I learned a lot. Maybe a little more than I wanted! ;-) Anyhow, this class has been great. Here's my study notes.
Scripture is in the regular color,
My notes are in green.
1 Corinthians 10:12- 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
Wow. We really need to be careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be so stubborn that we miss the chance to grow and learn. We are not always right, and we should consider that in the face of conflict.
2 Corinthians 2:7-8-7- 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
When someone calls to you to forgive them, it’s not enough to just forgive them. We are called to reach out to them in comforting and reaffirmation that all is well.
2 Peter 2:19- 9 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
Are grudges mastering you? Forgiveness can free you. Man can only serve one master, and that master should be God. Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13
Colossians 3:13- 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Remember all the things the Lord has forgiven you of? Who are we then, to deny anyone else forgiveness. We are all horrible sinners, but he doesn’t hold grudges, and neither should we.
Ephesians 4:32- 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Well this says the same thing, but the repetition shows us the importance of the matter.
Genesis 50:15-20- 15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Here is a good example of the forgiveness God intends for us to have. But also He is showing great wisdom to us in that, what we perceive as evil, God can use for His will, which is always good. It is all part of God’s plan. When we look at it that way, it might be easier to forgive others. It’s also similar to when Jesus forgave the very people who nailed Him to the cross. He knew it was part of a bigger plan. That evil was used for God’s good will.
Hebrews 3:12-13- 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
We are all in this together, and we are instructed to help one another avoid sin. Part of doing this is resolving conflicts when they arise.
James 2:14- 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
It’s not good to just say we are Christian, we need to act like Christians. Followers of Christ strive to be like Christ, and therefore must forgive as He forgives.
James 4:12- 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
We have no place in judging others, as we are all sinners. Therefore there is nothing we shouldn’t forgive. None of us is better than the other. It is simply through the grace of God that some of us, at times, feel better than others. It’s God, not us. Therefore, we should leave judgment to Him but offer a helping hand to those struggling with sin, while remembering that we too, are struggling with sin.
Jeremiah 17:9- 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
We need to be in prayer that the Lord will show us where we need to forgive, because our hearts can be deceitful. Only the Lord can understand what is truly in our hearts. Allow Him to reveal it to us in order to truly grow in Him.
John 8:34- 34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
Well this has 2 points that I see. 1. We all sin, so we’re all slaves to sin. Which is why we shouldn’t judge. 2. When we have a grudge in our hearts we are a slave to that grudge, when we should be a slave to our Lord. We must rid ourselves of that grudge to truly follow Jesus.
Luke 23:34a- 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
This one is huge, when you have conflict with an unbeliever. Someone who is not Christian, doesn’t yet understand most right from wrong. They simply know what society has taught them. They do not yet have the grace of God in them. This is sometimes easy to forget when we are wronged by unbelievers and they don’t feel they have done anything wrong. But we are to follow Jesus if we are followers of Him, and so we must forgive those who don’t even think they have wronged us. “They know not what they do.” I don’t imagine that those men asked his forgiveness, or even had remorse, but never-the-less Jesus prayed to His Father to forgive them. We should do the same.
Luke 6:36- 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Once again we need to be imitators of our Father in heaven. An example has been given through the life of Jesus, who was so merciful, he gave his life for us in a very painful way.
Mark 11:25- 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
The word is a 2 edge sword that pierces deep!! Hebrews 4:12 You can say that again! This verse is hard for me. I have to resolve my conflicts, and really forgive the people who have hurt me, before He will forgive me. I have a lot of soul searching to do, because I know I have grudges.
Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! 23This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like: One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. 24As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins. 25But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.
26The official got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!" 27The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.
28As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, "Pay me what you owe!"
29The man got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you back." 30But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.
31When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened. 32The king called the first official back in and said, "You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. 33Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?" 34The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed. 35That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.
Matthew 5:7- 7 God blesses those people who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy!
Matthew 6:12-15- 12 Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. 13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil. 14 If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. 15 But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 9:36- 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Without Jesus we are like sheep without a shepherd. Lost, confused, and helpless. We cannot go through the process of true forgiveness without Him. Also, He didn’t judge unbelievers, he felt sorrow and compassion for them.
Micah 6:8- 8 The LORD God has told us what is right and what he demands: "See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God."
Mercy(forgiveness), is to be our first concern.
Proverbs 16:18- 18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Remember that you are possibly at wrong as well. Also remember that you cannot assume you wouldn’t have made the same mistake as your oppressor.
Romans 12:19- Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
We are not suppose to seek revenge when people do us wrong. We can rest knowing that proper justice will be served when the Lord sees fit. It’s not our job.
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