SEP 13

Luke 23:34
Memorise Matthew 6:15
“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses…”

‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ was one of the seven sayings of Christ on the cross. The ‘them’ that Christ refers to are the soldiers and others who participated in His crucifixion, from His betrayal to His death on the cross. With this prayer, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12, “he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors”. Indeed what amazing love of our Lord and Saviour, which lead him to plead for mercy for His tormentors whilst hanging on the cross. He had pity upon them for their ignorance, for they did not realise that they were killing the very Son of God. Note that the sins that Christ prayed for the Father to forgive pertained only to the sins from betrayal to the cross, it was not the forgiveness of all their sins that comes at the point of one’s salvation. They would still need to ask Christ to forgive them of their personal sins, for that is the only way that they can be saved. Indeed the Father did forgive them for their crimes, for He could have struck dead those responsible for His Son’s death straightaway, but He did not. Instead, many Jews were later saved at Pentecost and throughout the book of Acts. As such, many that spilled Jesus’ blood afterwards came to drink of it.

To forgive is not just to stop feeling angry and resentful against someone for an offence. To forgive as Christ did, goes far beyond this. It is our duty to pray for those who transgress against us even when they persist in doing so. We ought to pray not just that we will forgive them, but go further to intercede on their behalf, that they will come to see their sin and repent, that God would forgive them. For those who are unsaved, all the more we would pray, for their salvation! Will you not have a burden for their soul and intercede for them? We must also remember that it was our sin too that nailed Christ to the cross. Just as He paid the ultimate price and has freely forgiven us, we too should forgive our fellow man for their sins against us. Forgiveness sounds easy in principle, but it is incredibly difficult to live out. We may unconsciously or consciously pick and chose who we will and will not forgive, and to what extent. There are boundaries and limitations to our forgiveness. This is not how Christ forgave ‘them’ and us. To forgive as Christ did may seem impossible. But it is not. Through prayer and reading the Word of God, remember what Christ did on the cross, and cultivate a forgiving spirit. It begins with the small thing, the minor trespasses committed against us that we harbor unforgiveness. Go on your knees now, forgive and intercede! God will surely answer your prayer!

Thought: Is there anything done against you that is unpardonable?
Prayer: Pray that I will have a forgiving spirit, just as as Christ did.