© 11 Colin Melbourne
Forgiveness of Sins
Let’s bathe ourselves in God’s eternal words from Matthew 18:21-35 KJV;
Then came Peter to him, and said, 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.
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
God’s Seed
These are the very words of The Almighty; perfect, everlasting truth, spoken to His Church.
Listen to Him, take them to heart, plough up your fallow ground, sow His Pure Seed, and you will bear the fruit of His righteousness.
Brothers in His Arms
Peter asked God in the Flesh about forgiving “brothers”, meaning fellow believers, male and female. Christ replied likewise by specifying “brother”, and His parable features a king and servants. So this word is clearly for those who call themselves Christian brothers, sisters, and servants of the LORD. And it ends with a dire warning to forgive as God has forgiven us.
Love one another, As I have loved You
If we fail to heed and obey, we incur God’s wrath, and we will be tormented until we repent. That doesn’t mean He will send you to Hell, to be tormented by demons; No, because you are saved, a child of God, washed in the Blood of God’s only begotten Son.
Instead, you will experience divine discipline, enduring a tormented conscience, pricked in the heart until you get back in fellowship with your Lord. Each of us knows how that feels, don’t we?
I Forgive Them: Now Lord Forgive Me
Here we have the answer for backslidden Christians who’ve grown cold in their walk, whose prayers don’t work, and who have forgotten what real fellowship with God is like.
The fix is to forgive others, as the Lord has forgiven you, then night will transform into day, the Son will rise upon you, and the glory will shine anew.
Unconditional Forgiveness
Notice how simple and practical Jesus was in His explanation of how to forgive.
Peter asked him where the limit was, and Christ replied, “seventy times seven”; an idiom that means, “Unlimited!”
How many times do we forgive each other?
“No limit, Pete”.
We stop counting, we reckon not the cost, we forgive endlessly because we have been forgiven the immense debts we could never pay.
Divine Forgiveness is Priceless
The example Jesus gave involves a tangible obligation; money.
The King had compassion and forgave the servant a massive financial debt. He wiped it off the slate, and released the debtor completely.
It cost the King a huge amount to forgive the servant.
It will cost you too, in; money, possessions, time, and also intangibles such as; your feelings, effort, and long suffering.
Pay whatever it costs, remembering The King of kings paid our debt with His Life, and Blood. He was cut off to graft you in.
You owe me nothing
To honour Christ, you simply choose not to count the person in debt to you. You wipe their slate clean because God wiped yours clean.
First, begin in your heart, then tell the debtor you have forgiven them their debt to you.
They become indebted to Jesus, because you have forgiven them in His Name.
Can you see how beautiful it is to forgive like God?
I Forgive You Completely
The Holy Spirit teaches us to forgive as Christ forgave us. So our attitude becomes Christ-like;
You have wronged me, and owe me a debt, but I choose to cancel the debt, because Christ cancelled mine. You do not owe me anything. Christ has fully recompensed me. I have no desire to make you pay, I leave your Judgment to the LORD Jesus Christ, that is His responsibility, not mine. He is the perfect Judge, I’m not, and He will decide the case in righteousness. Where there’s a penalty to pay, He will exact it. That is His business not mine. I have forgiven you completely.
The Joy of Forgiving
This is the divine forgiveness we are to walk in all our Christian lives.
Isn’t that simple and lovely?
The rewards of repentance are infinite, starting with restoration of your joy.
The joy of your salvation will blossom once again, and Christ will shower His blessings upon you today.
Do it right now, and one more thing…
Never Forget Why We Forgive
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
1 Jn. 2:12 KJV
Smith Wigglesworth became England’s greatest Evangelist. Mighty signs and wonders accompanied his preaching, so Satan stirred up criticism, but Smith had learned how to forgive and remain under the Anointing.
His critics have perished, long-forgotten. Wigglesworth’s ministry continues unabated through books of his sermons such as this classic. If you are hungry for God, this book will feed you… Ever Increasing Faith.
© 11 Colin Melbourne