FORGIVENESS 1 In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis ...

1 FORGIVENESS 1 In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis stated , every one says FORGIVENESS is a lovely idea, until they have something to Corrie Ten Boom, sister Betsie Ravensbruck. o Two years after the war, Corrie spoke at a church in Munich, to a defeated Germany, bringing with her the message that God does indeed forgive. o Yet, Corrie was unexpectedly struck by a familiar face that stared back at her from within the crowd; a man that she recognized as a particularly cruel guard from Ravensbruck. o After Corrie s speech had ended, the man approached Corrie.

2 His words to her were as follows: You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk. I was a guard there, he said. But since that time I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. He extended his hand toward her and asked, Will you forgive me? Corrie stared at the outstretched hand. o Listen to the account that she would later give regarding that experience: And as I stood there I whose sins had again and again been forgiven and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

3 It could not have been many seconds that he stood there hand held out but to me it seemed like hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do, for I had to do it I knew that. The message that God forgives had a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. FORGIVENESS 2 If you do not forgive men their trespasses, Jesus says , neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:15). I knew it not only as a commandment of God but as a daily still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart.

4 But FORGIVENESS is not an emotion I knew that too. FORGIVENESS is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling. And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced town my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. I forgive you, brother!

5 I cried. With all my heart. So what exactly is FORGIVENESS ? FORGIVENESS means dismissing a debt, and it is a choice. In the New Testament, the Greek noun aphesis denotes a dismissal or release. o When you receive FORGIVENESS , your debt is dismissed. (You are released from any requirement for repayment.) o When you grant FORGIVENESS , you dismiss the debt owed to you. In Luke 6:27 Christ told us to Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. FORGIVENESS is dismissing your demand that others owe you something, especially when they fail to meet your to keep a to treat you justly.

6 FORGIVENESS 3 o In Matthew 5:39 Jesus said, If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Often, misconceptions abound when the word FORGIVENESS is mentioned. o Some think FORGIVENESS is the equivalent of excusing that what was wrong is now right. o Yet this is not the example of FORGIVENESS that Jesus displayed. When He encountered the mob of men eager to stone a woman caught in adultery, He chose not to stone her; however, never did He excuse her, either. Instead, He told her to, Go, and sin no more (John 8:11).

7 To help correct any confusion, it is important to know what FORGIVENESS is not! o FORGIVENESS is not letting the guilty off the hook. It is moving the guilty from your hook to God s hook; allowing God to execute His justice in His time and in His way. As Beth Moore said, The intent of biblical FORGIVENESS is to cut someone loose. The word picture drawn by the Greek term for unforgiveness is one in which the unforgiven is roped to the back of the unforgiving. How ironic. Unforgiveness is the means by which we securely bind ourselves to that which we hate most.

8 Therefore, the Greek meaning of FORGIVENESS might best be demonstrated as the practice of cutting loose the person roped to you back. o FORGIVENESS is not based on what is fair. FORGIVENESS 4 It certainly was not fair for Jesus to hang on the cross but He did so that we could be forgiven. o FORGIVENESS is not a feeling. It is a choice an act of the will. o FORGIVENESS is not being a weak passive martyr. Again, Moore stated that FORGIVENESS is the ability to withstand the pressing, quaking gates of hell. o And FORGIVENESS is not the same as reconciliation.

9 It takes two for reconciliation, only one for FORGIVENESS . FORGIVENESS focuses on the offense, whereas reconciliation focuses on the relationship. FORGIVENESS requires no relationship. QUESTION: After we forgive someone, must we also try to be reconciled? ANSWER: While 2 Corinthians 5:18 says , us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Sometimes encouraging the restoration of a relationship is not at all wise, as with a partner in adultery or with a rapist. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says , Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.

10 FORGIVENESS is extended even if it is never, ever earned. Reconciliation is offered to the offender because it has been earned. FORGIVENESS 5 So, why should we get rid of unforgiveness? o As we have already covered, when you refuse to forgive, your unforgiveness keeps you emotionally stuck to both the offense and the offender. o A continual refusal to forgive digs a deeper hole in which you can easily hide your hardened heart. o Blaming others is a favorite tactic to justify unforgiveness. o You can become too comfortable in the unnatural habitat of self-righteousness and self-pity.