In Mark 11:5, Jesus says
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Forgiveness seems to be one man’s most basic difficulty. It seems to me to be a real test of our claim to be born again. Over and over in Jesus’ ministry, this was one point he kept touching on. In the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:12, he made it clear that our receiving forgiveness from God is directly connected to how freely we forgive.
Even the best of us get hurt deeply and as long as we walk this earth, we will hurt others and also be hurt. We will disagree, and be placed in situations where we will feel greatly wronged. As long as we relate with others, we will be offended and wounded. Sometimes to a lesser degree but at other times, the hurt can be deep and the pain and consequences can be tremendous. However, in all circumstances, we are asked to forgive. This is the mark that identifies us as having a relationship with God who also freely forgives us our sins.
Forgiveness by our heavenly father depends on our attitude toward those who offend us. Why is this so? God can forgive us regardless of our relationships with others, can’t he? We think to ourselves how annoying and spiteful some people can be and we say like Peter
“How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?” What was Jesus’ response?
“Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” – Matt. 18:21, 22
In other words, keep forgiving because of course who can keep count of up to 499 offenses in one day?
Forgive us as we forgive others
This petition in the Lord’s prayer reveals a pang of twofold guilt on our part. We sin against God when we act in a way that disregards his commandments and then we are also guilty of the sin of commission when we sin against our fellow men by not forgiving them when they wrong us. So, if we come to God, God says ‘I will forgive you but then you have to also be willing to extend grace to your fellow men.’
This principle in the Bible teaches us to compare the wrong others have done toward us with the wrong we have done against our heavenly Father. This shows the serious nature of sin; it shows that sin works two ways — against God, and our fellow men.
Not only are we sinful, but according to Isaiah’s exclamation in Isaiah 6:5, we dwell in the midst of sinful people. We, therefore, need to consistently seek forgiveness from God and extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us and sinned against us.
We need to let go of the desire for vengeance. As difficult as it may be we need to love not just our friends but also our enemies. In forgiving people who hurt us, we can see a glimpse of ourselves from God’s point of view and understand how his heart aches every time we turn to sin and how much it costs him to redeem us and call us back to himself. If we truly and wholeheartedly forgive everyone who hurt us, we will come to appreciate the forgiveness and love of God
Micah. 7:18, 19:
Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
This is the God we serve and this is his heart of love that we should show to others all around us.
The prodigal son
In Luke 15:11-32, we read the story of the prodigal son. We see that the attitude of the father is in striking contrast to that of the elder brother. While the father welcomed him with open arms and a joyous feast, the elder brother remained spiteful and would have been fully content if the prodigal son spent a few more years suffering as payment for his crime. Do you manifest the same spirit of bitterness to those who wrong you?
This petition to forgive is a challenge to you and me dear friend. When we ask our heavenly Father to forgive us because we have forgiven from the heart those who trespass against us, this means that unless and until we have settled our account with others, we are not prepared to come to God and seek forgiveness from Him.
This should lead us to have a forgiving attitude toward others every moment of our life — “seventy times seven.” It makes it impossible for us to hold a grudge against others and yet be in the proper relationship with God. When such a forgiving and peaceful relationship exists among the brethren, the world will know for sure that we are walking with Jesus.
The mind of Christ
It all adds up to this, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” He forgave to the end of his last breath –
Luke 23:34
“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…”
He was being wronged and hurt in the worse way possible and yet his thought towards his tormentors was that of forgiveness. If you are reading this it means that person who has hurt you has probably taken something great from you but you are still alive and breathing. So, this means you can forgive if Jesus did even at the point where he was being brutally murdered unjustly.
Even after his resurrection, He pleads for sinners at the right hand of God, day in and day out, moment by moment. That is a part of his work in the heavenly sanctuary
Conclusion
When we think once again of the petition in the Lord’s prayer
‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,’ we recognize how weighty and how solemn it is, and how needy we are to be possessed with the forgiving attitude of our loving Saviour.
We are to consistently ask of God; “Lord teach me how to relate myself to others, so that I may know how to relate myself to thee.” God will hear this prayer if it is offered in sincerity and truth.
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