How Do Biblical Adults Forgive?

Discussion Questions:

• What is forgiveness?
• Is forgiveness important?
• Who does forgiveness benefit?
  • What about when the offender has gone away?
• How do we know we’ve achieved it?
• What is the difference between Forgiveness and Trust?

Related Scriptures:

• Matthew 18:21-35
  • “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’
    Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
    ‘Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As be began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
    ‘At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
    ‘But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
    ‘His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
    ‘But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
    ‘Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
    ‘This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.'”
• Matthew 6:14-15 (Forgiveness is a reflection of heart condition)
  • “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”
• Mark 11:23-25
  • “‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.'”
• Luke 6:37
  • “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
• Luke 17:3-4
  • “‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.'”
    • Notice the command to rebuke as well as forgive. What does that look like in application?
• Colossians 3:13
  • “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
• 1 John 1:9
  • “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Further Discussion:

• Who does forgiveness benefit?
• What does the action of Forgiveness entail?
  • F- Find the hurt
  • A- Acknowledge it
  • L- Lay it at the feet of Jesus
  • L- Leave it there
• When should we forgive?
• Can a person forgive God?
  • Why or why not?
  • If yes, what would that look like?
• Why do we need to forgive?
  • Forgiveness is vital to avoid bitterness
  • Bitterness is at odds with every fruit of the spirit
    • Galatians 5:22-23
• Who do you need to forgive?
  • How might bitterness be affecting your life?