Don't Forget to Forgive

Scripture: "When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25).

What does forgiveness look like? Some describe it as giving up the right to revenge or the obligation to "get even." Perhaps you have heard the phrase "forgive and forget." I think God’s forgiveness looks more like that, because He said of Himself, "I will blot out your sins and will never think of them again" (Isaiah 43:25, paraphrased).

Forgive for Forgiveness

When someone hurts us, it is so difficult to even want to forgive them – I sometimes get so angry that I can’t even think, let alone pray. But after a while, I remember Jesus’ instructions: "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15). In other words, hanging on to our unforgiveness hinders our intimacy with God.

You Forgive Others

The Apostle Paul instructed, "be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). No matter what someone has done – or how many times they have offended you – Jesus said we should still forgive them, according to the Parable of the Debtor in Matthew 18. This is not a command to stay in a physically unhealthy or emotionally abusive relationship. But "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8), and with forgiveness, God’s love can redeem anyone and any relationship.

God Forgives You

After God has helped us forgive others and mend relationships, we turn to Him in repentance for our own sins. We know that "if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:9). King David wrote of the joy and relief we can experience when the Lord forgives us: "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!" (Psalm 32:1).