190 likes | 2.2k Views
Forgiving One Another As God Forgave You. Ephesians 4:32. Bible Forgiveness. We are to forgive others (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13) Forgiveness is necessary to be forgiven (Mt. 6:14-15; Mk. 11:25-26; Lk. 11:4)
E N D
Forgiving One Another AsGod Forgave You Ephesians 4:32
Bible Forgiveness • We are to forgive others (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13) • Forgiveness is necessary to be forgiven (Mt. 6:14-15; Mk. 11:25-26; Lk. 11:4) • We are to forgive others “even as” God forgives us (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13); that is, “in the same manner” • How is this done? Consider six characteristics of God’s forgiveness that we are to have ourselves
God Forgives Willingly • No one forces God to forgive; he forgives willingly, lovingly, and mercifully (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Jn. 1:9) • We must be willing to forgive out of mercy and love in our heart (Mt. 5:7; 18:33,15; Acts 7:60; Jas. 2:10-13; 1 Pet. 4:8)
God Forgives Aggressively • God takes the first action to forgive (Jn. 3:16) • We must take the initiative to forgive when necessary (Mt. 5:23; 18:15-17)
God Forgives Absolutely • God forgives sin completely, without reservation… • He covers and hides it (Psa. 31:1; 51:9; 85:2) • He removes it far away (Psa. 103:10-12) • He puts it behind him (Isa. 38:17) • He blots it out (Isa. 44:12) • He buries it (Mic. 7:19) • We must forgive completely when necessary (Eph. 4:31-32)
God Forgives Limitlessly • God forgives without limit (Rom. 5:6-10) • We must forgive without limit when necessary (Mt. 18:21-35)
God Forgives Permanently • God forgives sins and never brings them up again (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17) • We must forgive permanently (Col. 3:13)
God Forgives Conditionally • God forgives sins upon the condition of repentance (Psa. 32:5; Mk. 4:12; Acts 3:19) • We will be forgiven when we fulfill God’s conditions: the sinner (Lk. 23:34 with Acts 2:37-38; Col. 1:14 with Col. 2:12-13); the sinning Christian (Acts 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9) • We must forgive others upon the condition of repentance (Lk. 17:3-4; 2 Cor. 2:7 with 2 Cor. 7:9-11)
Forgive As God Forgave You Willingly Aggressively Absolutely Limitlessly Permanently Conditionally