Forgiveness. That is the message of the Cross. The reason that Christ shed His blood.
When I accepted Christ, He forgave original sin. He made me a new creation. As I bring to Him the sin that I commit, either by doing things that I ought not do, or by not doing the things that I should do, these sins are nailed to the cross also. He bears them for me, so that I bear it no more.
There is another sin that we need to nail to the cross in order to be pleasing to the Lord. Iniquity. The sin that is committed against us. Iniquity.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
When someone sins against us, we suffer the loss.
Mat 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
When we do not forgive, we are holding the grudge. The bitterness, resentment, and animosity builds up in us. It interferes with our walk with the Lord.
Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]:
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
Does that mean that we are doormats for the wicked? Are we to let them get away with the evil that they have done? Certainly not! Neither are we to simply sit back and claim that the battle is the Lord's. We pray through the situation. Take it before the Lord, who is the judge of all creation. The judge is our Father! Pray for one another. Pray for the wrong that has been done to ourselves.
Psa 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Pray for our enemies. That is what the Lord tells us. We are to pray first for their salvation. We also need to be aware that not all people will come to the cross in repentance for their sin against us. Our prayers, in one form or another comes before God as "Save them or judge them." Knowing that he is a righteous Judge, and will deal with all of the facets that we know nothing of.
Not offering the iniquity of the wicked before the Lord, whether we choose to take vengeance ourselves, or take it before an earthly judge, we keep the situation out of the hands of the Lord. Leaving Him out of it.
Isa 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor [any] pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
Then we wonder why doesn't God do something about all of the terrible and wicked situations in the world. We have not because we ask not.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Give place to wrath. Don't allow iniquity to continue. He will repay. Ignoring the problem is not the same thing as forgiving. Ignoring it allows it to continue. The wicked will come against you again and again and again. If not you, then your children.
Exd 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].
When we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and take the sin before the Lord, we are trusting Him to know where to forgive, where to repay and where correct. In giving it to God, we are freeing ourselves from judgment. (Forgive us as we forgive) We are freeing ourselves from bitterness that eventually shows up physically. And we are expressing faith that God will restore and repay. Be willing to be used by God in the process of dealing with the situation. God uses people. He may take it out of your hands. He may call you to get involved and be part of the solution. Or He may call you to flee
.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Forgiveness begins with repenting of our own sin. It continues with forgiving others. Repentance is to say to God "It never should have happened. If we had it to do over again, I would choose that it not happen." That is the same thing you are saying when you bring iniquity to God.
Receive forgiveness, and forgive. This is how one can be pleasing to God.
