misconceptions about forgiveness…

now there’s a lot of shoddy thinking about forgiveness. most people totally misunderstand what true forgiveness is. they don’t understand at all. there are a lot of myths about forgiveness. now i’ve prepared a little quiz for you to take before we actually look at what the bible says. true or false.

1. a person should not be forgiven until they ask for it.
2. forgiveness includes minimizing the offense and the pain that was caused.
3. forgiveness includes restoring trust and reuniting a relationship.
4. you haven’t really forgiven until you’ve forgotten the offense.
5. when i see someone else hurt then it is my duty to forgive the offender.

if you study the bible and you study what JESUS says, you’ll discover that all five of those statements are false.

before we look about what true forgiveness is, let’s look at what it is not.

first of all it isn’t conditional. in other words, it’s not based on somebody else’s response. real forgiveness is unconditional. it’s not based on some promise that you’ll never do it again. if you say to someone “i’ll forgive you if…” that’s not forgiveness. that’s called bargaining. “i forgive you if…” is not forgiveness at all. genuine forgiveness is unconditional.

what if JESUS had said when HE prayed, “FATHER forgive them if they ask for it.” the truth is nobody had asked for it when JESUS prayed on the cross. luke 23.34 (msg), FATHER, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing. genuine forgiveness is unconditional. it is offered whether it’s ever asked for or not.

just a thought from the front porch…