Tag Archives: believe

Forgiving the Inexcusable

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – How can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night “Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.

– excerpt from Essay on Forgiveness by C. S. Lewis

Resource Bank for Further Study:

The Forgiving Nature of our King:

  • Nehemiah 9:16-17
  • Psalm 86:5
  • Isaiah 43:22-25
  • Romans 5:6-8

Empowerment to Forgive Others:

  • Ephesians 4:32
  • Colossians 3:13
  • Mark 11:25

Obligation to Forgive Others:

  • Matthew 6:9-15
  • Mark 11:25-26

Confronting & Reacting to Sins in Others:

  • Galatians 6:1-5
  • Matthew 18:15-17
  • Matthew 7:1-5
  • I Corinthians 5:9-13
  • II Corinthians 2:6-8

Questions for Consideration:

  1. Where does unforgiveness find its root based on James 3:14-16?
  2. What kind of person is justified before God based on Luke 18:9-14?
  3. According to God’s Word, how is my brain to be trained in order to live by the Spirit?
  4. How may I be forgiven?
  5. Do I really believe? Am I forfeiting forgiveness? On what evidence do I base my claim?
  6. What are the expectations of me? (Romans 8:12-13)
  7. What is my motivation for forgiving?
  8. How does my vertical relationship (with God) affect my horizontal relationships (marriage, kids, co-workers, etc.)?
  9. What is the key to actually forgiving the next chance I get?
  10. What changes are you going to make to live by the Spirit now?

Believe – to trust, rely upon, live by (far surpasses mere acknowledgement)

True or False: You’re OK If You Just Read Your Bible Everyday

false

10. List five scriptural references that emphasize the importance of being a “doer of the word.”

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. John 3:36

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12

… The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord. Jonah 2:8-9

Jesus replied, “if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. John 14:23-24

 

True or False: Eternal Life is Earned by Being a Good Person

false

2. Explain how a person can receive the gift of eternal life, citing at least three scripture references to support your explanation.

A person receives the gift of eternal life when they turn from their own ways and follow Christ.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming pages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because she has not received in the name of God one and only son. This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:16-21

 

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the Gospel. Colossians 1:21-23