Forgiveness: The key to every relationship

The Bible uses many different metaphors to stress the importance of forgiveness. To forgive is to open a bill and declare, “Paid in full!” To forgive is to pound a gavel in a courtroom and state, “Not guilty!” To forgive is to loose a ship and set it free. The world economy runs on oil. Every relationship runs on forgiveness. You are never more like God then when you forgive others. If we are going to get better and not bitter we must forgive others. We know that forgiveness is very important for three reasons.

First, Jesus taught the importance of forgiveness. In Matthew 18 Jesus told a parable in which a man owed the king 10,000 talents. Ten thousand talents is an immense amount of money. One talent was equivalent to 15 years wages. Ten thousand talents was 150,000 years wages. If a person was able to work for 70 years it would take 2,000 life times to pay the debt! Matthew 18:27 reads, “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.” But that same slave refused to forgive someone who owed him only three months wages!

It is impossible for us to repay God the debt we owe Him. Our sin produces an unimaginable debt. Yet, through repentance and faith God forgives a person through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. How can we not forgive others when our heavenly Father has forgiven us so much? A Christian is a person who forgives others.

Second, Jesus modeled the importance of forgiveness. The Roman soldiers spat on Jesus and beat Him. They pounded the crown of thorns into His skull with a wooden reed. Then three Roman soldiers led by a centurion crucified Jesus. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians and perfected by the Romans. Its purpose was maximum humiliation coupled with maximum pain to produce a lingering death. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus offered forgiveness to the Roman soldiers even though they never requested it. The response of Jesus to His crucifixion was so amazing that all four Roman soldiers came to saving faith (Matthew 27:54).

Third, the Bible stresses the importance of forgiveness. Did you know that an entire Book of the Bible is devoted to forgiveness? Imagine a church that met in the home of a hard headed businessmen (Philemon). Imagine that same church has a slave (Onesimus) who runs away from his master (Philemon) and steals from him. Onesimus traveled to Rome, met the apostle Paul, and came to know Jesus as his Messiah. Paul taught Onesimus and said, “You must return to your master, Philemon, and serve him.” Then Paul wrote the Book of Philemon and told Philemon, “You must forgive your slave.” Paul taught the importance of forgiveness and planted the seeds that led to the destruction of slavery.

Hardening of the arteries causes heart attacks and death. The opposite of forgiveness is bitterness. Bitterness is settled anger. It chokes off and destroys relationships. Bitterness keeps a person imprisoned in the past. You cannot move on from a past hurt without forgiveness. Bitterness breaks fellowship with God. A prerequisite for answered prayer is forgiving others. Bitterness gives Satan an open door. The answer is forgiveness!

Peter denied Jesus three times. In John 21, Jesus forgave Peter and restored him to leadership. To forgive is to open the cell door, turn the key and let the prisoner walk free. Is there a person you need to forgive today?

Ethan Hansen is the pastor of Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.