FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS PART 2

Important Reminders

Our own good works do not save us or keep us saved.

Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

- See Romans 4:4-5, Romans 8:38-39, John 6:37, Hebrews 7:25...

The Danger of Not Forgiving

There are no contradictions in Scripture. We must let the clear teachings help us understand the less clear. This danger is repeated all over the Bible.

See Matthew 18:21-35… 1 talent was worth about 20 years of wages for a laborer. 1 denarius was a day’s wage.

Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.””

Luke 6:37 ““Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;”

James 2:13 “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (see Matthew 5:7)

George Herbert once said, “He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

Dealing With Difficulties

Our actions either prove or disprove the reality of our faith.

See James 2:14-26...

Matthew 12:36–37 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.””

Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Our ability to forgive can help to give us assurance that our faith is genuine, while an inability to forgive should make us examine ourselves to see if we have truly been forgiven.

1 John 3:14–15 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”