UNFORGIVNESS

Forgiveness for the Offender

One of the most difficult things in our lives is to forgive someone who has wronged us. Sometimes the person who did wrong to us could be our friends, it could be our neighbors, it could be our co-workers, it could be a member of our family. Sometimes it may be a stranger who has done something wrong to us but we can not forgive that person and instead, we may be angry with that person. God gave us a great example to forgive the person who hurt us. There is something Jesus said when the Son of Man was about to die on the cross and everyone was going to blame him, make fun of him and kill him.

Luke 23:34 Jesus said “Father,forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

He prayed for us, even though they had done so much wrong to him. Yet why not be willing to forgive someone who has wronged us? If God is to forgive us of our sins, we must first learn to forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Here are a few things the Bible says about forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11.

If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

^{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.

I pray that God will grant you the grace to forgive those who have wronged you in name of Jesus. Amen.