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"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

We're human beings and we make mistakes, so naturally we'll need to be forgiven sometimes. Maybe it's a minor thing like they forgot your birthday or maybe it's something big like they got drunk and beat you up, but forgiveness will come up.

When someone apologizes to you, are you quick to forgive? It's not always so easy to let go of the hurt they caused, is it? But, if you care about them, you will forgive them. And that's how it works with God too because He cares about us.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

The Bible makes it clear that God loves us and that one of the attributes of love is forgiveness. It's why parents who love their children are quick to forgive them. But God takes forgiveness to the next step, to a level that may seem like only God can achieve: forgiving and then forgetting.

"Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.' And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary." (Hebrews 10:17-18, with Paul quoting from Jeremiah 31:34)

When you forgive someone, do you also forget? Probably not, as willful memory alteration isn't exactly easy. But, while you can't make yourself have amnesia, it's important to forget in the sense of letting go and moving on. After all, if you keep bringing up what someone did over and over even after they apologized and you told them you forgave them, is that really forgiveness?

Notice how God says He doesn't just forget something only to remember it later. He remembers it "no more," as in never again will He bring it up. How many times have you said you forgave someone only to bring that incident up again when you're angry over something new they did to hurt you? That's not the full level of forgiveness that God calls us to. In fact, Christ addressed just this issue.

"Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." (Luke 17:4)

This may seem inconceivable because it's natural for us humans to keep a record of wrongs done against us. So, if someone keeps hurting us, why would we continue to forgive them even if they apologize? But that's how God forgives. It's as if those other offenses never happened, so of course He'd forgive us if we ask again and again for new things we did. When He says He forgives us, He means it as a permanent act of making what we did wrong no longer exist to Him.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

"'Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'" (Isaiah 1:18)

When we forgive one another, not only do we act out of our love for them, the kind of love God commands us to have for everyone, even those who hate us, but we're also letting go of the hurt they caused us.

"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25)

See, when we forgive, we let go of the hurt the person caused us. It's not just for their sake, but for our own sake too. Think about it: What they did hurt you, but the hurt is inside you. When you forgive what they did, you must also let go of the hurt attached to it. Otherwise, not only are you not truly forgiving them, but that hurt still weighs you down. It's your pain now, so you have the power to let it go.

We will all hurt each other at some point and regret it later, but the wonderful gift we have called love allows us to forgive one another not just so those who hurt us can be healed, but also so that we can be free from the past and heal too.

So, learn to forgive permanently and unconditionally, like the way God forgives us. Only then will you finally understand that forgiveness, like love, benefits those giving and those receiving.

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)

Also on forgiveness:

Forgive Yourself (stamp)

Forgive (stamp)

Love The Person, Forgive Their Imperfections (stamp)

Forgiveness Is The Path To Healing (art)

Judge Less, Forgive More (art)

Break the Cycle (art)

Let It Go (art)

Description
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

We're human beings and we make mistakes, so naturally we'll need to be forgiven sometimes. Maybe it's a minor thing like they forgot your birthday or maybe it's something big like they got drunk and beat you up, but forgiveness will come up.

When someone apologizes to you, are you quick to forgive? It's not always so easy to let go of the hurt they caused, is it? But, if you care about them, you will forgive them. And that's how it works with God too because He cares about us.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

The Bible makes it clear that God loves us and that one of the attributes of love is forgiveness. It's why parents who love their children are quick to forgive them. But God takes forgiveness to the next step, to a level that may seem like only God can achieve: forgiving and then forgetting.

"Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.' And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary." (Hebrews 10:17-18, with Paul quoting from Jeremiah 31:34)

When you forgive someone, do you also forget? Probably not, as willful memory alteration isn't exactly easy. But, while you can't make yourself have amnesia, it's important to forget in the sense of letting go and moving on. After all, if you keep bringing up what someone did over and over even after they apologized and you told them you forgave them, is that really forgiveness?

Notice how God says He doesn't just forget something only to remember it later. He remembers it "no more," as in never again will He bring it up. How many times have you said you forgave someone only to bring that incident up again when you're angry over something new they did to hurt you? That's not the full level of forgiveness that God calls us to. In fact, Christ addressed just this issue.

"Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." (Luke 17:4)

This may seem inconceivable because it's natural for us humans to keep a record of wrongs done against us. So, if someone keeps hurting us, why would we continue to forgive them even if they apologize? But that's how God forgives. It's as if those other offenses never happened, so of course He'd forgive us if we ask again and again for new things we did. When He says He forgives us, He means it as a permanent act of making what we did wrong no longer exist to Him.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

"'Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'" (Isaiah 1:18)

When we forgive one another, not only do we act out of our love for them, the kind of love God commands us to have for everyone, even those who hate us, but we're also letting go of the hurt they caused us.

"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25)

See, when we forgive, we let go of the hurt the person caused us. It's not just for their sake, but for our own sake too. Think about it: What they did hurt you, but the hurt is inside you. When you forgive what they did, you must also let go of the hurt attached to it. Otherwise, not only are you not truly forgiving them, but that hurt still weighs you down. It's your pain now, so you have the power to let it go.

We will all hurt each other at some point and regret it later, but the wonderful gift we have called love allows us to forgive one another not just so those who hurt us can be healed, but also so that we can be free from the past and heal too.

So, learn to forgive permanently and unconditionally, like the way God forgives us. Only then will you finally understand that forgiveness, like love, benefits those giving and those receiving.

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)

Also on forgiveness:

Forgive Yourself (stamp)

Forgive (stamp)

Love The Person, Forgive Their Imperfections (stamp)

Forgiveness Is The Path To Healing (art)

Judge Less, Forgive More (art)

Break the Cycle (art)

Let It Go (art)