Today’s Scripture: Colossians 3:12-13

Pages 984 in our guest Bibles.

Lyle Lovett, “God Will”

How do you respond

when others hurt you?

?

LOVE one anotherSERVE one another

ENCOURAGE one anotherPRAY for one another

WELCOME one anotherSHOW HOSPITALITY to

one another

“FORGIVEONE ANOTHER”

Colossians3:12-13

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones,

COLOSSIANS 3:12

holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, andpatience...,

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have

redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The Apostle Paul Colossians 1:13-14

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses…, God made alive together with him [ie., Christ Jesus],

having forgiven us all our trespasses….” The Apostle Paul

Colossians 2:13

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones,

COLOSSIANS 3:12

holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, andpatience...,

...bearing with one another and

COLOSSIANS 3:13

if one has a complaint againstanother, forgiving each other; as

as must forgive. the Lord has forgiven you, so you

God expects Christians to forgive one another

the way he forgave them.

1God’s forgiveness isgracious, but not free.

“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord,

how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As

many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but

seventy times seven.’”

~ The Gospel of Matthew18:21-22

“Christians are called to offer a present to those

who have hurt them. That package should be wrapped and tied with a

ribbon, with a tag addressed, ‘To you, regardless of what

you’ve done.’ Forgiveness is what is

found inside if the offender chooses to open the package.”

2God’s forgiveness is conditional.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. IF we confess our sins, he is faithful

and just to FORGIVE us our

sins….”

~ James, the brother of JesusJames 1:8-9

“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and IF he

repents, FORGIVE him….”

~ Jesus of Nazareth, The Gospel of Luke 17:3-4

3God’s forgiveness is a commitment.

“…as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from

us.”

“I will remember their sins and their lawlessness no more.”

~ Psalm 103:12

~ Hebrews 10:18

4God’s forgiveness is necessary for reconciliation.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God who

has reconciled us to himself…. In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them….”

~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

5God’s forgiveness does not eliminate all consequences.

For the Christian, forgiveness is a costly commitment to

graciously pardon a repentant person and to be reconciled to that person, although not all

consequences are necessarily eliminated.

Adapted from Chris Brauns’ Unpacking Forgiveness

The Christian has every reasonto forgive, because we have been deeply forgiven by God.