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By Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director,
www.LoveAllPeople.org
The most important thing for a Christian is love. If we love, we must
forgive.
"For all the law is fulfulled in one word,
even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself." (Galatians 5:14 KJV)
If we love them, we must forgive them. Just as God loves us and has
forgiven us, we must also forgive them. If we will not forgive others, God
will not forgive us! Simple as that. People who claim to be Christians but
who will not forgive are merely deceiving themselves.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
(Matthew 6:14-15 KJV)
Jesus made this very clear in The Parable Of The Unforgiving Servant.
MATTHEW 18:21-35 (RSV)
The Unforgiving Servant
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21
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall
my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as
seven times?"
22
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but
seventy times seven.
23
"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king
who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
24
When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who
owed him ten thousand talents;
25
and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold,
with his wife and children and all that he had, and
payment to be made.
26
So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord,
have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'
27
And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released
him and forgave him the debt.
28
But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of
his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and
seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay what you owe.'
29
So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have
patience with me, and I will pay you.'
30
He refused and went and put him in prison till he should
pay the debt.
31
When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they
were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to
their lord all that had taken place.
32
Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked
servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought
me;
33
and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant,
as I had mercy on you?'
34
And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till
he should pay all his debt.
35
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if
you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
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Here are other Scriptures which emphasize the overwhelming importance of
forgiveness.
Scriptures On Forgiveness (RSV)
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I
forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but
up to seventy times seven."
Matthew 18:35
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you
forgive your brother from your heart."
Mark 11:25-26
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone,
forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven
forgive your sins.
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.
Luke 17:3
So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he
repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4
If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes
back to you and says, `I repent,' forgive him."
HERE IS A PRAYER/POEM WHICH RE-EXPRESSES THESE TEACHINGS . . .
"As You Forgive, So Shall You Be Forgiven"
I pray that you will learn this teaching well,
I pray that you engrave it on your heart.
The Lord has spoken clearly as can be:
"As you forgive, so shall you be forgiven."
* * *
So if someone has done you wrong, forgive!
And if somebody steals from you, forgive!
And if they lie and laugh at you, forgive!
And if they beat you half to death, forgive!
* * *
So when the day of judgment comes for you,
And He reviews the life that you have led,
I pray the record shows that you forgave,
So He can say, "I likewise do forgive."
* *
In Jesus' name I pray for you, Amen.
by Rev.Bill McGinnis, Public Domain
. . . AND HERE IS A PRAYER YOU CAN USE TO GRANT YOUR FORGIVENESS TO OTHERS
. . .
THIS PRAYER IS FOR YOU, YOURSELF, TO PRAY
"To Grant Your Forgiveness"
NOTE: This is a prayer for you to grant your forgiveness
to everyone who has hurt you or has aroused the emotion of
anger in you. You need to make a list of these people,
complete to the best of your ability. If you don't know a
particular name, you may merely describe the situation, like
"The man who ran my car off the road last year, then drove
away." As you are praying, you refer to this "forgiveness
list." You may repeat this prayer whenever you need to.
As a Christian, you never want to hold a grudge against
anyone very long.
* * *
O Lord, I raise my humble prayer to you,
That you might soothe my soul and grant me peace,
For I have burned in anger, raged in wrath.
I have a list where I have written down
The names of those I want now to forgive.
So Lord, I now declare that I forgive
The people who are listed here today.
For every wrong that they have done to me,
I do forgive and blot out of my heart.
For any anger they aroused in me,
I do forgive them, each and every one.
And any others, not upon this list,
I also do forgive them, every one.
I do sincerely promise this to you.
And as I now forgive those listed here,
I pray that you will likewise grant to me,
Complete forgiveness for my many sins.
In Jesus' name I pray to you, Amen.
by Bill McGinnis, Public Domain
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