THE ALL IMPORTANT WORD FOR CHRISTIANS

FORGIVENESS
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FORGIVENESS
 - is one of the most vital word concepts for us as
Christians
 - is a unique concept not found in other faiths,
beliefs and value systems
 - distinguishes us as Christians from all others
 - offers the one true path to redemption of sin and
salvation: divine Forgiveness
 .
Christians and Forgiveness
 eternal truth familiar to all; but, sadly,
understood – and practiced – by few.
Jesus placed special emphasis on
forgiveness in His teachings.
So much so that our entire Christian faith
in salvation hinges on the key concept of
forgiveness.
.
What is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness is divine. God-like, a wonderful gift worth embracing
and emulating.
Forgiveness is an aspect of the Love– the soul of Christianity –
enjoined upon us throughout Jesus’ ministry: the active
expression of that aspect of Love which “keeps no record of
wrongs”
 Forgiveness is …
As such, forgiveness partakes of all other aspects
– assuming and infusing life into all
characteristics – of Love, rendering it Patient –
Kind – Truthful – Protective – Trusting – Hopeful –
Persevering – Never-failing. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-
8).
embittering influences of a grudge-burdened heart: which
wreak as much evil on one’s self as upon others.
There is no room in a heart filled with Love for
resentment, anger or the desire to revenge wrongs (real
or imagined) committed against us –
all of which are swept away and replaced by
forgiveness.
 Forgiveness is liberating; revenge is not.
 A heart that keeps a record of wrongs is bound
as by burning bands ...
But in jesus there is rest for the heavy-
burdened ...
Christians and Forgiveness
 requirement; it is an indispensable
prerequisite for redemption.
Jesus emphasized the importance of
forgiveness repeatedly, stressing its pivotal
role in
our salvation.
  Let’s look at this important element of Christian
faith and explore its significance further.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lords prayer
 We all say the Lord’s Prayer taught us by Jesus;
the single most oftenly recited prayer, known ‘by
heart’ to all Christians – but not always taken to
heart ...
 Matthew 6
 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.
 13And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one.[a]'
 Prayer,
Of coursePrecept,
we recitePracticethe Lord’s Prayer
every day …
But are we following
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the key requirement
– practicing the prayer’s precept – of
forgiveness?
“… as we also have forgiven our debtors”.
This short phrase, amidst those of praise and petition, encompasses
Our one and only claim
the only undertaking contracted on our part in our covenant with
God, as embodied in this prayer: the only claim we can make to His
grace.
We believe, according to Jesus’ teaching, that we can receive
forgiveness
Click to editfor our sins
Master – a concept
subtitle style unique to our faith – and have
been shown the path and given the key to receiving it: our
forgiveness of others.
Give,
Matthew to get 6: 14
For if you forgive men when they sin
against you, your Heavenly Father will
also forgive you. 15 But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not
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forgive your sins.
 We are clearly told …
To receive Forgiveness….we are
REQUIRED to FORGIVE
we have to Give, to get
forgiveness
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Sin and Gods Kingdom
 We cannot reach God’s Kingdom carrying a
bundle full of sin.
 God’s infinite purity is inviolable; we cannot
enter into His presence with any sin within us.
 As Christians we have a core belief that provides
us with the unique possibility of redemption for
all our sins … to be able to stand sinless and
stainless before God.
To receive this cleansing from our Sins we
have to cleanse our selves of anger,
vengeance and learn to Forgive others
who have sinned against us

…so that we may be able to stand before

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our god and heavenly father.
 Jesus places More emphasis on the
importance of forgiveness…
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Mathew 18
  21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord,
how many times shall I forgive my brother when
he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  22Jesus
answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but
seventy-seven times.[f]
 Jesus further emphasized this through the Parable
of the unmerciful servant found in Matthew 18
Verse 23
Parable of the unmerciful servant
 Although the king forgave the servant, the
servant did not reciprocally forgive the man in his
debt. When the king found this out, he punished
the servant.
 We need to think …
 … and realize: Failure to forgive is
unforgiveable.
 We need to think…
Can I expect God to forgive me when I am
not abiding by His Word, that clearly
requires me to forgive those who have
wronged me to receive my redemption?
 To God…

Your heart is an open book

We have to be mindful that, unlike the king in the
parable who was human, God knows even our deepest
thoughts and secrets … and will know if we habour sin –
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the refusal to forgive – in our hearts.
A hardened heart cannot be hidden from
God; it is an open book under His scrutiny.

We cannot keep an unforgiving– and

unpardonable – thought within us
…and still expect redemption of our sins
and salvation for our souls.
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Further insight on forgiveness..
LUKE 6:37
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be
forgiven.
  Consider the example Jesus set for us when He made
the supreme sacrifice – that of His life … After being
insulted, humiliated, spat upon, whipped and crucified,
Lukedespite
23;24 being in excruciating agony, He yet forgave
Jesusandsaid,
besought His Father’s
"Father, FORGIVENESS
forgive them, for for His
they
tormentors ...
do not know what they are doing."
We are the Message and medium
As Christians, we have been clearly shown the
path to salvation – redemption of all our sins

through our forgiveness to others’ who trespasses

against us – as so vividly demonstrated by our
Savior, Jesus Christ Himself on the cross.
Love is the message; forgiveness is the
medium.
Jesus did not merely instruct us on the paramount
importance of forgiveness by giving us directions;

He actually personified the ideal of forgiveness: showing

us the way through personal example…

due to His love

even After being insulted, humiliated, spat upon, whipped
and crucified, despite being in excruciating agony, He yet
forgave and besought His Father’s FORGIVENESS for His
tormentors ...
 No statement on the importance of
forgiveness can be clearer than Jesus' final
plea on our behalf;

His words, addressed to God, still

reverberate as inspiration for our benefit.
 Luke 23: 24
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they
do not know what they are doing”.
By adopting a nature of forgiveness…
Christians can be a light on to others…
It is up to you and me as Christians to abide by Jesus’
teaching and be a living example unto others…

To be a light unto this dark world

set an example to others by forgiving those who trespass
against us … So that we ourselves can be forgiven our
own sins.

WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!

Forgiven thus, cleansed of impurity, we
may stand before God: bathed in the full
light of His boundless Love.
God Bless us all
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