Our Wednesday Night study for Jan 16^th,  will be “Forgiveness – Part 2”. Last time we discussed the forgiveness of God. This time, we will be discussing our ability to forgive – What do we mean when we say “I Forgive” ?

In Mat 6:12 – Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray – and part of the Model Prayer involves Forgiveness  –  ” And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”  After Jesus finishes the Model Prayer, he continues to teach the disciples about Forgiveness –   14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus commands us to forgive – but how do we forgive people who have abused us, taken advantage of us, cheated us, lied to us, harmed us, and/or slandered our reputation. What do we mean when we say “I forgive you” to someone who has hurt us?  Does
saying “I forgive” make everything OK?  Is it possible to really “forgive and forget?”  Does forgiveness require us to pretend like the harmful incident never happened?  Does forgiveness mean that I must fully trust this person who harmed me? Does forgiveness mean I must stand still and allow this person to harm me again? If someone asks me for a character reference on this person, does forgiveness allow me to tell them the truth? If the harm done to me was a “crime” and law enforcement officers ask me to testify against this person – does forgiveness mean I should not?  What if the person who harmed me does not confess, apologize, or repent? How do you forgive if the person who harmed you is nolonger alive?

What do we mean when we say “I Forgive” ?