THE BIBLICAL MEASURE OF FORGIVENESS

 

 

“Jesus casts the spotlight on this all too human tendency when he says, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.”  At first glance, this might seem to be a simple matter of cause and effect: you forgive and then your act of forgiveness will merit forgiveness for you. But it seems to understand Jesus’ statement on those legalistic terms would be a mistake.

 

In Matthew 18:35, Jesus makes a similar point when he says, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” It might be easy to assume from this statement that God forgives us on the basis of our forgiveness of others. But that would be a false assumption. God forgives us on the basis of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on our behalf and in our place.” (Mike Feazell Christian Odyssey)

 

“The Bible speaks about every person needing forgiveness and every person needing to forgive. Why? Because we are all sinners in need of God's forgiveness. None of us is perfect. We need God's grace and we need to extend that same mercy to others. This subject is the very essence of true Christianity. Until we understand it, we will not really understand God Himself.”

 

“God knew that all of us, without exception will be wronged. Furthermore, all of us will treat others wrongly. All of us will sin against God and others. These sins block and hinder our relationship with Him. Jesus spoke more of forgiveness than possibly any other topic. This is a lesson we must learn on deeper and deeper levels until the very core of our being is changed into Love.”

 

“There is no life apart from God's love. Therefore, there is no life apart from forgiveness, for forgiveness is the seal, the mark, and the proof of Love. If we say we have love and cannot walk in forgiveness, we deceive ourselves, and our "love" is only a parody of the real thing.” 

 

(Source:  Bible.com “What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness”)

 

 

Parables of Forgiveness

 

 

Mathew 18:21-22 (Seventy times seven)

 

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 answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (NASB)

 

 

Luke 17:3-4 (Unlimited)

Jesus says, “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”

"And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."  (NASB)

 

 

Ephesians 4:32 (As God forgave us)

 

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (NLT)

 

 

What are the Benefits of Forgiving?

 

 

Mark 11:25 (It is Necessary for Our Own Forgiveness)

 

Jesus said, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (NLT)

  

 

2 Corinthians 2:5-10 (It Restores Christian Fellowship)

 

“I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt your entire church more than he hurt me.  He was punished enough when most of you were united in your judgment against him.  Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so discouraged that he won't be able to recover.  Now show him that you still love him.

 

I wrote to you as I did to find out how far you would go in obeying me.  When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit.” (NLT)

   

 

James 5:15-16 (Spiritual cleansing)

 

James says that the elders of the church should pray over those who are sick and the Lord will make them well, adding, “And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”

 

“And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”

 

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” (NLT)

 

 

Other Benefits

 

Luke 6:27-36 (Love and Forgive Your Enemies)

 

"But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you.  Pray for the happiness of those who curse you.  Pray for those who hurt you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.  Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back.  Do for others as you would like them to do for you.

 

"Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who love you? Even the sinners do that! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much!  And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return.

 

"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked.  You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (NLT)

 

 

Luke 6:37-38 (Do Not Condemn Others)

 

“Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven.  If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving--large or small--it will be used to measure what is given back to you." (NLT)

 

Luke 7: 36-49 (Those who are Forgiven Much will Love Much)

 

“Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. “

 

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

 

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
      "Tell me, teacher," he said.

 

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denari, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

 

Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
      "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

 

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 

 

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

 

Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

 

The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" (NIV)

 

 

An Acknowledgment and Confession of Sin Results in Forgiveness and Release from Guilt

 

 

Psalm 32:1-5 (NIV)

 

1) “Blessed is he
       whose transgressions are forgiven,
       whose sins are covered.

 

2) Blessed is the man
       whose sin the LORD does not count against him
       and in whose spirit is no deceit.

 

 3) When I kept silent,
       my bones wasted away
       through my groaning all day long.

 

 4) For day and night
       your hand was heavy upon me;
       my strength was sapped
       as in the heat of summer.
       Selah

 

 5) Then I acknowledged my sin to you
       and did not cover up my iniquity.
       I said, ‘I will confess
       my transgressions to the LORD’—
       and you forgave
       the guilt of my sin.
       Selah”

 

Examples of forgiveness

 

 

• Esau forgives Jacob. (Genesis 33:4–15)
• Joseph forgives his brothers (Genesis 45:8–15; 50:19-21)
• Moses forgives the Israelites (Numbers 12:1–13
• David forgives Saul (1 Samuel 24:10-12; 26:9; 23; 1 Samuel 1:14-17)
• David forgives Shimei (2 Samuel 16:9-13; 19:23; with 1 Kings 2:8,9)
• Solomon forgives Adonijah (1 Kings. 1:52, 53)
• The prophet of Judah forgives Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:3-6)
• Jesus forgiving his enemies (Luke 23:34)
• Stephen (Acts 7:59-60)
• Paul (2 Timothy 4:16)

  

A Prayer of Repentance and Forgiveness

 

Psalm 51 (NLT)

A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

 1
    Have mercy on me, O God,
       because of your unfailing love.
    Because of your great compassion,
       blot out the stain of my sins.

    2
    Wash me clean from my guilt.
       Purify me from my sin.

    3
    For I recognize my shameful deeds--
       they haunt me day and night.

    4
    Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
       I have done what is evil in your sight.
    You will be proved right in what you say,
       and your judgment against me is just.

    5
    For I was born a sinner--
       yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

    6
    But you desire honesty from the heart,
       so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

    7
    Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
       wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

    8
    Oh, give me back my joy again;
       you have broken me--
       now let me rejoice.

    9
    Don't keep looking at my sins.
       Remove the stain of my guilt.

    10
    Create in me a clean heart, O God.
       Renew a right spirit within me.

    11
    Do not banish me from your presence,
       and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.

    12
    Restore to me again the joy of your salvation,
       and make me willing to obey you.

    13
    Then I will teach your ways to sinners,
       and they will return to you.

    14
    Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
       then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

    15
    Unseal my lips, O Lord,
       that I may praise you.

    16
    You would not be pleased with sacrifices,
       or I would bring them.
    If I brought you a burnt offering,
       you would not accept it.

    17
    The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.
       A broken and repentant heart, O God,
       you will not despise.

    18
    Look with favor on Zion and help her;
       rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

    19
    Then you will be pleased with worthy sacrifices
       and with our whole burnt offerings;
       and bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

 Points of Fact

Ø      “The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.”  (Eric Hoffer)

 

 

Ø      “It is to the credit of human nature, that, except where its selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates. Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility.” (Nathaniel Hawthrone, The Scarlet Letter)

 

 

Ø      “Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.”  (Reinhold Niebuhr)

 

(Scripture References)

The New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

 

New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible.   New Living Translation copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

 

New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

 

 

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