Forgiveness Part 2: What forgiveness is NOT!

Continuing the poignant discussion that began in Part I, Bro. D and Min. Eugene Howie of First Baptist Church of Glenarden International consider what forgiveness is not. When you forgive, are you to gloss over or deny the seriousness of an offense against You? Though you can help repair a damaged relationship, does it obligate you to reconcile with the person who harmed you? Other questions are: Why must we forgive? How do we forgive? Bro. D. and Min. Howie share their favorite Bible verses about forgiveness and reasons why they were selected. Here are other applicable Bible verses: -We forgive as the Lord forgave us: Colossians 3:13 amplified - "bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive." -We forgive by faith, out of obedience (feelings have little to do with it): Hebrews 11:1 NLT - "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for: it is the evidence of things we cannot see." -Our decision to forgive must include a change of heart: Philippians 1:6 NLT - "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." -We can pray and ask God to deal with the injustices. We can trust God to judge that person's life, and then we ought to leave that prayer at the altar: Luke 6: 37 NIV - "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." As you know listeners, the goal of Emunah is to help believers live lives that honor God. We hope that you meditate on the scriptures and advice of these two God-anointed disciples of Christ. Application is key; pray about the ways God is leading you to forgive and then take small steps toward resolution. Share your testimony on our Women of the Word website: https://wordconsultingllc.com. Or, send us an email with comments about the podcast: [email protected].