How to build a character like Christ

Have a forgiving spirit like Jesus

Colossians 3:12-13 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

I. Intro

Forgiveness is something we all struggle with. We tend to hold grudges against those who have wronged us. The word “forgive” is perhaps one of the most powerful words in the Bible. Not only do we need to forgive others, but we need to forgive ourselves. The Hebrew verb “nasa” (Naw-Saw) means “to lift up, to bear, to carry. From these meanings we can see how to “forgive” becomes a natural meaning of “nasa” It means to carry, bear away, or lift up the faults, sins, and failures of others. The Lord has commanded his people to forgive, and taught them how. This however does not give you a licence to sin. Just because God will forgive you when you speak the words, forgive me doesn’t mean you are forgiven. What truly makes you forgiven is a true heart of repentance. And only God knows your heart. Your sins can only be truly forgiven when you repent from the heart and return to God.

Hosea 14:1-2 “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: Say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: So will we render the calves of our lips.”

II. We must realize forgiveness comes from the heart and not the mouth.

If you say you have forgiven someone but in your heart, you haven’t, is that person truly forgiven?

What is forgiveness?

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible- Ceasing to feel resentment for wrongs and offences; pardon, involving restoration of broken relationships. Primarily, forgiveness is an act of God, releasing sinners from judgment and freeing them from the divine penalty of their sin.

Nelson’s Foundational Bible Dictionary- The state of being absolved or pardoned from sin. God is a holy, righteous God, but He is also compassionate and merciful. When people realize their sin and humbly repent before God, He is willing to forgive. He is like the father in the parable of the prodigal son: instead of giving the son what he deserved, and not receiving him, or even just keeping him as a slave, the father lovingly restores his son to the bosom of the family. He does not remember the wrongs committed.

Luke 15:20-24 “ And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

To be truly forgiven, it must come from your heart.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

God is saying here, in order for Him to hear your prayer of forgiveness, there are four things that a person must do.

Humble themselves- to totally submit yourself to God. Take all your pride away. To realize God is all-knowing and you are nothing.

Pray- Luis de Granada said this concerning prayer-”Prayer, properly speaking, is a petition which we make to God for the things which pertain to our salvation; but it is also taken in another, broader sense to mean any raising to the heart of God.” In its original sense of petition, prayer is a universal phenomenon, wherever people believe they are in some way dependent on some higher power, not subject to their own control.

Seek My Face- To go in search of, to try and discover, in this particular context, I believe God is referring to us seeking His will for our lives. Finally, the final and most important aspect of repentance is turning away from what we are asking forgiveness from.

Turn from our wicked ways- If we really have a repentant heart, we won’t want to continue in the same things we have been doing. Repentance is meant to cleanse you, not for you to do anything you want and think you can just run to God and say I’m sorry. True repentance is more than talk, it’s changed behaviour. Whether we sin individually, as a group, or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness.

III. How did Jesus, our example, forgive others?

Jesus’ central theme throughout His entire ministry was all about forgiveness.

This forgiveness was foretold by John the Baptist.

John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

It was also foretold by the angel that came to Joseph after he learned Mary was pregnant.

If you look throughout the NT, you will find countless accounts where Jesus forgave people of their sins. You hear the same words over and over- “Your faith has made you whole.”

Christ’s exercise of forgiveness

Luke 23:33-34 “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

These executioners of Jesus have been tormenting Him all day. These men have been doing inhuman things to the Son of God ever since His arrest. Not once did Jesus act in a sinful manner. When they were beating Him, not once did He have an attitude of grief, guile, or did He have an attitude of selfishness.

As He was being crucified, as the Roman soldiers were playing around, casting lots, (gambling), for His clothes, He had an attitude of forgiveness towards them. He said a prayer for them. He asked God to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing. It didn’t matter what these men, or any other men did to Jesus, He was going to forgive them, because that is what He taught about. That was the example He wanted to lead. That is part of loving your neighbor.

Romans 12:19-21 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Jesus didn’t avenge Himself. He left that up to God. God will repay that for you. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Lastly, don’t be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

IV. Conclusion

Forgiveness is something we face everyday, whether it is asking others to forgive us, or asking God to forgive us. Jesus handled forgiveness on the cross the proper way. Now I’m not saying we will be able to always forgive others every time they ask for forgiveness. That can only be done through the Holy Spirit. But I’m simply just asking you to remember the Lord’s prayer in the Garden of Gestheme. He said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Have you ever heard the saying, “I’m my own worst enemy?” Our flesh is our number one enemy. Don’t let the devil and your flesh get the best of you when it comes to forgiveness. Strive to achieve the characteristics of Christ. Forgiveness is a keen issue. Remember in order to have a forgiving spirit, we must first have a forgiving heart.