Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
Before we can walk in forgiveness toward others, we need to be fully assured in our own hearts of the absolute forgiveness that we have received from God our Father through Christ Jesus our Lord. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit assures us that God has forgiven us all of our trespasses. And so we see that no matter how sinful a life we may have led before we came into the kingdom of God, every one of those sins has been forgiven because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
It is precisely because we have received complete forgiveness for our sins that we can in turn extend forgiveness to those who sin against us. In other words God gave us the example which we are to follow, for in the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit teaches us to forgive one another even as God in Christ has forgiven us.
Matthew 18:23-33 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. (24) And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. (25) But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. (26) The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' (27) Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. (28) "But that 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!' (29) So, his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' (30) And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. (31) So, when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. (32) Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. (33) Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?”
Believers, who struggle to forgive others, have forgotten just how much the Lord Jesus has forgiven them. In the above quoted parable that the Lord Jesus taught us, He gave us a clear illustration of this point. For the analogy that our Lord gave us, is of one who owed his master a vast sum that he could not repay. And because the servant asked for mercy, his master had compassion on him and forgave him all his debt. That same individual then refused to forgive his fellow servant a very small amount, in comparison to the vast sum that they had received forgiveness for. In other words, even though he had received compassion, he refused to extend compassion to others. As a result, the outcome for the unforgiving servant was not a pleasant one. But the point remains that as believers, we have received forgiveness for a far greater amount than any wrong that we may suffer at the hands of others, and because we have received compassion from our master, so we are able to extend that same compassion to those who sin against us.
Michael E.B. Maher
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