Forgiveness

*FORGIVE/*FORGIVENESS - also see MERCY, JUDGEMENT, SIN, HEAL, LOVE

My heart could have received and forgiven even more. Its love was infinite. If this is how God loves us all, that there is no such thing as hell, except in our minds. Because if even one broken and limited human being could experience forgiveness and acceptance of own self, then imagine what God can forgive and accept. (Eat, Pray, Love, p328)

Stopping the blame game is called forgiveness. Real forgiveness is a tough process (ie. facing evil squarely and saying it is wrong, but you still forgive them.) (p41) The reason to forgive is for our own sake, for our own health. If we hold on to our anger, we stop growing and our souls begin to shrivel. (p46) (Further)

See the web for Summary at end of the Lord's Prayer - The Lords Prayer tells us what God is, what man is, how the universe works, how we are to work, who our source is, how supply works, how to overcome life’s greatest difficulties through forgiveness, and how to glorify God.

See the web for Forgiveness: The key to the kingdom.

When we are in the midst of being hurt, that many of us are the least able to forgive. We would prefer to put a little distance between us and the pain before we are ready to even consider forgiving the other person. (p186) Forgiving empowers us by setting us free from the chains of bitterness, resentment, and anger. Never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God. (p197) Or with God's help we can choose the hard path of forgiveness that leads to freedom. (p213) (Prayer)

In the choice to forgive, we can escape all the pain and suffering of the world, we can bring healing to the hearts of others and we can be reunited with God. (p9) Forgiveness is the remedy for the effects of sin, releasing the sinner from his debt of punishment and guilt. Forgiveness is the choice of our own mind to awaken from the belief in sin and have that replaced by the experience of love. Forgiveness of others is the key to clearing away malignant citadel the ego has built inside of us. Forgiveness is to let go of hatred. We empty our minds of all darkness we see in another and all our limiting judgments of what he is. Forgiveness shows us the light of God within everyone and releases us into the joyous union of love. By simply changing our minds, by forgiving, we come to see a part of Heaven in everyone and everything we look upon. (p30-5) (ACIM Intro)

Relationships become classrooms in which we learn to forgive ourselves by forgiving others (holy relationships). Jesus is the greatest example to us in teaching this lesson of forgiveness. Increasingly, we realise that when people attack us through fear, they are really asking for our love. Thus we begin to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our world from the prison of the ego to a teaching device that will awaken us from the dream of separation and allow us to enter the real world of vision. With the reawakening in our mind of the knowledge of who we really are, we will walk this world in complete peace with an inner joy that nothing can take from us. We will now perceive everyone as our brothers and sisters whose reality is eternal spirit and to whom we extend the love of the Holy Spirit. (A Course in Miracles)

"Your Immortal Reality" talks a lot about what Jesus intended people to really learn from his teachings and a biggie was forgiveness. If you know anything at all about Jesus, you know he forgave EVERYBODY, no matter how grave the insult or physical violence. (Amazon, Reviews)

You cannot force yourself to forgive. Only when you understand what has happened can you have compassion for the other person and forgive them. That kind of forgiveness is the fruit of awareness. When you are mindful, you can see the many causes that led the other person to make you suffer. (Buddha, Christ, p86)

Gandhi says: It hath been said that the continuation of the species is due to man's being forgiving. Forgiveness is holiness; by forgiveness the universe is held together. Forgiveness is the might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of mind. If loss of life becomes necessary in a righteous battle, one should be prepared as Jesus, to shed his own, not others, blood. (Yogi, p448)

We must first recognize the difference between saying "I'm sory" and asking "Will you forgive me?" To ask for forgiveness is harder because it asks for a response from the other. You leave yourself vulnerable to whatever the other's response may be. You open up a reciprocal relationship. It begins to let the wound heal. (HJ, 2/22/97)

Without forgiveness, it is not possible to love. Lack of forgiveness restricts the flow of life. Holding on to grudges, anger, and resentment causes mental, emotional, and physical problems. When you forgive, you open to loving unconditionally. (Divine Rev, p149)

The church sponsored group was not offering forgiveness for his (drunkedness) deeds, whereas the AA group offered acceptance and forgiveness for being a flawed, incomplete, imperfect person. (How Good, p52)

Love and its expression in forgiveness - "Everything that came from Jesus' lips focused human awareness on the two most important facts about life: God's overwhelming love for humanity, and the need for people to accept that love and let it flow through them to others. (Huston Smith, The World's Religions, p326-7)" (Christianity, Wisdom, p241)

To error is human, to forgive is divine.

Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness. (Mk 3:29) because it attributes to Satan what is actually the work of the Holy Spirit, namely victory over the demons. (footnote in NAB)

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. (Matt 5:7)

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. (James 2:13)

Lord's Prayer - forgives us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us (Matt 6:12)

But if you do not forgive other others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. (Matt 6:15)

In the parable of "Unforgiving Servant" (Matt 18:23-35) Peter thought forgiving 7 times was being very generous because Rabbinic teaching was 3 times. Jesus reply is that there is no limit, seventy times seven (not literally). $5,000,000 vs $10. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart (Matt 18:35). We have been forgiven a debt which is beyond all paying - for the sin of man brought about the death of God's own Son, therefore we must forgive others as God has forgiven us, or we can hope to find no mercy. (Daily Study Bible, Matthew, p193-5)

The parable of the Unforgiving Servant warns us that the forgiveness granted to us by God will be revoked unless we are willing to forgive others. The unforgiving are excluded from God's mercy. Those who wish to receive God's mercy must show mercy towards others. (Collegeville Bible Commentary, Matthew, p78)

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) Jesus was not just referring to those who had crucified him, but to all of humankind. In thanksgiving for our being forgiven and being delivered from the forces that would destroy us, we human beings do well to aim toward forgiveness of others for their hurtful behavior. (Rev. Bartle, Church of Christ Uniting, PS 5/7/96)

Forgiveness of ourselves is where all forgiveness starts, because we can't love others if we don't first love ourselves. (Awakening, p167)

Saved people are both forgiven and forgiving. (KJV Parallel Bible Comm, p1933)

For God's forgiveness already given, we should do works as a token of thanks (Randy)

*UNFORGIVING

An example of unforgivingness at the national level is when Israel elected Benjamin Netanyahu their new Prime Minster (5/29/96) who was not as agressive as his opponent towards achieving peace. (Randy)

Unforgivable sins are: not forgiving others (Matt 18:21-35), thinking good is bad or bad as good (Mark 3:22-30), not repenting. (Randy)