Knowing That We Are Forgiven Makes It Easier to Forgive Others and Ourselves
Matthew 18:21 Jeremiah 31:31-34 2 Corinthians 5:17 Hebrews 9:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
St. Peter once asked Jesus: “How Often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times”? Jesus answered him:“Up to seventy times seven”. Jesus was saying do not put limits on your forgiveness, and forgive your brother as many times as needed without any limitation whatsoever.
Saint Augustine wrote: “When I resist the temptation to hate, dislike or judge others I suddenly see my enemies as instruments of forgiveness in my life. This is a constant reminder that God’s Spirit and unforgiveness cannot reside in the same place at the same time. True peace of mind can only be obtained when I am willing to forgive and love.”
A lot has been written on forgiveness, and most of the religious authors I have read seemed to believe that forgiveness is the very heart and foundation of Christianity. From deep down inside all of us, we know that forgiveness is liberating.
Forgiveness is not the same as putting ourselves in danger, again and again, it is in fact a way of moving out of danger. True forgiveness frees us from the captivity of the past, and helps us move into a more promising future. In fact, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “Without forgiveness, there is no future.”
But what about forgiving ourselves for our own mistakes? We all need to learn from our mistakes and move on. Forgiving ourselves is important to our healing process… since it allows us to let go of the guilt, shame, sadness, or any other negative feeling we may be experiencing.
St. John wrote: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins… and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John:19).
If we have repented of our sins or mistakes, and asked God for forgiveness, then we are forgiven. Now, we need to realize the tremendous power of God’s forgiveness.
We need to stop associating our past failures with our “new creation” God’s Word says: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”(2 Corinthians 5:17).
We all need to learn from our mistakes and move on. Forgiving ourselves is important to our healing process, as we let go of guilt, or any other negative feeling we may be experiencing.
We need to remember that the way we see ourselves, is not an accurate picture of what Christ has done for us. It is basically denying the work that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, as if we are undeserving of God’s Grace!
Satan will always seek to remind us of our past, and continue to beat us up over sins that were already nailed to the cross. If we allow that to happen, we will never experience the breakthrough that we need, to be “totally” set free.
When God’s Word tells us that we’ve been washed clean with the Blood of Christ, and our sins are removed through the atoning work that Jesus did for us, yet we still “cannot get past our mistakes, then we are basically saying, “regardless of what the Blood of Christ has done for all mankind, I still cannot forgive myself for my past mistakes!” It’s staggering to think such a thing, but that is what really happens when we refuse to forgive ourselves.
If we don’t see ourselves as a new creature in Christ, then we will be hindered and held back from freely and confidently living out who we really are in Christ! We will be hesitant and feel unworthy to approach our Heavenly Father, because we feel unworthy of His love and forgiveness.
As we read in the book of Hebrews: How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14)
Remembering that our sins are forgiven should make it easier to forgive others and should also remind us of our great Lord and Savior who forgave us and showed His love, in that while we were still sinners, He died for us.
He wants us to accept His forgiveness and rejoice in His grace. Now we all need to go forward in the knowledge that God loves us and has forgiven us, and behold, all things will become new.”
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen..
The Most Rev. Dr. Rick Aaron Reid, Presiding Bishop Traditional Anglican Church of America Rector, St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Newton, North Carolina 28658