James Dunn wrote,
It is the
experience of having been forgiven (by Christ) which releases the generous
impulses to forgive others (Matt. 18:23-35), just as it is the refusal to
forgive which betrays the reality that forgiveness has not been received, that
the individual has not even recognized the need for forgiveness (Matt.
6:14-15). A community has hope of holding together and growing together only
when the need for forgiveness is recognized on each side where fault has been
committed and only when forgiveness is both offered and received.
Philip Graham Ryken wrote,
Forgiveness
brings great joy, not only to the forgiven, but especially to the forgiver. The
Greek term for “forgiveness” (aphiemi) comes from a word that means “to let go.”
Forgiveness is a release, a letting go of self-destructive feelings such as
anger, bitterness and revenge. Those attitudes poison intimacy with God and
harmony with human beings.
Sam Storms wrote,
Often we refuse
to forgive others because we mistakenly think that to do so is to minimize
their sin. “And that’s not fair! He really hurt me. If I forgive, who’s going
to care for me and take up my cause and nurse my wounds?” God is. We must never
buy into the lie that to forgive means that sin is being whitewashed or ignored
or that the perpetrator is not being held accountable for his/her actions. It
simply means we consciously choose to let God be the one who determines the
appropriate course of action in dealing justly with the offending person… To long for justice is entirely legitimate, but to seek it
for yourself is not. Let God deal
with the offender in his own way at the appropriate time. He’s much
better at it than your or I.
