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Forgive!

Jan-Aage Torp
December 30, 2013
Forgive! Forgive!Joseph of the Bible was misunderstood, betrayed, rejected – by his own brothers! But God did a deep work in Joseph. At the right time he met his brothers with forgiveness and reconciliation in his heart. That’s God’s way!

When you forgive a person, then you have automatically given up the right to use the accusation against him afterwards. That’s why forgiveness between human beings has such power. The air is cleansed. There’s a free passage, writes pastor Jan-Aage Torp in this powerful article.

Few things in life are more important than forgiveness.

Receiving forgiveness from God Himself. Undeserved and by His grace in Christ Jesus.

But also between human beings.

Someone has said to me: “It is not possible to forgive unless he who has sinned against you first asks for forgiveness”.

Nonsense!

´Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven´ (Matthew 18:21-22).

When you forgive a person, then you have automatically given up the right to use the accusation against him afterwards. That’s why forgiveness between human beings has such power. The air is cleansed. There’s a free passage.

It is also important and liberating to ask forgiveness of someone who you have sinned against! I’ve done that a lot of times, and it helps everyone.

Sometimes it is possible to declare forgiveness directly to the guilty one, and that’s great. But other times this is impossible because he could disagree, or be dead… But the forgiveness still has great power!

It is also powerful to receive forgiveness from someone that you have sinned against. It sets free!

A dimension which we must use with wisdom, is to go to the guilty one to set things in order. Here things can easily get worse if we still carry an accusation in our hearts. Then we need to let God lead with forgiveness and reconciliation in our hearts first. At the right time reconciliation will come.

Joseph of the Bible was misunderstood, betrayed, rejected – by his own brothers! But God did a deep work in Joseph. At the right time he met his brothers with forgiveness and reconciliation in his heart. That’s God’s way!

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