What is the Importance of Forgiveness for Christians?

What is the Importance of Forgiveness for Christians?

Growing up, I remember that I used to hold grudges a lot, especially towards my friends. I found it hard to forgive someone, and simply move on from the situation. It would always boggle my mind. It would fill me with anger and frustration. How could they do that to me?  

I held a lot of resentment and anger towards others; it definitely wasn’t healthy. No one ever taught me how to deal with these emotions and situations, in order to move on and grow from it all.  

It wasn’t until I got saved and became born-again that I truly learned what forgiveness is.  

What is True Forgiveness? 

Jesus shows us the truest and most perfect example of how to forgive others. After all, He Himself has forgiven us…for EVERYTHING: past, present and future. 

One of the most powerful and influential scriptures that has helped me over the years learn how to forgive others is in Luke 23:34, “Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots”.  

Even when Jesus was beaten, whipped, tortured and mocked for our sins, then hung to a cross to be crucified, He still begged God to forgive them for what they had done.  

This truly hit home for me. If Jesus can show such forgiveness, compassion and mercy in His darkest hour, towards those who were about to kill Him, then what is our excuse? 

How Does Jesus Show Us How to Forgive? 

Getting saved is easy. All you have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. But living the Christian life each day is hard because we are to live our lives by following in the footsteps of Jesus. He demonstrated to us what true love, kindness, grace, mercy and forgiveness means and how we are to treat others the same way that He did.  

Examples of Forgiveness in the Bible

Jesus showed us many different times on how to forgive others. Whether it was someone He came across during His ministry, or when He spoke in parables to the crowd. Here are a few powerful examples of forgiveness in the Bible:

1. Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying Him (Luke 23:34)

First and foremost, the example that I gave above about Jesus asking God to forgive those who were crucifying Him is the most powerful depiction of true forgiveness. There is no excuse for us, as Christians, to hold grudges or want to seek revenge towards those who have hurt us. In Jesus’s final moment on Earth, He chose to forgive those who had hurt Him. 

After Jesus was beaten, whipped, tortured, mocked, spat on, and nailed to a cross, He still forgave those who hurt Him. He called out to Our Heavenly Father to forgive them for they know not what they do. In His final moments on Earth, Jesus forgave the very people that put Him to death on the Cross, so what is our excuse when it comes to not forgiving others? 

2. Jesus Forgave The Adulterer (John 8:1-11)

In John 8:1-11, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and saw that the Scribes and Pharisees brought out a woman caught in adultery. Instead of Jesus joining in on the judgment of this woman, He says to the Scribes and Pharisees, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (v.7). 

People felt convicted when Jesus said this, and one by one, they all left, until it was just Jesus left alone with the woman. “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (v. 10-11). Jesus offered grace and forgiveness towards this woman, instead of punishing her by stoning her. 

This story illustrates that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus offers us grace and forgiveness as long as we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior. No one is without sin. 

3. The Parable of Two Debtors (Luke 7:36-50)

A little backstory to this parable: Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to dinner at his house. When you go to someone’s house, there are certain customs such as greeting the guest with a kiss, washing their feet and anointing them with oil. Simon didn’t actually adhere to any of these customs when Jesus entered into his house.

Suddenly, a woman (referred to by Luke as a ‘sinner’) appeared at the dinner table, after learning that Jesus was going to the Pharisee’s house to eat (v. 37). She stood at Jesus’s feet, weeping, and used her tears to wash His feet, then wiped them with her hair. She kissed His feet, and anointed them with oil (v.38). Simon thought to himself, if Jesus was a prophet, He would have known what kind of woman had just touched him – she is a sinner (v.39).

This is when Jesus spoke a parable to Simon, about the two debtors: one owed him 500 pence, and the other owed him 50 pence. When they had nothing to pay, the creditor forgave them both. Jesus then asked Simon, which of them will love him most? And Simon answered he whom he forgave the most (which was both of them).

This woman who was a ‘sinner’ had acted more graciously and respectfully towards Jesus than Simon, a ‘righteous’ religious leader. The woman’s faith saved her as Jesus forgave her of her sins (v. 47, 50). There is hope for all sinners to be forgiven and saved by Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you have done or how far gone you think you are. There is hope for all. 

4. Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

This is one of my favorite parables told by Jesus because it highlights the fact that God will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what we have done or where we have gone, we can always return to the Lord and He will welcome us home with open arms. 

In this parable, Jesus tells us about a man who had two sons. The younger son asked for his portion of goods from his father. So, the father divided up what he had to give to both of his sons.

The younger son took all he had and left home to travel to another country and blew all of his money. Then there was a famine in the land where he was, and ended up working in the field to feed swine, whilst eating the husks that the swine did eat too.

He had an epiphany. His father would hire servants and feed them, so the son thought that he should return home and ask to be a servant of his. When he came home, he had plans to apologize to his father, and asked to be a servant because he felt unworthy to be his son.

What happened when the son returned home was that his father ran up to him, and hugged and kissed him. The father then got his son dressed in the best clothes they had, and cooked a meal for him. The father thought that his son was dead, but he was so happy when he saw him return home, that he wanted to celebrate. He thought his son was lost, but is now found.

If we ever feel lost, or end up going down the wrong path, we can always find our way back to God. He will welcome us back home and forgive us, just like the father did with his younger son in this parable. 

Luke 15:32 – “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found”. 

5. Jesus Taught Peter to Forgive (Matthew 18:21-22)

Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother who has sinned against him; up to seven times? (v. 21) The reason why Peter asked this was because the Rabbis were teaching others that you can only forgive someone up to three times. They were referring to the scriptures in Amos 1 where God had forgiven the enemies of the Israelites three times before punishing them.

Peter was thinking of a limited amount based upon the law, but, with Jesus, there is unlimited grace. Therefore, Jesus said to Peter that we are to forgive our brethren 70 x 7 as a way to state that we are not limited to a number of times that we can forgive others, and that by the grace of God, He provides forgiveness towards us over and over again (v.22). 

6. Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-34)

After Peter asked Jesus how many times he is to forgive his brother, Jesus then talks about the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

There was a King who sought his servants to have any money owing returned to him. There was one servant who owed him a lot of money (ten thousand talents – which is equivalent to millions of dollars). The servant asked his lord for patience so that he could get the money that was owing to him. “Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him that debt” (v. 27).

That same servant found another one of his fellowservants and asked for the money which was owed to him by that fellowservant (a hundred pence – a much smaller amount). The other servant had asked for his patience so that he could get the money owing to him. Instead of this servant showing forgiveness towards his fellowservant over his debt, he ended up casting him into prison until he could pay the debt.

Their lord found out about what this servant had done to his fellowservant who owed him money because he had forgiven the servant of the large amount of money that he owed, but he could not forgive his fellowservant for a small debt.

Jesus ends this parable by saying, “so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespass” (v.35). Just like this lord had forgiven his servant of his debts, and should have forgiven his fellowservant of the same thing, so too, should we forgive others, the same way that God forgives us.

The Importance of Christians Forgiving Others

How are we to expect God to forgive us if we cannot forgive others, and instead, hold grudges or seek vengeance towards them? (Like when the servant locked up the other servant in prison in the Parable of the unforgiving servant). This is why forgiveness for Christians is so important!

These different Parables/examples represent God’s forgiveness towards us, and how we are to forgive one another, as we have been forgiven. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). We should show gratitude towards God for His grace, forgiveness, love and mercy towards us, and with that same attitude, show forgiveness and love towards others. 

Learn more about forgiveness by checking out these 5 Simple Steps to Show Forgiveness.