In Jesus’ prayer on behalf of the church (John 17:20-26), He prayed for unity among believers as they testify of the good news of the kingdom of God. Over the next few Sundays, we will discuss this very important topic in more detail as we are “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3). One of the key ways we do this is to forgive one another for sins committed against each other and seek forgiveness when we have sinned against them. While many Christians know that Christians fight, do you know there is a Christian way to fight? Many Christians don’t know, so they fight just as they did before they became Christian. Fighting like a non-Christian is sinful because it is according to self-interest and self-preservation. It involves gossip, deceit, and manipulation of others. It results in anger, bitterness, and resentment. God tells us of a better way to fight. This morning we will discuss seven blessings inherent to forgiveness as we seek to provide a powerful testimony to the world of the glory of God.
Blessing 1 – Forgiveness is Obedience
Every command from God is good and it is good to obey every command from God. The Bible says Christians must forgive one another (Eph 4:32, Col 3:13). Forgiveness is obedience and a refusal to forgive another person is sin. God will bless you when you forgive those who have sinned against you. This underscores a very important biblical truth. Christians can forgive someone before that person asks for forgiveness. This is why God commands forgiveness rather than wishing for forgiveness. Pray to God: “Grant me the ability to forgive them as You have forgiven Me.” Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
Blessing 2 – Forgiveness Decreases Resentment
Forgiveness is to bitterness and resentment what water is to fire. Forgiveness eliminates resentment’s fuel. When you forgive someone, you do not excuse their actions or refuse to call for appropriate civil punishment; but, you refuse to use their actions as a weapon against them. It is an intentional decision to not dwell on the offense, but to hand the resentment and the punishment over to God. It has been said that bitterness is like drinking poison in the hope that it kills our enemy. Pray to God, “Help me renew my mind so that I don’t keep reliving the offense and hating the other person, but to think of what is excellent and pure” (Phil 4:8-9).
Blessing 3 – Forgiveness Brings Peace
Resentment and peace are mutually exclusive. When resentment decreases, peace increases (and vice versa). You have to decide which one you want to increase. If you are intentional to forgive, you will see God fill the void left by bitterness with peace. You have to ask yourself, “Do I want to win or do I want to strive for peace?” The peace that God provides is far better than “winning” any conflict with others. We are to be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50).
Blessing 4 – Forgiveness Promotes Love (for God and Others)
Forgiveness increases our awareness of God’s love by reminding us of Jesus’ death for us. Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). We are motivated to forgive when we remember God’s forgiveness of our sins. Paul also wrote, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32). This results in greater love for God and others.
Blessing 5 – Forgiveness Increases Awareness of Sin
This may not appear to be a blessing at first glance, but as your love for God grows, your awareness of sin increases. This is because when your desire to please God grows you become more aware of what pleases and displeases God. The result is that you desire to please God and walk more humbly before Him and others. You are quick to see your sin and confess it. The more mature you become in your faith the more you become aware of your own sinfulness (1 Tim 1:15).
Blessing 6 – Forgiveness is the First Step in Reconciliation
Genuine forgiveness is demonstrated in a desire for reconciliation. God commands forgiveness (Eph 4:32) rather than wishes for forgiveness. Also, God says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom 12:18). Notice the difference. Forgiveness must happen, but reconciliation may happen. This is because forgiveness is what you can do, but for reconciliation to happen the other person(s) must reciprocate. While you are responsible for your thoughts, words, and actions; you are not responsible for what others think, say, or do. When we meet with God in prayer, we ask Him to search our heart (Ps 139). We ask Him for wisdom on how to think about the situation and how best to respond. Only when we have met with God can we meet with the other person so that we can approach them with love and humility as we seek to reconcile a fractured relationship and forgive the sin they committed against us. We also recognize the role that we have played in this situation.
Blessing 7 – Forgiveness is a Powerful Witness
Forgiveness is a powerful witness because it can only happen with God’s help. The world understands revenge, but it doesn’t understand mercy or grace. Only God can help someone forgive because our forgiveness is modeled after God’s forgiveness of our sins. This serves as a powerful witness to the world that there is something different about Christians. Remember, Colossians 3:13 tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven.
Application
Is there anyone that you refuse to talk to? Is there anyone you refuse to forgive? Are there relationships you know should be better? The Peace Pursuit has some helpful questions:
- Do you feel that you have been personally hurt or offended by someone?
- Does it appear that you have offended or hurt someone?
- Do you believe that a person has offended or hurt someone else other than you?
- Has someone come to you to talk about a conflict between two people, but you are not one of the two people in the conflict?
We must refuse to fight according to self-interest and self-preservation. We must refuse to engage in gossip, deceit, and manipulation of others; resulting in anger, bitterness, and resentment. God tells us of a better way. Let us provide a powerful testimony to the world of the glory of God.
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
You must be logged in to post a comment.