How Do I Forgive Others?

“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” -Colossians 3:12-13 (HCSB)

If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are to give forgiveness to others just as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13). When we grant forgiveness to someone, we are promising that we will “Not remember” their sins anymore as modeled in Jeremiah 31:34. That means we will never use their sin against them, so practically we are promising the following to someone we forgive:

· “I will not remind you of the sin I am forgiving,”

· “I will not mention what I am forgiving to anyone else.”

· “I will not allow my mind to dwell on the sin I forgive.”

It is important to note, followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to forgive, so we are sinning if we refuse to make the forgiveness promises. Therefore forgiveness is a matter of obedience rather than feelings. Remember beloved it is sin for us to break our promises of forgiveness after we make them, and we can keep these promises regardless of how we feel. Resolve yourself today to a lifetime pilgrimage of forgiveness.