IF YOU are forgiven...

It's not about THEM being right; it's about YOU being forgiven...

Forgiveness is hard to give at times. We've all been hurt. We've all been wronged.

Also...

We have ALL like sheep gone astray. We ALL have deserted God. We ALL have fallen short of God's glory.

It seems hard to forgive others unless we remember how freely God has forgiven any who comes to Him through Christ Jesus. Just think about that for a moment. Soak in the fullness of that truth. In Christ, any who come, are forgiven of their sin...forgiven of transgressions...trespasses...offense...forgiven of missing the mark...forgiven of rebellion!

The Scriptures say, "bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13 ESV) Let me also share it in another translation: "Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (NLT)

"...so you must also forgive..."
"Remember, the Lord forgave you..."

It's not about whether a person deserves forgiveness. Think about it, none of us deserved to be forgiven by God. God says it's not about whether THEY deserve forgiveness, it's about us remembering we didn't deserve it from Him, but He forgave anyway.

Absolutely, I understand, sometimes forgiveness between people is an act and sometimes it's a process. I'm neither debating nor forgetting that. All I'm doing is pointing out that God says we are to remember we were forgiven by Him and to forgive others.

What is the key? I think all of this takes a work of the Spirit. The preceding verse says, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience," (Colossians 3:12 ESV) The succeeding verse says, "And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Colossians 3:14 ESV) In other words, put on, the Spirit. It will take that, but if we'll remember John 15:5, if we hope to produce any fruit for God's glory it will take the work of God in us and through us.

Because God has forgiven us, put on love...and forgive.