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Colossians 3:12-13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

So often others wrong us in many ways. Sometimes the wrong that has been done was on purpose, other times it was just a misunderstanding. Either way, it’s wrong to hold a grudge!

God loved us so much He not only died for us, but also removed our sin completely:

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

And that is the way God wants us to deal with others, in a totally forgiving way. Our sin nature causes us to remember each little trespass against us but God gave us the outline for true love. And true love does not keep a list of past misdeeds:

I Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Therefore, regardless of how you’ve been wronged in the past, if you are a Christian, you must not only be forgiving, you must also forget the offense. Some say to forgive, but do not forget, and do not trust. This belief or feeling is scripturally unsound, as demonstrated throughout scripture:

Phil. 3:12-16 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.”

God paid your debt, a price that you could not pay, by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross in your place. As a Christian, we have no other choice but to forgive, completely and forget the offense.

How many times should we forgive? EVERY SINGLE TIME! Peter asked Jesus the same question found in the book of Matthew, and goes on to tell a story (parable) about a king (God) and an unfaithful servant (representing you and me) and the story reveals the big picture very well:

Matthew 18:21 “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

If you forgive with conditions attached, you aren’t forgiving at all.

Angelos