FORGIVENESS—THE BOND OF FELLOWSHIP

Matt 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins

Someone said that the word forgive is the most beautiful word in any language. I think we could agree, for included in the word are the concepts of faith, hope, and love. By forgiveness, the tragedy of sin is cancelled, guilt is removed and broken fellowship is restored. Forgiveness is faith in action, hope in restoration and love in reconciliation.

No one has escaped the snare of sin. Only by the act of Divine forgiveness can we be cleansed and restored to a state of innocence. While we were still sinners, Christ died on the cross for our sins and opened the door of forgiveness and reconciliation to God. His love still draws sinners to an altar of repentance so that He may pardon them.

Without forgiveness we would all be trapped in our own sins:
(Rom 7:24 NIV) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

The theme of redemption is woven with the thread of forgiveness, and it is through God’s act of forgiving that our fellowship with Him is restored and our torn relationship with fellow believers is mended. We were not born with a forgiving nature, but we do have an innate divine capacity to forgive and receive forgiveness. The poet wrote: “to err is human; to forgive is divine…”

Forgiveness defined: “To give up the wish to punish or get even with; not having hard feelings at or toward others…it means to pardon another, to release him from the punishment he should receive for his wrongdoing…it means to cancel the debt that a person owes.”

FORGIVENESS RESTORES FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship with God

Fellowship with others