Forgiving and being Forgiven

Forgiving someone can be difficult. Why do we need to forgive others? How can we forgive a person? The Bible can provide us with answers, inspiration and direction.

Actually, forgiveness is not only about others, but also about our own spiritual growth. Love and forgiveness cannot be separated. If we choose to live out the love of God as the purpose of our life, then forgiving is an option that cannot be avoided.

#1 Because we are sinners we should forgive others

Matthew 6:14-15 NIV

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Read more: http://ipost.christianpost.com/news/12-encouraging-bible-verses-on-forgiving-others-10770/#ixzz3JNf7L19E

A lot of the times when we sin or do something we know we shouldn't be doing we tend to feel guilty or shameful. This is a normal human emotion that we can't stop. The great news is that we have a redeemer that died for our past, present and future sins. For this reason we have no need to feel guilty or shameful of the sin we may commit. All that we need to do is confess our sins and receive Gods forgiveness.

For some people it is hard to not feel bad about the sin, but there is no need for us to beat ourselves up about something that we can easily just let go and learn from our mistakes. The whole reason why we are human is because we were born in sin and will die in sin. God understands his creation and doesn't hold sin against us. He sent his one and only son to cover all sin.

One of the hardest decisions that we can is to ask someone for forgiveness. A lot of the times when we hurt someone unintentionally and intentionally we tend to avoid saying sorry. This has to do with the ego and our pride getting hurt. I remember the words my sister once told me when she was saying sorry to me one time. They were, "I love you more than I care about my pride."

Pride is something that can ruin any relationship. It takes a lot of courage and humility to say sorry when we do things that are wrong or hurt the people we love. But this is the best thing we can do to mend relationships that have suffered due to not forgiving or asking for forgiveness.