The Lord's prayer says:

"And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us."

In the same way as our Heavenly Father has eternal mercy, and forgive our trespasses, we are command to forgive those who trespass us.
Where is that commandment? When our Lord tells us: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12, 30)
But who is our neighbor: I believe our neighbor refers to all our brothers and sister regardless of their beliefs. Even when they ridicule us and what we believe in.
Forgiveness has to be total and eternal. How many people in this world has suffered too many atrocities. We hear everyday of children molested by family members or people who has suffered betrayal by a close person.
We drag all these negative experiences, and unconciously we behave upon them. When we hate, when we are sad, when we see somebody and we get annoyed.
The first step in healing a personal wound is recognizing that there is a wound, and the second step is forgiving those who have caused the wound.
However, most of the times we get hammered over and over again, and maybe by the same person. Then what is the limit for forgiveness.
The Lord says: "Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times." (Mathew 18, 21-22)
The Bible is full of simbolism. Numbers mean a lot and when the Lord says seventy-seven times. He means forever and ever.
Are we able to do such a thing?
As far as me I find it extremely hard to do. But I pray everyday to have enough love in my heart to forgive.
Another dimension of forgiveness is the fact we need to forgive ourselves also. Most of the times we trespass on ourselves when behave in wrong ways such us drug or alcohol abuse. Then again the process of healing requires us to forgive ourselves.
but do we really think about this dimension of forgiveness?
can we recognize how hard we have being with ourselves?


TLW (03/17/2008)

love thy neighbor means not only your neighbor but everyone

god has to forgive, he has no other choice....
man was given choice...we can follow gods example or decide for ourselves who to or not to forgive.

sorry the post was incomplete the first time. By mistake i hit the post buttom.

John 13
[35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

I believe by neighbor it means everyone, all of man kind.

As far as someone who repeatedly hurts or wounds me I can continue to forgive although after a couple of repeated offenses I tend to forgive and then disassociate with them. Wish them well and say goodbye.

I pray for enough love in my heart to forgive. And I pray for them to that they will recognize their wrongs so they too become better people.

I find that when I need to forgive someone there is also something wrong with me. which usually has to do with me harboring hate, which I believe is wrong. When I find it in me to forgive myself I am then capable of forgiving others.

I have abused alcohol and drugs in the past so I have quit a bit of experience with forgiving myself. Once I can admit my faults, wrongs, sins, etc. I ask forgiveness from God. I believe God grants forgiveness to all who are truely sorry for their wrongs. If God can forgive me I should be able to forgive me. I then am not so hard on myself and am able to move on with my life.

Amen my brother

I believe that if we want God to forgive us, we MUST forgive others.

I'm with you on this Miguel.

We are to harbor forgiveness and root out grudges in our own hearts.

Forgiveness also comes with some reciprocal action as well when we are finding ourselves habitually offended by the same others repeatedly. Sometimes it does come to creating some distance between ourselves and those that we forgive, especially in light of our forgiveness and compassion not always being received with respect and dignity.

Let's face it. It is best to not avail ourselves to continual assault and expect the change to come just because we wish it so. Judgement is in order with strangers and neighbors of any persuasion. Realizing that we can be disadvantaged also has a catch to it.

How many times have we all heard it said that Christians are to forgive endlessly? Too many times, and all too often this comes at us from non-christians thaT SOMEHOW FEEL THE NEED TO REMIND US OF OUR cHRISTIAN DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MAN. oops, cap lock.

But where is the reminder that they too are called to receive from God the blessings in Christ? from them?

Where is the call to be blameless and generous with others, likewise?

Where is the love of God that would require at least som respect for Christ?

These demands of Christian conduct coming from ungrounded and questionable motives for our accession to another's needs or wants apart from our own best judgement and attention to our own needs that also requires sound judgement on our part that precludes abusive misrepresentation of the principle of forgiveness over all offences.

I don't find joy in constantly forgiving others trespasses at the expense of my own peace of mind, nor do I require God to bank an endless sum of forgivenesses to bear on my account.

I prefer to be stronger than that and much more resolute when it comes to forgiveness.

At some point, we have a duty to not expose ourselves to ridicule and abuse and take it incessantly.

Here, in America, it is clear that by now all know about Christ's command to be forgiving and yet choose not to walk in His love.

So be it, as one wishes.

But let it be known, that a Christian is not compelled to be the victim, but rather the overcomer of such shallowness of content and character.

Our victory is in Christ, not in the opinions that others bear sway to our charge on their own unregenerate terms.

TOUGH LOVE, is sometimes the best prescription for health.

The LORD can be very tough on me, as well. and you. and all.

It goes both ways.

Amen to that.

I believe when we choose to forgive, we are choosing to love the other person in spite of their wrongdoing. We are also freeing ourselves from past hurts, and from the things that
would bind us to the one that caused the hurt.

It frees us to become well, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Ah forgiveness...

The conscious release of emotional attachment to that which has substantiated the existance of negativity and resentment within one.

It is when what has happened no longer negatively affects how one thinks, feels, or speaks of the matter which has been forgiven.

It is a beautiful release...

Peace cannot be found without it...

If forgiveness and loving ones neighbor are central, primary parts of christianity, why/how then are so many wars fought in the name of Christ?

I can understand that just because your religion tells you to do something that does not mean you can always keep to that goal; none of us is perfect.

However, I am not talking about accidental imperfection by a few, I am talking about deliberately killing large numbers of people because you cannot forgive them... or you cannot love them.

I cannot envision the explanation but thought I would mention it just in case others had some ideas...

Peace.

not just christianity have killed in the name of God. As a matter of fact at this point of history i have not heard about people killing in the name of christ.
that is medieval history my friend.

Peace to you as well.

another point why do we have to point out something about christianity as a general thing. when the original post has to do with our own personal experiences.

I looked at Matthew 18: 21-22.

I see the seventy times seven given a personal context and one which has a retribution of sorts, attached for iniquitous use of forgiveness. Still, it goes both ways.
In the Book of Daniel, (9:24) a reference of seventy times seven implies the time from Nehemiah rebuilding the wall ijn Jerusalem after the babylonian captivity of the children of Israel, under the head of Nebuchadnezzar, until the coming of the Messiah. That placed Christ's birth at the end of hat period. I don't envision this as a co-incidence. It is implied to me that God means for Israel to understand that forgiveness for wrongdoing is not a neglectful duty binding God to retribution, but rather to His extended hand in favor, though timely in the sense that you will reap much more than you sow, positively and negatively. For seventy years neglect sown, seventy times seven in neglect reaped. In this case, seventy years that the children of Israel neglected God. A week of years for a years' neglect.

So, here is what was written of Jesus teaching on this principle.

Matthew 18:21-35.
" Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him," I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but until seventy times seven.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him 10,000 talents.
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he hhad, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him, and forgave the debt.

But the same servant went out, andfound one of his fellowswervants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
And his fellowservant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, have patience with me and I shall pay thee all.
And he would not: but went and cast him into the prison, til he should pay the debt.
So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done.
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Shouldest not thou also had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, til he should pay all that was due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."


It is not so surprising then, that 9/11 and that tragic day's events have led to retribution of its' instigators, since the perpetrators acted on behalf of their lord, which is complicitous to the tragic event that killed many unsuspecting people and deprived them of their lives and liberties, and randomly so as being subjects of a hated government with no distinctions being made between the governments of this world that communicate within their manners, one to another, verses the mercenaries that shirk their own accountability to said governments and their manners and act according to their clandestine protection by rogue nations that cloak their own ill will behind diplomatic immunity and deference.

It goes both ways.

the christians did in the crusades and the inquistion

but the roman killed christians in ancient times.

all religions did that. but those can't be used to speak for everyone. I don't agree with the crusades and I'm a christian.

it's the overly zealot (christian or none) that acts that way because they believe their view HAS to be shared by all.

I was taught as a child to not judge others and to forgive. I still practice that today. No one is perfect and everyone slips but we are human