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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Forgiveness: Why Do We Need It?

Posted by Efoghor Joseph Ezie on 5/12/2010 10:43:00 PM

Forgiveness is a virtue every true believer or follower of Jesus Christ should desire. It is one of God’s attributes that portray us as his true children. If we are God’s children then we must learn to forgive just as Christ forgave those who crucified him.

What then is forgiveness?
It is the act of letting go of offenses. It is an act of treating an offender as though he never offended you. Forgiveness is the act of declaring free one who deserves to die or deserves to be punished.

Why should we forgive?
There are several reasons why we must learn to forgive those who offend us, and set them free from prisons in our hearts.
1.It makes us to be like Christ: Jesus Christ set us an example of what it means to forgive by not holding those who condemned and crucified him guilty. He asked the father to forgive them for they knew not what they were doing (Luke 23:34). Deacon Stephen followed the example laid down by Christ when he asked God not to charge those who stoned him to death (Acts 7:59-60). In the same vein, we who profess Christ today must follow his example by forgiving those who sin against us. That is the only way we can show the world that we are his true children/followers.

2.It releases us from prison: Failure to forgive our neighbours their sins puts us in spiritual prison. The only way can live a life of spiritual freedom is to cultivate the habit of forgiveness. The word of God tells us that the reason the servant of the king was imprisoned was because he failed to forgive his fellow servant (Matt.18:23-35).

3.It makes our prayers unhindered: Jesus made it clear to us that if we asked anything in faith we would receive it. However, if we fail to forgive whosoever has sinned against us, our prayers to God would be hindered. Forgiveness therefore makes it possible for our prayers to get to God smoothly (Mark 11:24-26).

4.We receive forgiveness: Our forgiveness is directly tied to our willingness to forgive others their sins. God will not set us free from our sins unless we set free those who sin against us. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, and in the middle of the prayer he declared “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us...” (Luke 11:4). Forgiveness therefore, is a give and take thing. You must first give in order to receive; and when you give you must receive in return.

5.It gives us joy: Being able to forgive is a very difficult and exceptional thing. So when we are able to do it our hearts are filled with great joy.

6.It improves our physical lives: Refusal to forgive brings a great deal of stress to our system. Certain disease conditions are known to result from psychological or emotional stress. These diseases which are otherwise known as psychosomatic disorders are sometimes a product of stress resulting from our inability to forgive. Examples of such diseases are eczema, asthma, migraine, ulcerative colitis, etc. The only way we can get rid of them is to unburden our hearts of unforgiving spirit.

7.It Promotes love and unity: Love and unity can never exist in an atmosphere where there is hatred and malice. When we learn to forgive we promote love and unity amongst us. And as believers we can always achieve our heart desires when there is forgiveness, love and unity.

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