UNDERSTANDING FORGIVENESS

(Study Guide)

When a person forgives another, he is promising to do three things about the intended wrongdoing: not to use it against the wrongdoer in the future; not to talk about it to others; and not to dwell on it himself.  – Jay Adams

Psalms 32:1-2 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

I.          WHAT IS FORGIVENESS?

a.         Meaning – Forgiveness means to release from bondage or imprisonment.  In the Old Testament the word means to lift or carry.  It conveys the vivid picture of sin being lifted and carried away from the sinner.

In the New Testament the two main verbs for forgive means to deal graciously with and to send away or loose.  Here we see God dealing graciously with us and loosing us from our sin and sending it away from us.

b.        Three Kinds of Forgiveness

1)      Judicial Forgiveness – The forgiveness God extends to all believers as our righteous Judge.  This forgiveness is based solely on the redemptive work of Christ.  This level of forgiveness makes  us His children.

Rom. 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Rom. 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Acts 13:38-39 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

2)      Paternal Forgiveness – The forgiveness God extends to us as our heavenly Father after we become his children.  This forgiveness restores broken fellowship.

I John 1:8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

3)      Reciprocal Forgiveness – The forgiveness we as believers extend to others because we have also been forgiven.

Eph. 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Mark 11:25-26; Rom. 12:20-21

II.         PRINCIPLES OF FORGIVENESS

a.        Forgiveness gives us access to God.

            Psalm 130:1-4

b.       Forgiveness clears our conscience.

            Heb. 9:9,13,14; I John 3:20-22

c.        Forgiveness is legal, while unforgiveness is illegal.

d.       Forgiveness opens the door to answered prayer, while unforgiveness closes      the door to answered prayer.

            Mark 11:25

III.       PRACTICE OF FORGIVENESS

a.       Realize you cannot forgive without God’s help.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

             Phil. 4:13; 2 Corinthians 3:5

b.      Forgiveness is an act of your will, a choice; not a feeling.

            Eph. 4:32

c.       Do not base your forgiving on the attitude of the wrongdoer or offender.

            I Sam. 24:5-10

d.      Remind yourself of your own need of forgiveness.

Rom 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I John 1: 8-10

e.       Go to the Great Forgiver and release the wrongdoer in prayer.                    

            A Prayer To Forgive Someone Who Has Wronged You:

Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus.  I thank you for the forgiveness you have extended to me because of Christ’s shed blood.  I realize my continued need of forgiveness as a believer, because of my own sin and many shortcomings.              I also realize that I would be sinning against You if I refuse to forgive others who have sinned against me.  Therefore, in obedience to You and by an act of my own will and not my feelings, I forgive ___________ .  I release them from my self-made prison.  I have no right to get even; for all vengeance belong to You.  I thank you Lord for giving me the power to forgive them in Jesus’ name,  Amen.