Forgiving one another

Descipleship

13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.

– Colossians 3:13
(NASB® © 2020)
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We should forgive one another, as Christ has forgiven us (Col 3:13).

How did Christ forgive us? Here are a few thoughts on this:

  • He forgave us upon a simple confession. A simple “O God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” is enough, as the story of the tax collector and the Pharisee shows.
  • He forgave us immediately. We did not have to wait, nor did we have to prove ourselves first before our guilt was forgiven.
  • He forgave completely. The blood of the Son of God cleanses us from all sin.
  • He forgave them permanently. He cast their sins into the depths of the sea; he will never remember their sins and lawlessness again.

We too should forgive in this way. We must not put up barriers to confession. And when a confession is made, we should accept it immediately. We then forgive all that we can forgive and do not return to it.

And if we find it difficult to accept the confession immediately and truly let the matter rest, then we should remember that forgiveness among believers is based on mutuality.

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