The Freedom of Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:32

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Christians are viewed meticulously by the world and it is the qualities in this verse that they look for the most. Kindness is essential, care is highly desired and forgiveness is demanded. The only problem with forgiveness is the fact that all people want it but very few want to give it. If we can learn to forgive, we will free our life from much bondage.

Jesus, our greatest example of forgiveness, put the utmost importance on forgiveness. He said, “¹⁴ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”, (Matt. 6:14-15, NKJV). He was not referring to salvation here. At the moment, we repent of our sins and trust in Christ as Savior, we are forgiven of past, present and future sins and sealed with God’s Spirit. But our fellowship with God and the quality of life which we live is in jeopardy if we do not forgive others. We need to forgive others and then ask God for His forgiveness to have unhindered fellowship.

So many people do not want to forgive because of past treatment or hurt. We need to realize that when we do not forgive, we will end up harboring bitterness, anger, enmity and/or many other evils. We end up hurting ourselves more than the one we do not want to forgive. We do this by creating an inescapable hole of criticism and resentment. By denying forgiveness, we will severe the ability to communicate and fellowship with that other person. This lack of obedience is sin and thus we are completely limiting growth in our own life and with our walk with God. How can God forgive us fully and allow us to have unhindered fellowship with Him, if we are holding on to sin?

Most of us have been hurt deeply by a parent, a spouse, a close friend or a mentor in our life. If we do not release this hurt through forgiveness, we will limit every other aspect of our life. It is like gripping a rock in each hand and holding on tightly. We may be able to function somewhat normally but only in a very limited fashion. We may be able to perform the basic actions of life. But other more complicated actions will be completely disabled. We need to put down the rocks of unforgiveness and open our hands and our lives to the freedom of God’s blessings.

It does not matter, how many times the other party has offended us. In order to forgive like the Lord Jesus, we need to forgive others as much as He has forgiven us. We don’t need to hold the hurt from another as hostage. This is only an excuse to hold on to unforgiveness and bitterness.

Thoughts, comments, objections, prayer requests.

Daniel A. Smith