Have you reached a place where you feel like it is impossible to forgive someone? Apparently, the Apostle Peter did, and asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” – Matthew 18:21. In other words, Peter asked Jesus, there must be a limit where you draw the line and reach the point of un-forgiveness, right? Wrong! Jesus responded, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” – Matthew 18:22.
As Saints of God, our perspective of forgiveness is not earthly or based on past experiences with people, but forgiving others is solely based on the unconditional and unlimited forgiveness we receive from God. Many Saints may know that in order to be forgiven by God, they are obligated to forgive others (Matthew 6:14, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13), but many Saints may not know how to forgive others when they have reached their “limit of forgiveness.”
Following the guidelines of Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant – Matthew 18:21-35; the first step to forgiving others is to determine the “debt of transgression.” The debt of transgression is what is owed to you by the person who offended you (Matthew 18:23). For example, if someone owes you $300, but hasn’t paid you back yet. Whenever you encounter the person, that unspoken debt will cause an uneasy feeling to hang over the relationship like a dark cloud. The “debt of transgression,” is the root cause of all the negative feelings you are experiencing.
The next step is to forgive the person by no longer holding their debt against them. This is where you must allow the love, mercy, and compassion you have received from God (Matthew 18:32), to heal your heart and guide your actions to forgive and restore the person who offended you. In contrast, an unhealed heart, filled with hurt, bitterness, and anger will “draw the line” on forgiveness (Matthew 18:30), and will keep you imprisoned (Matthew 18:34). It is necessary to remove the poison of bitterness, resentment, and un-forgiveness from your heart because if left unattended, they will bloom into hatred and malice, which will lead you to retaliation and hurt (Matthew 18:28) your offender rather than forgive and restore him (Galatians 6:1).
The old saying “time will heal all wounds” is only partially accurate because only God can heal all wounds, but you must continually seek the Lord and give Him the time and opportunity to do so. “Getting over” something (or someone) that hurt you is not the same as being healed from that hurt. If you have cut off the person who offended you and decided to have no dealings with the person, you are not healed! God forgives and restores and not forgives and cuts off! If your peace is disrupted when you think of what the person did or when the person is in your presence, you are not yet healed.
But, when you settle in your heart that the person doesn’t have to return the money (debt) owed, you release the person from their debt and simultaneously release yourself from all the negative feelings associated with their debt. The moment you fully release the person from their debt, you release yourself from the prison of un-forgiveness, and the relationship can continue peacefully.
WOW! Sounds simple, but if you have ever experienced receiving forgiveness from God, you should be able to relate to this process, but in reverse. When you hurt God by your transgression against him and seek forgiveness, you must not only be sorry for your actions against God but determine the root cause of your sin. Once you forgive yourself and judge your sin like God would, God will see the brokenness in your heart, forgive you, and release you from your debt of transgression. Once that debt is released, there’s a spiritual outpouring of God’s Love and joy in your soul that restores you back into His loving arms. Unlike man’s forgiveness, which is conditional, God removes your sin and doesn’t hold it against you anymore. “He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” – Micah 7:19. Satan loves to shackle God’s people with memories of sins that God has already forgiven and forgotten. Satan is the accuser (Revelation 12:10), but Jesus Christ is our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2).
Your spiritual fellowship with God will flow freely when you are willing to forgive, but it is hindered when you refuse to forgive others. So when you have reached the limit of forgiveness with someone, seek Jesus Christ to heal your broken heart so that His love can flow through you to show mercy and compassion on others, as God has shown mercy and compassion towards you.
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