Christian Living
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When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, there are only two sins, that I know of, that are unforgivable. One of them is blaspheming against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29) and the other sin that’s unforgivable is unforgiveness. Matthew 6:14-15 says, For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
The good news regarding the sin of unforgiveness is that if you do choose to forgive, you will be forgiveness, but if you hold unforgiveness in your heart, God will not forgive you for your sins. Wow! If that’s not scary, I don’t know what is. And Jesus was the one who said that. Unforgiveness must be a pretty powerful poison for God to not forgive us for it.
I don’t believe the Bible says why unforgiveness is unforgivable (If it does, feel free to leave a comment and let me know which verse), but I can think of a few possible reasons why it may be unforgivable. Unforgiveness is a seed that eventually matures into bitterness and hatred, and people in that category have started wars, killed their own family members, raped innocent children, blown up buildings killing hundreds of people, and the list goes on.
I’ve certainly experienced brief periods of unforgiveness in my past, and the bitterness and resentment I experienced from that changed my perspective of people and the world we live in. Because of my unforgiveness, I created a new theology in my head of what the Christian life was really supposed to look like, and my corrupted theology didn’t include working with other people and trusting only in myself and God.
People who are offended will refuse to forgive others, and their unforgiveness creates a safe bubble where no one can hurt them. The biggest problem with this bubble is that it also prevents people from loving them. Because offended people cannot be vulnerable, they can never experience true love in a significant other, not in their own family, and not even with God since God is the very definition of love in itself.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). People who hold unforgiveness in their hearts not only don’t know love, but they also don’t know God. How can we really know God without knowing love? We can’t. Unforgiveness is a trap that locks you inside of a prison that only you can get yourself out of.
I think of forgiveness like peeling an onion. When you forgive someone for the first time, you peel the first layer off of the onion, metaphorically speaking, and sometimes you don’t feel the forgiveness in your heart. But whether you “feel” it or not doesn’t matter, as long as you know you were genuine in the process. There are many times I worship God when I don’t feel like it, but I do it first and the feelings come later.
Often times, that’s the same way it is with forgiveness, it’s a process. When you forgive someone for the first time, especially if it’s a serious offense, it’s one peel off of the onion. As time goes by, while you may have already forgiven someone, bitterness may rise up again in you, but when you take your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), that’s when the second lining of the onion is peeled off. Eventually, the memory of the person who caused the offense will no longer cause bitterness, but it can take some time.
Humility is one of the most important character traits we need to have if we want to get free and stay free from unforgiveness. When we forgive the people who offend us, whether we think they deserve to be forgiven or not, that’s when we get free and experience the Kingdom of God, on earth (Luke 17:21), in its fullness.
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God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
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The Bible is very clear that under the New Covenant we are already forgiven in Christ and thus should forgive as we have been forgiven. God always models what he wants us to do. There is only one unforgivable sin according to the Bible. It states blaspheme of the Holy Spirit, which ends up being unbelief. If you go to my profile I have many studies on the New Covenant Jesus shed his blood for including the ONE unforgivable sin. If you click on my highlighted name above this comment you will find my profile. Click on the one in the top comments about New Covenant articles.
Here is a short bit on unforgiveness.
Before the cross we see this:
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, Matt 6:14 ESV
While God definitely wants us to forgive others, primarily for our own benefit, these verses tell us something happened at the cross. Our forgiveness from God is no longer predicated on forgiving others.
After the cross we see this:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph 4:32
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Col 3:13
The cross is about God’s love for us and really made a difference. When we are rooted and grounded in His love, we are empowered to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19