Forgiveness Isn't Once

Forgiveness isn't a one-time deal.

"Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive." -Luke 17:4

Forgiveness is something that is often misunderstood. I'm quite guilty of this. Jesus says to continue to forgive those that wrong us, but we often have the wrong idea of what forgiving them actually means. Forgiveness is choosing not to punish someone for wronging you, not dwelling on it, bringing it up, or choosing bitterness. It means, according to the dictionary, to grant pardon for or remission of an offense or debt. When we forgive someone who has wronged us, we are choosing not to hold their offense against them. That doesn't mean that they won't have consequences if they've committed a crime, it doesn't mean we forget about their offense, it doesn't mean we agree with what they did. It just means that we choose to free them from our condemnation so that the relationship can be reconciled.

This is not a one-time deal. Forgiveness is often something that must be continually practiced. In Jeremiah 31:34, God speaks of Israel and says, "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." Some people read this and think that God forgets our sins and doesn't know what we've done. That isn't the case. God is omniscient and all-knowing. He knows what your sins are. He chooses not to dwell on them, not to think about them, and not call them to remembrance. When we forgive someone, we may have to constantly choose to not call to remembrance the sins of the person who wronged us. The hurt may still be there. The memory may still rear its ugly head. If you've been abused, molested, cheated on, beaten, cursed, lied to, your pain is legitimate, and forgiveness does not guarantee that it will go away. But it's our job to forgive the person each time it comes, and not dwell on it or hold it against them. We must constantly be in a state of forgiveness. This is true forgiveness, and it is what God has done for us. Have you heard the Lord's prayer? There's a line in it that says, "Forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us." (Matthew 6:12) What Christ has done for us, we should extend to others. Forgive, and keep forgiving. God bless.