PRINCIPLES OF FORGIVENESS

Wanda Davis, The Church Triumphant of Columbus

KEY VERSE ~ PSALM 86:5

“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”

FOCUS ~ Knowing what a principle is will bring a certain respect to life. Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were in a P.O.W. camp. She watched a cruel guard misuse, and finally kill, her sister. Corrie came to know the Lord in a special way during that time. She was sharing her testimony after she was released, and that same guard was in the audience and heard her. After the meeting, he approached her, and she did not recognize him until he spoke. He asked her to forgive him, for he too had asked the Lord into his heart. She was taken aback by the surprise and did not know how to answer, so she prayed a silent prayer asking help from the Lord. He said, “Let me forgive him through you.” She cooperated with the principle, and peace came to her.

To FORGIVE is to forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go), omit, send away, remit, and yield. There are several principles of forgiveness that we as Christians should follow. A PRINCIPLE is (in a general sense) the cause, source or origin of any thing; that from which a thing proceeds; as the principle of motion; the principles of action; A general truth; a law comprehending many subordinate truths; as the principles of morality, of law, of government, &c.

Forgive quickly.

Follow the Lord’s example. “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalms 86:5 KJV)
When you recognize that you are bitter against someone, begin your prayer time by asking the Lord’s help, stating aloud in prayer that you will forgive that person. Making the confession out loud is a statement of faith, in the hearing of the enemy, that you refuse to be bound by the chains of bitterness.

Pray blessings on those who hurt you.

It is difficult to hold a grudge against someone upon whom you are praying blessings. It sometimes cannot be understood by someone in the world who is not Spirit filled, but by obeying scripture and praying for those who have wronged you, you have brought the power of God into the mix. (Matthew 19:26) (Luke 6:28) (Romans 12:20-21)

What about people who commit crimes against us?

What about Jesus? Without committing a single sin, He was beaten, His beard was plucked out, thorns were pressed into his brow, He was stripped of His clothing, had nails pounded into His hands and feet and was hung on a cross to die a slow and painful death. His response: “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34 KJV)
There have been cases of concentration camp survivors forgiving the guards who starved and beat them. There have been cases of drunken drivers who received forgiveness from family members after their loved one was killed. There is even a case of a mother who went to prison to visit the man, who brutally killed her 7-year-old daughter, just so she could tell him that he was forgiven.[1] Yes, these are extreme examples that we will probably never have to face. However, we will stand in judgment with those people who forgave much while we harbor bitterness over things that are small in comparison.

Healing and forgiveness take time.

This is not a scripture, but “time heals all wounds,” if we are applying scriptural guidelines and principles to receive our healing. You may not have totally forgiven (in your heart) the person who wronged you, but by bringing it to the Lord every day, in time, genuine peace and forgiveness will come. (Psalm 147:3)

The result of a forgiving life = peace. Hebrews 12:14; Isaiah 26:3

The result of a bitter life = anger and strife. Hebrews 12:15; Romans 12:19

Forgive yourself.

Don’t doubt God’s promises. If you genuinely repent, you are forgiven. Forgiving yourself is believing, and receiving, the promises of God. (John 8:36; Hebrews 8:12)

Whether the offense committed against us is small or large, forgiveness does not come naturally. It is against the nature of our “carnal man” to forgive. But as Christians, since we want the nature of God to rule our lives, we must learn to forgive. The longer we harbor a grudge, the more difficult it is to conquer. Think of bitterness as weeds. Small ones can be plucked up, root and all, with just a little effort. However, let a weed become large and established, and it is very difficult to get the weed and its root removed. You can think that you’ve removed it from your garden, but a week or two later you see that the weed has grown back, for its roots went deep into the ground and were difficult to remove. Never underestimate the power of a seed! Sowing seeds of forgiveness is sowing seeds of peace in your life and the lives of others.

Our sins have been forgiven. Forgiven people should know how to forgive. After all, our goal is to be just like Jesus.

[1] Focus on the Family radio broadcast