Jesus repeatedly spoke of the necessity of a forgiving spirit on the part of those who were His disciples. Forgiveness was never considered a virtue in the ancient world because forgiveness was considered a sign of weakness. To them revenge is sweet. Their ideal was to cause as much injury or harm to their enemies as possible. But Jesus called upon us not only to love our enemies but also to pray for them.

Forgiveness is one of the most beautiful words in the Bible. Forgiveness should characterize us as Christians. It can be in the form of divine forgiveness or human forgiveness or both.

Divine forgiveness means "God forgives the sins of believers on the basis of the once for all sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ on the Cross. Believers’ sins are no longer held against them, on account of the atoning death of Jesus Christ."

Human forgiveness is the result of our experience of God’s forgiveness in dealing with us. We have examples of the assurance of God’s forgiveness (Lk.24:47-48; Acts 2:38; 10: 43; Eph.1:7; 1 John 1:8-9; 2:12; see also Ps.51:7; 103:8-12; 130:3-4; Prov.28:13; Isa.1:18; Jas 5:13-16).

God’s forgiveness leads us to forgive ourselves and others. (Matt.6:14-15; 18:21-35; Mk. 11:25; Lk.17:3-4). It is said that

"Forgiveness is the most powerful healer of all."

"It’s misleading to say that time heals - only forgiveness does that." (Jim Graham).

Forgiveness means giving up being angry with someone who has offended you. It is to consider the offence as recalled or cancelled. It is "not being able to think about it anymore." It is the promise not to raise the issue again to the offender, to others and to one’s self. In the words of King Solomon: "...he that repeateth a matter separateth very (close) friends" (Proverbs 17:9b). Here we are exhorted not to harp on a matter that was past. It is said that "brooding is a violation of the promise made in granting forgiveness."

By God’s grace and by love constrained, let us forgive one another; forgive others and forgive ourselves because God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us. It is in the nature of God to forgive, and His forgiveness is unlimited. It is said that "to err is human; to forgive is divine".

It is never easy to forgive those who have offended you and who have brought harm into your life, but by God’s grace and with the help of Jesus Christ, you can find both the wisdom and the strength that you need to forgive. To forgive is not a natural human reaction when one is offended. It is human to bear a grudge.

But forgiveness becomes our characteristic when we are born again. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Of course, it can be hard and costly to forgive but God’s grace will be more than sufficient for us in this matter of unlimited forgiveness. "The key word in learning to forgive is the willingness to forgive."

Let us realize that we cannot forgive as long as we are hanging on to our rights and our sense of injury or hurt. We cannot forgive without being prepared to suffer the loss ourselves. In other words, we must be willing to be wronged and even have our rights trampled if need be.

Jesus said, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12b).

Forgiveness can indeed be a costly affair. This is how it is even with God. In order to forgive us our sins and to redeem us, God had to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place and for our sins. He died that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

The root cause is PRIDE. "Why should I have to bear such injustice? Why should I be treated this way or that way? It isn’t fair!" This is self that rises up, self that will not lay down its rights at the foot of the Cross. If we really want to forgive, let there be no room for arrogance, no room for pride or superiority. It is said that "To not forgive is a decision to suffer."

"If we are wise," said R.G. Turnbull, "we will run a little bit scared because we too can slip and fall. We need to face it for in each one of us, there is the potential to commit every grievous sin we can imagine. Don’t boast about what you would never do. There is the potential in your heart and in my heart to do anything. Under the right set of circumstances, any of us might commit the very sin we most deplore in someone else."

The Apostle Paul said, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1Corinthians 10:12).

Solomon said, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18; see also Jeremiah 49:16).

Is there a limit to the number of times we ought to forgive? The Bible teaches that forgiveness is to be without limit. (Luke 17:3-4). All this teaching about forgiveness seemed hard for the disciples to swallow. Hence this prompted Peter to ask: "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive Him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22). Peter was wrong in his assumption that seven times were ample to forgive anyone. In the teachings of the rabbis, the Jews were told "to forgive anywhere from one to three times, but never anymore than that."

Did Jesus mean up to only 490 times we need to forgive and no more? Implied in Jesus’ teaching was unlimited forgiveness. Surely with God there is no limit to His forgiveness. Likewise it is expected and required of us as Christians to possess this forgiving spirit no matter how many times we are hurt or unjustly treated. Not to forgive can be devastating for "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18).

Furthermore, Jesus said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15; 18;35; see also Mark 11:26; James 2:13).

An unforgiving spirit creates all sorts of problems. It is a hindrance to prayer, a condition many fail to realize. An unforgiving spirit may lead us to live by the principle of hate rather than love, God’s love. It is said that sin is not merely the presence of hate; it is equally the absence of love.

Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:34-35; see also1 John 4:10;-11; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:23). An unforgiving spirit can result in emotional disturbances leading to some psychosomatic disorders such as:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Backaches
• Hypertension
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Neck pains
• Peptic ulcers
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Emotional asthma

"Forgiving others is the first step to forgiving ourselves." Let us be gracious in our dealings with one another and with others because God’s dealings with us are ever so gracious and so forgiving. "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared" (Psalm 130:3-4; see also 86:5).

With God’s help, let us: