Forgiveness is hard and painful and feels contrary to our nature, which tells us to even the scores on our own, but it is rewarding and healing because when we forgive, we give to God the circumstances that are out of our control and we trust His wisdom. How then can we possibly understand what it means to forgive someone if his Cross is the standard of true forgiveness? If we believe we can just summon up the willpower and love and grace to forgive someone the instant we are wronged with no prior forethought and prayer on our part, allowing the Father’s love to wash over us, I think we will find we are setting ourselves up to fail, because, again, forgiving those we love is easy, forgiving those we hate or who hate us requires quite literally a supernatural ability to forgive that can only be found in Christ. As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”.

He tells us there are many trials we will experience if we are following Christ, and I’m guessing a lot of them are ones we could easily say are “unfair” and believe we don’t deserve. Forgiveness is a choice, but it is also birthed out of dependence on the One Who gives us the power and ability to act on such a choice. Answer: Forgiveness in the Bible is a “release” or a “dismissal” of something. Jesus is the ultimate example of what forgiveness – real, grueling, costly forgiveness – looks like. Define forgive/forgiving: According to dictionary.com, forgive/forgiving is defined as “To cease to fee; resentment against” or “To pardon an offense or an offender”. It is offered to all in the gospel. Again, it seems like such an incomprehensible task, (in my mind) to extend forgiveness to someone who has cost you something as precious as your family or your life. It is no wonder then that when someone really lets that reality sink into their heart, they are transformed and become made new. I believe forgiveness is only done when our hearts are prepared to forgive others. Forgiveness looks a lot like reconciliation. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” So, Scripture is telling us forgiveness is actually paramount to our own salvation.

Forgiveness is a choice, but it is also birthed out of dependence on the One Who gives us the power and ability to act on such a choice. He forfeited pretty much everything you and I would cling to before forgiving someone: identity, security, love, safety, and life itself. We might tell ourselves things like, “Surely my friend didn’t mean to insult my career choice” or “they probably weren’t actually trying to hurt me.” We can allow ourselves to excuse all kinds of actual instances of harm simply because we really may not know how else to practice forgiveness.