The Consequences of Not Forgiving: Five Progressive Steps

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Stephen Nielsen

D. L. Moody, in his book, Prevailing prayer, said, “…When you go into the door of God’s kingdom, you go in through the door of forgiveness…If we are unwilling to forgive others, God cannot forgive us.” Consequently, if He doesn’t forgive us of sins, then they remain with us to create havoc on our body and soul. We will discuss now that havoc in five progressive steps:

1. Fellowship with God is lost. My relationship with God depends on my relationship with others. For His love for us and for our neighbors cannot be separated. He loves us all the same, and He loves the whole world (Jn. 3:16). Therefore, when we refuse to love and forgive a person whom He loves and forgives, we are cutting ourselves off from His flow of love and forgiveness to us (Matt. 6:15), because we in a sense are…

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Forgiving Our Offenders: What It Should Look Like, 6 Points

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Stephen Nielsen

Prayer A to Z

Our forgiveness of others should look actually the same as God’s forgiveness to us (look at my post right before this one—Understanding God’s Forgiveness). There should be no difference; forgiveness is forgiveness. Of course, since we are human, our forgiveness will not be as complete as His is; however, the nature of our forgiveness and its aim should be exactly like His in every way. So as we plan to forgive others we must endeavor to make our forgiveness as His. He has set the example and the standard for us. Now here are six aspects or parts of forgiveness, which taken together, will help you to see the big picture of what it should look like.

1. It is confrontational. First of all, we must understand that though we should always unconditionally love our offender (as God has loved us), we should never offer…

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Understanding God’s Forgiveness: 5 points

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Stephen Nielsen

Prayer A to Z

Here’s another post from my book Prayer A to Z.

1. His forgiveness is rooted in His unconditional love. Though God does not always forgive everyone—He forgives only those who will repent of their sins—He does love everyone unconditionally. And that unconditional love is what draws sinners to repent so that He can forgive them. Thus, forgiveness is always contingent on repentance; but that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t always love us. He has always loved us and He always will, because that is His nature; God is love; it comes out of His own righteous and merciful character (Titus 3:4). God loves the whole world and He desires all to repent so that He can forgive them (2 Pet. 3:9).

2. His forgiveness was costly for Him. God purchased our forgiveness by the blood of His own son Jesus. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him [Jesus] we have…

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Jesus and the Pharisees: John 8:3-11

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Stephen Nielsen

This is our thirty-fourth study. Please click HERE for an introduction to this study.

John 8:3-11
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Observations

The Pharisees knew that Jesus was merciful to such women, and so they tried to trap Him into doing something contrary to the law. But Jesus turned the tables on them. He appealed to their conscience, to their own sin. He got them to look at their own sin. Suddenly, they had no interest in condemning her.

Application

Jesus here by taking away her witnesses automatically frees her from the law (since the law says that in order to condemn someone there must be at least two witnesses). He forgives her and sets her on a new life without sin.