Colossians 3:13 and a Lesson on Forgiveness

by Teresa^(1,655) Bronze Star

Do you ever feel like you have done something so bad, that you believe God would never forgive you? Or maybe you have been hurt so bad that you do not think that you should have to forgive the person who has wronged you?

I believe if we were honest with ourselves we would all admit to being in one of these two places at one time or another. Yet as a believer, neither is a good place to be.

Let’s consider King David for the next few moments; he didn't do everything right. In fact the books of 1st & 2nd Samuel record quite a bit of his life. There are two stories that we can learn from today: His personal sin and choices including the consequences, and the sin committed against him and his response.

READ 2 Sam 11:1-5. David makes 3 mistakes right off the bat. First, he did not turn away when he saw Bathsheba. Secondly, he didn't stop pursuing her when he found out she was married and thirdly, he committed adultery. David's weakness was certainly exposed in this situation. So what happens next? She gets pregnant. Instead of confessing his sin, he tries to cover it up. (Can anyone relate?)

David goes down a path that I am convinced he didn’t intend on going. He ultimately has Bathsheba's husband killed. This is a lesson for us to take to heart. Unconfessed sin will always lead us further down the wrong path and we will make one bad decision after the next. Until we find ourselves in a place we never dreamed we'd be.

So we see that David is a: weak man when it comes to women, he is liar, he is an adulterer, and a murderer. And why does this story encourage me?? God actually forgives David! Later in the story we see that God used Nathan the Prophet to help David see his sin. Once David was forced to look at his situation, he acknowledged his sin before God. He repented and was renewed in spirit and was restored to a right relationship with God. However, David and Bathsheba had to deal with their consequences. The price of their sin was high. Yet God in His mercy still forgave. This is important for us to know. God does not punish us for our sin, but we do have to deal with the natural consequences as a result of that sin.

But we have this confidence: No matter what we have done, if we acknowledge our sin and we confess and seek God's forgiveness we know we have it.

1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This means complete forgiveness. There is nothing we need to do to make up for the bad we did. Except to make the choice of true repentance and never go that way again.

Like I said, I am encouraged. If David is forgiven for those things, then I know I am forgiven for what I have done. No wonder they call the Gospel good news!!

Now this is the part that is not as exciting. You know - the part that says we must do the same...

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put way from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you.

Then there is Colossians 3:13 -

"...bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."

These passages don't only mean forgive because we are forgiven. They mean just like - or in the same manner as God forgives. How does God forgive? His is a perfect forgiveness; 100%, keeping no record of wrong, treating us as if we never sinned in the first place. This is great when we are the receiver, but sometimes hard when we need to be the giver.

Do you have something that you are hanging on to? Something you can't let go of? I pray that the following example of David will encourage you to forgive. In all fairness, I know some things are difficult and the pain is deep so I do not say this lightly. However, a step in the right direction would be to be willing to forgive and then ask the Lord to give you the grace to do so.

Consider the following passage before we look at David's life:

2 Peter 1:5-10 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self -control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

So we have seen how David has been forgiven, let's see how he appropriates this in his life.

If we read on in 2 Samuel, chapter 13, we see the story of David's two sons, Absalom and Amnon. (Another result of having more than one wife) The Scripture tells us that Amnon raped Absalom's sister. (Ammon's half sister.) This led to Absalom's hate for Ammon and eventually Absalom murders Ammon. (Another example of what anger, unrepentance and unforgiveness can lead to)

Let's recap:

David has now lost one son who was murdered by his other son and his daughter was raped by her half brother. Talk about a dysfunctional family!!! Obviously David is grieved. As we read on into chapter 14, we see that David didn't have any communication with Absalom for two years after this happened.

I see verse 33 as the most encouraging example of forgiveness when it comes to person to person:

2 Samuel 14:33 “So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed him.

I often wonder if David played back the scene with Nathan the prophet while all this was going on - remembering that he too did some slimy things. I wonder if his remembrance of the forgiveness he received played a big part in his ability to give forgiveness as well.

As Christians, when we find our selves unable to forgive, we must remember that we have been forgiven. Think about all the pain we have put Jesus through. He chose to give up everything on our behalf. When we understand the depth of our sin, we should be quick to forgive. Have you ever wondered if you are growing into a spiritually mature person? This is one way to measure your growth.

If you are reading this article as a non-Christian, I pray that you have a better understanding of God’s grace. If you have been wondering if you have gone to far, be assured you haven’t – take a step toward God today

What does it take to receive forgiveness? It takes a simple prayer with a sincere heart. Be honest. Prayer is just conversation with God. Tell Him you need His forgiveness and that you want to be the person God created you to be. God will receive us just the way we are, but in His incredible love for us, he will not leave us the way we are. Psalm 51 is a wonderful example of a prayer of repentance. Read it, pray it, and be free.

Article submitted Monday, September 14, 2009 & read 529 times.

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» left by leon from chicago (2 years 146 days ago.)

youre mixing up the messages in the new and old testaments,again;Although David was,in the eyes of the new testament, a crass sinner,despite that,God,of the old testament, saw him as a very highly favored son of israel and bestowed upon him the unparalled historical honors that the jewish people ,today ,still highly revere.As a further example,the old testament teaches,An eye for an eye , which in the new testament evolved into a premise focused on forgiveness.Youre mixing oil and water which never mixes and really,by all means, shouldnt.
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» left by Anonymous (2 years 146 days ago.)

Hi Leon, thank you for reading and for your comment. I did not mean to imply David was not a godly man. My goodness he was called a man after God's own heart. This is why David is such an encouragement. But the New testament tells us that everything in the old testament is there for our learning and example of what to do and what not to do. The very fact that God considers David a man after his own heart is why I used him in this lesson. Too many people are left feeling hopeless over their sin and not only that, too many people think they do not have to forgive others.

I believe that the Old testament and the New testament compliment eachother very well and that God gave both of them to us as His complete story. I don't believe we can completely understand the message of Grace without having the old testament and learning the value of the old testment sacrificial law that is a picture of what the Messiah would come to do as He is the Lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world. As it says in the old testament and the new testament - without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

I do not believe the new testament causes David to appear as a crass sinner at all. I believe it shows him as a great man of God despite his human weaknesses and he is a man of God that brings hope to every person because it shows us that we can have an intimate relationship with our heavenly father despite our weaknesses just as David and many of the Old testament saints did.

I also believe that if Jesus and the apostles regularly connected the old and new testaments, then we should follow in their footsteps as Believers in the Yahweh - the God of all creation, who is the One and Only God.

Many Blessings to you! Again, thanks for the comment. Teresa

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» left by leon (2 years 146 days ago.)

Jesus and the apostles regularly connected the old testament ,because Jesus and his followers were Jews; the first Christians,many many years later were also Jews;we dont have that inflexibility now that christians have a NEWER and far better testament

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» left by Anonymous (2 years 146 days ago.)

Very true, However the writers of the new testament were speaking to Jewish and Gentile christians and it is in the book of Romans (gentile believers) that he said the Old testament is there for our example. New Testament christians must understand the old testament and vice versa - remember in Ephesians Paul is teaching the church in ephesus that the death and resurrection of Jesus is what tore down the wall of division between the jews and gentiles and that in christ, there is neither jew nor gentile. Also, in romans we are told the gentile believers are grafted in the vine. The book of Hebrews tell us that the New testament is a new covenant, we are no longer under the law of the old. But that does not negate the value of the lessons taught in the old testament. As you know, Paul, being a Jewish Christian was the apostle to the Gentile believers and he continually used the Old testament to validate the New Testament. Not only to show the Jews that God is the Savior of the gentiles, but also to show the gentiles that we are no better than the Jewish believers. In fact, Paul strongly admonished the Christians not to get to haughty in placing themselves over the Jews because we are grafted in and can easily be cut off again.

But most importantly, Jesus prayed for those who would believe later, that they would follow his example and also Paul tells all believers to follow his.

I cannot imagine following Jesus and serving him without knowing the Old Testament. To think about the sacricficial system of the old testatment and then knowing how Jesus paid the price once and for all brings power to the testimony given to the Jewish believers in the book of Hebrews.

I am courious, what exactly to you believe about the new testament then, do you believe it is not for Jewish believers? I am a little confused. Are you are Christian? If so, what exactly do you believe? Thanks for your time. blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by Lance Ponder⁽⁹⁰⁾ (2 years 146 days ago.)

You've made some interesting points. I think the most significant thing, which Teresa did a fine job addressing already, is the continuity between the old and new testaments. Many modern Christians do not understand how tightly woven are these two great works. They also often fail to grasp how the character of God is completely consistent through time, from Genesis to Revelation. James spoke of the consistency of God when he said with God there is no variation in God's character (Jas 1:17). Heb 13:8 likewise indicates Christ is unchanging. The Torah (the "teaching"), often called simly the Law, is perfect. Both testaments agree (Ps 19:1, Ro 7:12) on this. The fact that the law is perfect does not mean the law can make anyone perfect (Heb 7:19). Jesus was the ultimate expression of the God's Law in human form. The perfect law (expression of character of God: holy, just, true, etc) was fulfilled in the person Jesus Christ. It does not nullify the Law, it met the Law. If you do not understand the unity of Jesus and the Father, it is difficult to grasp the unity of scriptures written before and after the life of Christ.

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» left by Marijo Phelps from mountain meadow CO (2 years 146 days ago.)

Dynamite - He shows us by example. SO much to learn.

I have once heard it explained that forgiveness is a principle - if it isn't working on a horizontal lvevl with our relationships with others it isn't working vertically in our relationship with God. Not that He is being vendictive or punative - sort of like the house with the electricity turned off. It is just not working.

Would love to see more study on this - "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" (and if AS there means "in the same manner.... Marijo
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» left by Teresa^(1,655) (2 years 145 days ago.)

Thank you Marijo, we do have much to learn - so we will keep plugging away.

I do have another study on forgiveness. I will put it together it has to do with the the Scripture you quoted and also, "if you do not forgive, neither will your father in heaven forgive" Thanks for the encouragement. We do need forgiveness - for many reasons.

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» left by Lydia Najera from Spangle, Washington (2 years 146 days ago.)

Teresa thank you so much! words can not express what I feel when I read your atricles. I have so much to learn and I feel that God has put you back in my life so that i will be able to learn them. Love you Lyida
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» left by Teresa^(1,655) (2 years 145 days ago.)

Hi Lydia, I am glad this helped you. I am thanking and praising God that He has brought us back together after all these years! He is good. Your zeal is contagious and I am blessed by it. I'll call you tonight. Love, Teresa

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» left by Lance Ponder⁽⁹⁰⁾ (2 years 145 days ago.)

I would like to "ditto" Marijo and Lydia. I replied to Leon, but failed to mention how wonderful the post itself is. It is very thoughtful and complete in conveying its intended message. In the last several days the subject of forgiveness has been at the forefront of my thoughts. I haven't written much about it, but it has been like a light bulb coming on. I tend to get very wrapped up in whatever I'm working on at the moment. What I realized when I got interrupted by Forgiveness is that forgiveness is a profoundly significant form of love. The need for Jesus to come as a man and his justification for forgiveness are difficult to articulate properly, but the message of forgiveness is the key, the ball on which our eyes should rest, and I appreciate your eloquence on this topic. Thank you, Teresa.
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» left by Teresa^(1,655) (2 years 145 days ago.)

Hi Lance, I appreciate your response to Leon and thanks so much for this comment as well. I am glad it "interupted" your thoughts :-)

You are so right - the message of the cross boils down to Forgiveness which is the extention and very reflection of the love of God. Going all the way back to the Garden. Maybe I will continue the series, or better yet, we can hear more from you on the subject. I am blessed by your statements here :-)

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» left by Edward Rhymes (2 years 143 days ago.)

Yes, my sister, when God scans His all-seeing eyes over the span of our lives, we can only say "have mercy." Consciousness of own sins and failures SHOULD make it easier for us to forgive others. Thanks for writing this Sister. GOD BLESS YOU.
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» left by Verna Mull from Greene, Iowa (2 years 143 days ago.)

Teresa, this is a wonderful article, and so needed by many who are now serving the Lord with many regrets. The piece is really well done. Thank, you
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