eph 4:32ab; Col 3:13ab….” (1078)

• Thayer: “...often in Grk. writ. fr. Hom. down; to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favor to, gratify; a. univ. to show one’s self gracious, kind, benevolent.... b. to grant forgiveness, to pardon.... c. to give graciously, give freely, bestow....where a debt is referred to, to forgive....” (#5483, 665)

• Vine: “to bestow a favour unconditionally, is used of the act of forgiveness, whether Divine....or human....” (453)

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Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You•WILLINGLY• UNRESERVEDLY • CONDITIONALLY

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Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• IMMEDIATELY• God forgave David immediately (2 Sam.

12:12)• God forgave the Ninevites immediately.

(Jon. 3:10) • The father forgave the prodigal

immediately (Luke 15:20-24) • To be like God we must forgive

immediately

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Objection: The offender must show the fruits of

repentance(Matt. 3:8)

Answered: It is the offender’s obligation to manifest the fruits of

repentance. (Matt. 3:8) It is the offended person’s obligation to

forgive. (Luke 17:3-4)

Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You

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Question: Does This Mean Everything Has to Be Like It Was

Before?

Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• Permanently • Hebrews 8:10-12—“aFOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL

MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAELAFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: 1I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM bON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 11 “aAND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR bALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM 1THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. 12 “aFOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, bAND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”

• Hebrews 10:17--“aAND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

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Remembering Sin• When God forgave a sin He could still remember it. (Neh.

9:9ff.; Psa. 78:8 ff.; Acts 7:38ff.;) • Defining forget: (American Heritage Dictionary) 1.To be

unable to remember (something)2. To treat with thoughtless inattention; neglect: forget one's family 3.To leave behind unintentionally 4. To fail to mention• When God remembers sin no more:• Does not mean that God cannot mentally recall the sin• It is that He chooses to leave it behind, He chooses to fail

to mention, He chooses not to hold it against us anymore. • Ref. Ezek. 33:14-16;

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“I’ll forgive you, but I’ll not forget this!”

We may be able to mentally recall the offense, but we do not:

1.We don’t hold it over their heads2.We don’t constantly bring it up3.We don’t get hysterical then historical 4.We try not to dwell on it ourselves

Forgive One Another as God in Christ Forgave You• Repeatedly• God forgave the children of Israel in the

wilderness repeatedly. (Num. 14:18-19) • God forgave the children of Israel in the days

of the judges repeatedly. (Jud. 2:10-19) • God has forgiven you repeatedly. • We are to forgive repeatedly. (Matt. 18:21-22;

Luke 17:3-4)

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Forgive One Another….as God has Forgiven Us

• Willingly• Unreservedly• Conditionally• Immediately• Completely• Permanently• Repeatedly

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