FORGIVE AS CHRIST
What kind of speech did the Savior exemplify? What did he
teach about passing judgment (which includes all forms of criticism, gossip or
speaking ill of others)? How can you change the way you speak to emulate the
Saviors example?
Luke 23:34
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John 8:11
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Ephesians 4:32
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Colossians 3:13
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Luke 5:20
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Luke 7:48
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D&C 110:5
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Matthew 18:21-22
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D&C 64:9-10
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Matthew 6:14-15
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Acts 8:22
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Hebrews 8:12
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Moroni 6:8
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D&C 95:1
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FORGIVE AS CHRIST QUOTES
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES
Romans 2:1-3
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Judge not
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Psalms 75:7
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God is the judge
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THE EXAMPLE OF THE SAVIOR
“We have the supreme example of fortitude, kindness, charity and
forgiveness in him who set the perfect example, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who
commands us all to follow. All his life he had been the victim of ugliness. As
a newborn infant he had been spirited away to save his life at the instruction
of an angel in a dream, and had been taken to Egypt. At the end of a hectic
life he had stood in quiet, restrained, divine dignity, while evil men spat
foul, disease germ-ridden spittle in his face… What composure he showed! What
control! They pushed him around and jostled him and buffeted him. Not an angry
word escaped his lips. What mastery of self! They slapped him in his face and
on his body. What humiliation! How painful! Yet he stood resolute unintimidated.
Literally did he follow his own admonition when he turned his other cheek so
that it too could be slapped and smitten. His own disciples had forsaken him
and fled. In such a difficult position, he met the rabble and their leaders. He
stood alone at the mercy of his brutal, criminal assailants and vilifiers.
Words, too, are hard to take. Incriminations and recriminations and their
blasphemy of things, persons, places and situations sacred to him must have
been hard to take. They called his own sweet innocent mother a fornicator, yet
he stood his ground, never faltering. No cringing, no denials, no rebuttals.
When false, mercenary witnesses were paid to lie about him, he seemed not to
condemn them. They twisted his words and misinterpreted his meanings, yet he
was calm and unflustered. Had he not be taught to pray for them ‘which
despitefully use you”? He was beaten, officially scourged. He wore a crown of
thorns, a wicked torture. He was mocked and jeered. He suffered every indignity
at the hands of his own people. ‘I came unto my own,” he said, “and my own
received me not.” He was required to carry his own cross, taken to the mount of
Calvary, nailed to a cross, and suffered excruciating pain. Finally, with the
soldiers and his accusers down below him, he looked upon the Roman soldiers and
said these immortal words: “Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do.”[1]
ANTICAPATORY FORGIVENESS
“We will be on the receiving end of hurtful remarks or actions
countless times throughout our lives. Deciding ahead of time to forgive those
who intentionally or unintentionally hurt us empowers us to move forward
without bitterness or pain.”[2]
“When we believe or say that we
have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected.
And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do
occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take
offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you
or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is
fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition
inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. . . . You and I
cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we do
determine how we will act. Please remember that you and I are agents endowed
with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended”[3]
“We cannot become sons and daughters of God without being able to
forgive without limitation… Once we have set our minds on forgiving, spiritual
gifts are unleashed to aid us.”[4]
“A spirit of forgiveness and an attitude of love and compassion toward
those who may have wronged us is of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.”[5]
“The blessings that flow from the gift of forgiveness are many. Chief
among them is peace. … The forgiveness we offer to others and the forgiveness
we receive from Jesus Christ lead us to Him and along the path to eternal
life.”[6]
“Anticipatory forgiveness has helped me to relieve, and in some cases
remove, that burden in my life. Instead of nurturing those feelings during
times of conflict, my mind is now focused on listening to the other person and
objectively looking at other issues that might be contributing to the conflict.
In some ways, forgiveness has already occurred on my part, and I am ready to
reconcile and move on. It’s like putting on sunblock before going into the sun.
The healing balm of forgiveness takes the sting out of the conflict and the
hurt, and even soothes the pain.”[7]
JUDGE NOT
“Forgiveness is
better than revenge; for forgiveness is the sign of a gentle nature, but
revenge the sign of a savage nature.”[8]
“Let us not hurt the ones we love the most by selfish criticism! ... We
must “make full haste” to reduce arguments, eliminate ridicule, do away with
criticism, and remove resentment and anger. We cannot afford to let such
dangerous passions ruminate—not even one day.”[9]
“The Lord will judge with the same measurements meted out by us. If we
are harsh, we should not expect other than harshness. If we are merciful with
those who injure us, he will be merciful with us in our errors. If we are
unforgiving, he will leave us weltering in our own sins.”[10]
“Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see.
Who am I to judge another?
Lord, I would follow thee.”[11]
“We have no need to judge most of the people we meet. When we must
judge to some extent, as in choosing friends, we should not “write people off”
with negative labels such as “no good,” “worthless,” “wicked,” “immoral,” or
“dishonest.” There is good in everyone, and to see only the bad is both unjust
and foolish. It is unrighteous judgment.”[12]
“Some hold grudges for a lifetime, unaware that courageously forgiving
those who have wronged us is wholesome and therapeutic.”[13]
FORGIVENESS: A COMMANDMENT
“A common error is
the idea that the offender must apologize and humble himself to the dust before
forgiveness is required. Certainly, the one who does the injury should totally
make his adjustment, but as for the offended one, he must forgive the offender
regardless of the attitude of the other.”[14]
“To be in the right we must forgive, and we must do so without regard
to whether or not our antagonist repents, or how sincere is his transformation,
or whether or not he asks our forgiveness.”[15]
“Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They
are forgiven. And they forgive.”[18]
IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE
“To forgive is a divine attribute. It is to pardon or excuse someone
from blame for an offense or misdeed. The scriptures refer to forgiveness in
two ways. The Lord commands us to repent of our sins and seek His forgiveness.
He also commands us to forgive those who offend or hurt us.”
“If this spirit of kindly, tender-hearted forgiveness of one another
could be carried into every home, selfishness, distrust and bitterness which
break so many homes and families would disappear and men would live in peace.”[19]
“Forgiving ourselves and others is not easy. In fact, for most of us it
requires a major change in our attitude and way of thinking—even a change of
heart. But there is good news. This “mighty change” of heart is exactly what
the gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to bring into our lives. How is it done?
Through the love of God.”[20]
“It can be very difficult to forgive someone the harm they’ve done us,
but when we do, we open ourselves up to a better future. No longer does someone
else’s wrongdoing control our course. When we forgive others, it frees us to
choose how we will live our own lives. Forgiveness means that problems of the
past no longer dictate our destinies, and we can focus on the future with God’s
love in our hearts.”[21]
BLESSINGS THAT COME FROM FORGIVING OTHERS
“One of the glorious aspects of the principles of forgiveness is the
purifying and ennobling effects its application has upon the personality and
character of the forgiver. Someone wisely said, ‘He who has not forgiven a
wrong or an injury has not yet tasted one of the sublime enjoyments of life.’
The human soul seldom rises to such heights of strength and nobility as when it
removes all resentments and forgives errors and malice.”[22]
“My dear brothers and sisters, consider the following questions as a
self-test:
·
Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?
·
Do you gossip, even when what you say may be
true?
·
Do you exclude, push away, or punish others
because of something they have done?
·
Do you secretly envy another?
·
Do you wish to cause harm to someone?
If you answered yes to any of these questions,
you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it!”
you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it!”
WHAT
THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT FORGIVENESS
The following list is taken from a brochure on forgiveness.
·
Only through forgiveness can healing begin.
·
Forgiveness exists because sin exists.
·
Forgiveness courageously faces sin and evil.
·
God’s forgiveness demands that we step over the
wounded part of our heart that feels hurt and wronged and that wants to stay in
control and put a few conditions between us and the one whom we are asked to
forgive.
·
God entrusts us with the responsibility and
privilege to mirror his love by forgiving those who sin against us.
·
God wants his forgiven people to be forgivers.
·
God allows no excuse for withholding forgiveness
from others.
·
Resentment is like a glass of poison that a man
drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die.
·
Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone
free and realizing you were the prisoner.
·
Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.
·
Self-righteousness will breed an unforgiving
heart, but through humility we can learn to extend mercy to others.
·
Forgiveness stretches out over time, but you
have to start out with the will to forgive. But the bitterness may reenter your
mind from time to time, and then you have to think about forgiveness again.
·
By the power of God’s spirit in us, through
prayer, God can miraculously change our hatred into love.
·
When we trust God we will be surprised at the
good he will bring out of a bad situation.
FORGIVE AS CHRIST - ADDITIONAL NOTES
[1]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness,
279-80
[2]
A Dean Byrd, Anticipating the Need to Forgive, Ensign, Sep 2011
[3]
David A Bednar, Ensign, Nov. 2006,
90–91
[4]
Larry Barkdull, Rescuing Wayward Children, p. 181
[5]
Gordon B. Hinckley, Of You It Is
Required to Forgive, Ensign, June 1991
[6]
Cecil O. Samuelson Jr, Words of
Jesus: Forgiveness, Ensign, Feb. 2003
[7]
A Dean Byrd, Anticipating the Need to Forgive, Ensign, Sep 2011
[8]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 277
[9]
David E Sorensen, Forgiveness Will Change Bitterness to Love, Ensign, May 2003
[10]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 267
[11]
“Lord, I Would Follow Thee,” Hymns, no. 220
[12]
Questions and Answers, New Era, Nov 1989
[13]
James E Faust, The Healing Power of
Forgiveness, Ensign, May 2007
[14]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 282
[15]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 283
[16]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 269
[17]
Dieter F Uchtdorf, Ensign, May 2012,
The Merciful May Obtain Mercy
[18]
Dieter F Uchtdorf, Ensign, May 2012,
The Merciful May Obtain Mercy
[19]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 298
[20]
Dieter F Uchtdorf, Ensign, May 2012,
The Merciful May Obtain Mercy
[21]
David E Sorensen, Forgiveness Will
Change Bitterness to Love, Ensign, May 2003
[22]
Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness,
266
[23]
See D&C 64:10
[24]
Richard G. Scott, Healing the Tragic
Scars of Abuse, Ensign, May 1992
[25]
Name Withheld, Finding Peace Through Forgiveness, Ensign, June 2012
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