Love in the Action of Forgiveness

Forgiveness means send away, cover, remove and wipe away. In the NT, send away is used most often. It also comes from words which mean loose, be gracious to, and pass over. The Bible records God’s code for forgiveness: Ps 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Mt 18:21,22 Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven [Literally 77].” Mat 18:34,35 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. Lk 17:3,4 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him. 2 Co 2:7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Col 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Under the Circumcision Gospel, preached when Christ was on the earth, an attitude of forgiveness was important for their salvation: Mat 6:14,15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Every day, most of us seem to ignore the fact that love should be the basis of all our daily decisions. I once thought that it was hopeless to love the way I should. Maybe you do too. Now, I believe real love is only produced by the Holy Spirit as He forms Christ in us. Love is the measure by which our lives will be judged.

As I have continued my search to love more deeply, I see that real love cannot exist without displaying forgiveness. Further, I have seen that love will not flourish in my heart unless my heart is full of forgiveness.

God admonished us to forgive completely. Eph 4:31,32 “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Notice, God has already forgiven you! Based on that, God wants you to do the same.

Why do we forgive so poorly? Since love and forgiveness are bound together, that’s an important key. Love for this world can crowd out any love for God, resulting in a resentment towards Him. Remember, Christ said John 14:15,23,24 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 23 [Jesus said], “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

We don’t recognize how we try to find life apart from God. We surely don’t realize how awful our independence from Him is. There is one big reason we don’t love and forgive better. We yield to the flesh every day. 1 Jo 2:15,16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

Here’s the way Paul put it in Rom 14:23: for whatever is not from faith is sin. That summarizes all our problems. When we’re proud or bitter and justify or rationalize our sinful attitudes of unforgiveness, we display our disdain for God’s purpose in our lives. But, when we have love in our inner attitudes, there’s no room for unforgiveness. Love for this world can crowd out any love for God, resulting in a critical attitude towards Him.

We don’t even recognize our strong commitment to find life apart from God. God and His love is the only way our longings will be completely satisfied. We must realize that we will not live with purpose and joy unless we love.

I will not be able to forgive unless I love. And I will not be able to forgive unless my hatred is unmasked by the beacon of God’s love shining in my heart. Then, love enables forgiveness. That’s why God caused Paul to make this statement in Rom 13:8-10: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

According to Eph 4:12,13,15, we must all be equipped “for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . . [How?] 15 speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ.

God addresses a problem I had in the past, about 8 years ago. Heb 12:15 “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Then, under grace, He tells us what He expects in Col 3:12-15 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

What should we do? Eph 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” How many times should we forgive? You know what Christ’s answer was to Peter under the law in Mat 18:22 - 77 times. But what if? All what ifs are dealt with in Lk 17:3-4: Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.

So, if you are loving God, you will forgive. And that means never bring it up again.