Paul does his thing by writing a magnificent epistle that revolves around forgiveness, where he essentially asks the offended party to forgive their offender (Philemon). The gospel itself revolves around forgiveness in Christ—his death gives life to all who recognize that their sins can be forgiven in Him. Indeed, the entire Bible revolves around this axis—the forgiveness that God offers to transgressors.
God forgave Adam and Eve, Noah, Lot, David, and Solomon, and on multiple occasions, God forgave the people of Israel who, in the face of repeated acts of rebellion, received undeserved gifts of forgiveness and grace.
CHECKOUT:
- Power of Forgiveness In The Bible; Examples and Benefits
- 8 Prayer for Repentance and forgiveness
- 25 Short Bible Scriptures on Unforgiveness KJV
why is it hard to forgive someone who hurt you?
If the Bible revolves around forgiveness in all its pages, and if in its most intimate essence, God is a God who forgives, why is it so difficult for us to forgive? We need to recognize that we have all been part of this satanic and genuinely carnal cycle.
Not forgiving others opens the door of your heart to enemies who are too much for you. Spite, anger, anger, bitterness, and resentment are just a few enemies that are ready to attack you whenever you let them. Pride, arrogance, and arrogance are other enemies that are stealthily waiting for your carelessness. Although there are several reasons why we have a hard time forgiving others, it seems to me that the Lord Jesus gives us the three main causes in Luke 7:47. Let’s briefly look at these reasons.
we don’t see well
“Therefore I tell you that her sins, which are many, have been forgiven because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, loves little” Luke 7:47.
Jesus was visiting the house of a Pharisee named Simon. He had organized a meal for the Lord Jesus. Perhaps out of curiosity or perhaps out of genuine interest, Simon wanted to get to know this man named Jesus more closely. When a “sinful” woman (Luke 7:37) learned where Jesus was, she immediately went to wash her feet with her own tears of repentance.
This was an act of respect towards Jesus, and a way of declaring herself as a “servant” of the Messiah. But Simon didn’t see any of that. He felt insulted—it was too much for him. “If she knew who that woman was, she wouldn’t let her get close to him,” this indignant Pharisee thought to himself. Jesus’ response to Simon’s claim was extraordinary: “She loves me very much because many sins have been forgiven her .”
The reason we find it difficult to forgive is that we do not see our own sins well. Shamefully, it is very easy for us to see the sins of others, but not our own. Jesus’ point is not that she had more sin than others. We are all sinners and before God, we have all gone astray like sheep (Isa. 53:6). Jesus’ point is that she did see her many sins, while others remained blind to them.
Does the same thing happen to you? Can you see the sins of your wife, boss, father, or brother, but you cannot see your own? Do the sins of others seem more serious and serious to you than your own? Do the sins of others sound more scandalous to you than your own? Let me tell you that, “… who is forgiven little, loves little.”
we don’t remember well
“Therefore I tell you that her sins, which are many, have been forgiven because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, loves little” Luke 7:47.
The next reason we don’t forgive others is that we forget the moment in our lives when we acknowledged our many sins before God. Do you remember the day the Holy Spirit opened your eyes to see your sin? Do you remember how dirty you felt?
Do you remember how grateful you felt when you understood that all of your sins is forgiven? Well, it’s time for you to return to that state of conviction for your sin.
The gospel is not only for unbelievers as if it were the ticket to be delivered at the entrance of the theater. The gospel is not forgotten, it is lived. The gospel is not kept, it is practiced. The gospel is not sold with words, it is exemplified with your life.
Every time you speak of the Cross, of the death and resurrection of Jesus, you are referring, to one degree or another, to the forgiveness that Jesus offers to all sinners. You are still a sinner.
You continue to offend him too. And your unforgiveness of others hardens your heart with layers of stone that Jesus has already shattered.
Do not forget, you too have been forgiven, and therefore your status as a forgiven offender should not allow you to steal from God the position of offended Judge.
In the face of any offense you suffer, the offended party is not you, it is God. He lets the Judge judge and live by showing others the freedom you have by being forgiven.
We don’t love well
“Therefore I tell you that her sins, which are many, have been forgiven because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, loves little” Luke 7:47.
The third reason we don’t forgive is because we don’t love. I’m not talking about loving others only. When Adam and Eve fell into sin (Gen. 3) not only was their relationship with God broken, but also their relationship with other human beings. Loving others genuinely does not come naturally to human beings. But when I mention that we do not forgive because we do not love, I mean that we do not love the one who forgave us. In its most fundamental essence, we should not forgive others just because we know we have to, but because we love the one who forgave us.
Forgiving others is loving God. How? Very simple. When you forgive others you are imitating God. When you forgive others you are showing what God does for those who repent. When you forgive others, you show God’s character in your life. When you forgive others, you do so because you enjoy giving the forgiveness that God has given you. We give of what we have—the forgiven, therefore, we give forgiveness.
Sadly, when someone offends us we become angry with God. We feel that we do not deserve injustice, mistreatment, pain, or betrayal. We feel above our status as forgiven humans. Suddenly, you put yourself on the altar of your heart. You subtly remove God from his throne and put your dignity, pride, or person above God.
When someone dares to hurt you, your ego is seriously offended. Your soul screams for revenge. Your heart wants “justice”, even though what you received was not justice, but mercy and forgiveness.
Let me say it again, the gospel teaches us that God is the Judge offended and we are the offenders forgiven.
Do not try, then, to pass yourself off as an offended judge—judging who deserves or does not deserve your forgiveness—you will always be the forgiven offender. And the one who has been forgiven a lot, he loves a lot too.
