A Forgiven People

Mar. 21, 2018 | By Creflo Dollar

The world doesn’t readily understand the concept of forgiveness, and every day we see what holding grudges and living in unforgiveness does in people’s lives. Some may think forgiving another person is a sign of weakness, because they don’t understand its power. We live in a world that walks in condemnation and guilt because it doesn’t know that forgiveness was made available to us two thousand years ago. We can forgive others and ourselves for the mistakes we make because, as born-again Christians, we’re a forgiven people.

When someone hurts us, the natural tendency is to “keep score” and hold it against them, but doing that actually causes us to relive the pain over and over again. Jesus’ death and resurrection freed us from the painful cycle of unforgiveness. He forgave us of every sin we’ve ever committed, and the ones we’ve yet to commit, before we were even born. When we believe this, we’re supernaturally empowered to forgive others. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Colossians 3:13).

God has chosen not to impute our sins and mistakes against us; therefore, we can do the same for others. The essence of forgiving others is to just “let it go.” This is more than just a catchy phrase or a slogan, but a deliberate act. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Sometimes we’re operating in unforgiveness without even being aware of it, but letting go of the emotional baggage that’s been dragging us down makes our spirits noticeably lighter.

Jesus was the master at forgiveness, and He set the example for all of us to follow. Jesus had plenty of reasons to hold grudges after others mistreated and rejected Him, but He refused to compromise on this point. He carefully taught His disciples what it actually means to forgive. “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:21, 22, NKJV). We can’t forgive when we’re self-centered and focused entirely on ourselves, but we’re enabled to do so when we move ourselves out of the center of the situation and put Christ there instead.

The finished works of Jesus made forgiveness available for us to claim by faith. Before His death on the cross, the people had to forgive, first, before God could forgive them. “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15). That all changed after His resurrection. Jesus had every right to hold a grudge against the people who crucified Him, but even while He was hanging on the cross, He refused to. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…” (Luke 23:34).

To forgive someone is to stop being angry or resentful toward them. When we choose to do this, we feel our spirits being released from the bondage of hurt and resentment. Jesus took all the punishment we deserve because of sin, so that we could receive forgiveness. When this sinks down into our spirits, we find the power to forgive others.

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