Forgiveness - The Oil of Life

And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;

Matthew 6:12

Today in our prayer class at the McKnight Road Church of Christ we focused on this portion of the Lord's prayer. These words are a dangerous prayer for a believer. We are always quick to ask God to forgive us our debts, but seldom do I hear people pray "just as we also have forgiven our debtors"! The measure by which we forgive others is the measure by which God forgives us! But, wait, you say! That would mean that God's grace is conditional upon our conduct? Grace is not some sacrament that an earthly priest gets to dispense through religious ritual. Look at the words of Jesus in Matthew 7 beginning in verse 1:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

Jesus seems to make it very clear that our conduct and the way in which we treat others will control our relationship with God. It is so easy to spot that speck in my neighbor's eye; but, I can't seem to visualize that beam sticking out of mine own eye. Or, again as Jesus put it in Matthew 6:14-15:

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The way we treat our neighbor makes a BIG difference. Forgiveness is the oil of life that lubricates our human relationships which allows us to co-exist. Without it, there is great pain, friction and strife. Peter understood the principle when he asked our Lord, "How many times do I have to forgive my brother?" Seven times Seventy was not the answer he wanted to hear!

Hating someone, or refusing to forgive someone, is the equivalent to eating poison. You have the freedom to choose not to forgive; but, the consequences of that decision will effect your relationship with the Father. And, if one does not learn this lesson in how to live, it may doom us to eternal separation from our Creator. The positive side to forgiveness is that it frees the one who forgives. Letting go of those painful memories by forgiving the one who caused the pain is the secret to abundant life. Our Lord and Savior, while dying on the cross for my sin, asked God to forgive those who crucified him. Can we do anything less? Try this experiment: Pray for someone who has hurt you and ask God to help you to forgive that person. Do something nice for that person. Go the extra mile. Turn your cheek when you get slapped or insulted. See what happens. These are universal laws of nature that are immutable. You will be rewarded in ways that you cannot visualize when you forgive someone.