Forgiveness

Here are some notes I got from listening to Greg Boyd/ Vanessa Williams Sermon, this is all from the second part, it's about forgiveness. I really enjoyed it. 

Colossians 3 ¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ 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.

Forgiveness is a command, we must forgive, Paul writes! It is more than just a good idea, it is central in the Christian Faith.

If there was no forgiveness, there would be no good news, we would still be in our sins, and there is no hope.

Unforgiveness is inconsistent with Christian living. It is a stumbling block to life, making it harder for us to be compassionate, to be kind, humble, patient, ... Good Christian living involves nurturing the good in our life, but also to get rid of the bad.

What is forgiveness?

• Forgiveness means giving up the debt when you have been hurt. It means letting go in our hearts. 
• Not forgiving and reminding a person of what they have done is like being wounded, and reminding the person who wounded us that he did, and then we never let the wound heal.

How do you forgive?

• Talk to God, ask that he would reveal the people we need to forgive. 
• And try to imagine what forgiving them looks like (a phone call?). Then what it looks like after, is there a restored relationship?

What if you do not want to forgive?

• Be honest about it! God cannot work with you if you are not honest with Him. We should ask to want to forgive. If we are not even there yet, pray about wanting to want to forgive!

What if the person is not repentant?

•   Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. (Rom 5:8). When we can forgive someone who does not seem to care whether they hurt us or not, that is a way to show God's love. What would it look like if God would forgive us only once we were repentant? What if we would sin just before dying? Forgiving the non-repentant allows a restored relationship as soon as the person does ask for forgiveness.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 What if the person you have to forgive is you?

• That often happens. I think often I'm harsher on myself than others. But is that not just a sign of self-righteousness. If God has already forgiven me, and I cannot forgive myself, does that just mean that my standards are higher than God's?!

 Why is unforgiveness hard?

• We think not forgiving allows us to control the situation.
• Fear, that it might happen again

Use the church!

• A lot of things work better when we do it as a team. Talk with your friends, family, local church, about issues you are having, allowing people to help you forgive and let go.

 True forgiveness, is not reminding a person what they did to you, over and over again. You will always remember, but not remind others.