11. If we do not forgive someone for the wrong they caused us, will God forgive us? Matthew 6:15: Mark 11:26.
NOTE: ‘In the parable the Lord summoned the unmerciful debtor, and “said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” “So likewise,” said Jesus, “shall My Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.” He who refuses to forgive is thereby casting away his own hope of pardon.’ Christ’s Object Lessons, page 247.
‘We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. The ground of all forgiveness is found in the unmerited love of God, but by our attitude toward others we show whether we have made that love our own. Wherefore Christ says, “With what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:2.’ Christ’s Object Lessons, page 251.
12. What can we learn about God’s forgiveness? Micah 7:18-19.
NOTE: ‘When a person has sinned against you, you naturally feel offended; there is more or less bitterness in your heart. The person asks forgiveness, and his penitence moves you to pity, and you grant the request. Your feelings change. But your forgiveness makes no change in the person who has done the wrong. Having confessed his sin, he is free, even though you refuse to forgive him; but your forgiveness means a change in your attitude toward him. But it is not so with God's forgiveness. He has no bitterness, no feeling of offended dignity, in His heart. He loves us in our sins. We are moved by His love to ask forgiveness for our sins, and He grants it, but that does not involve any change in Him; the change is wholly in us who are forgiven. It is a real thing, for He imparts to us His own real life. He gives to us that which enables us to resist sin in our flesh, to which we have always before been subject. Do you not see that the forgiveness of our sins by the Lord means the reception of something real, and that it is designed to effect a change that is manifest in our own bodies?’ E. J. Waggoner: Present Truth, September 6, 1900.
LESSON INSIGHT: Forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Just as important as defining what forgiveness is, though, is understanding what forgiveness is not. When you forgive, you do not gloss over or deny the seriousness of an offence against you. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offences. Though forgiveness can help repair a damaged relationship, it doesn’t require you to reconcile with the person who harmed you, or release them from legal accountability. Instead, forgiveness brings the forgiver peace of mind and frees him or her from corrosive anger. Forgiveness involves letting go of deeply-held negative feelings. In that way, it helps you to recognise the pain you suffered without letting that pain damage you, enabling you to heal and move on with your life.