Forgiveness

      The title of this blog clearly indicates what I have been thinking about lately! I am going to use a lot of scripture and then add my thoughts. I have been thinking a lot about how Christ taught us to forgive and then lived the example, as He always does for us! So what are some of the things Christ taught us about forgiveness? Let's go to the scriptures and see!

     One of Christ's very first New Testament teachings we have of forgiveness is found in the Lord's prayer, in Matthew 6:12 "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." And right after that the Lord clarifies it even more in verses 14-15 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Faher forgive your trespasses." Also in Luke 6:37-38 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."   

     Does He say the same through modern revelation? To us today? In Doctrine & Covenants 64: 9-10 it says, "Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his  brother his trespasses stands condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." Also in Doctrine & Covenants 82:1 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you." So I would say that it is very clear that it is our responsibility to forgive others!

     Okay, but how many times? Matthew 18:21-22  explains this to us: "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." In Doctrine &  Covenants 98:39-40 "And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy - And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven." And, if anyone wants to be small-minded enough to keep track of seventy times seven which is 490, I guess they can. BUT that isn't the point, as can be seen by the verses that say, in other words, "we get what we give."

     Now Jesus taught all of this and He lived it. The most profound scripture of this is found in Luke 23:34 when Jesus hanging on the cross after suffering betrayal and scourging and mockery, etc.,  says, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." 

     Now the questions I have asked myself and would like to add here are these: Do we have the courage and strength to be obedient to His words and follow His example? 

     Have we ever been betrayed by someone in a way that has left us devastated and wondering if we can ever get over it? Do we fight with everything we've got for revenge to make them suffer? Do we keep a count of everything anyone has ever done to us and make sure they never forget it either? Each of these things may happen to each of us at some time or another. If not, we can be grateful it doesn't, BUT if it does, do we have the strength and courage to follow Christ's teachings and His example?

     It is not easy, but then the really good things in life never are. And if we truly want the Lord to forgive us and for us to be able to return to Him with gratitude in our hearts for His loving kindness and forgiveness, then we have to do all we can to follow His example. May take us some time to get it right, but if we keep trying and working on it, we can. He wouldn't have asked us to do it, if He didn't know we had the ability to do so!!!