Forgiveness

  One thing true forgiveness isn't is showy, like play-acting. All of us at one time or another as children had a parent force us to say "I'm sorry" while the other child was forced to accept the forced apology. Is this true repentance by the one and true forgiveness by the other? Only God knows the true feeling of our hearts, and that goes for all of us. Only God is the source of true forgiveness, only the Christian Bible teaches that God completely forgives sins.

Heb 10:17  also He adds, "their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more."
Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Col 2:14  blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

  If God completely forgives sins, and is in the business of redeeming us, who is it that accuses? Consider Christ's parable:

Mat 18:23  Therefore the kingdom of Heaven has been compared to a certain king who desired to make an accounting with his servants.
Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to count, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25  But as he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded that he, and his wife and children, and all that he had, be sold, and payment be made.
Mat 18:26  Then the servant fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay you all.
Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe.
Mat 18:29  And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me and I will pay you all.
Mat 18:30  And he would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry. And they came and told their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after he had called him, said to him, O wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
Mat 18:33  Should you not also have pitied your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you?
Mat 18:34  And his lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him.
Mat 18:35  So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also to you, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses.

 Shouldn't we all consider just what we are forgiven from?



 Christ forgave us our sins, He's the one who paid the check, what then, is to become of those who accuse and abuse their fellow-servants? The lord's prayer teaches us to "forgive us our sins, AS we forgive those who sin against us" and the Lord adds:


Mat 6:14  For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
Mat 6:15  but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 While salvation is a gift from God, freely given, there for the asking, there is but one condition here. to be forgiven one must forgive. this comes from the Lords mouth. the only person to get in the way of your own salvation is you. harboring ill will to your fellowservants, using the accusers tools like envy, bitterness, anger, backbiting, all that negative shit the accuser uses will destroy you. not the other party. think you can bring accusations against your fellowservant to the Lord? the Lord is interested in redeeming, not accusing. want justice? better you should want forgiveness for all, not just the people you like, the Lord is the judge, and he has already shown his desire that all would come to repentance.

 Consider this parable 
Luke 18:9-14 (NIV) To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God..."

 God is not interested in keeping score, tallying how many black marks this one has or that one doesn't have. there should be a renewed way of thinking amongst those who follow Christ, Christians should be the bright light shining on the hill, so the people of the world can consider the light, contrast that with the darkness, and see the light is good. 

  
Eph 5:8  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light
Eph 5:9  (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
Eph 5:10  proving what is acceptable to the Lord.
Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
Eph 5:13  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Eph 5:14  Therefore he says, "Awake, sleeping ones! And arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light."

I pray Christ gives us all light.