Genesis 46-48

Matthew 13:1-30

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

A tiny seed can grow into a mighty tree. The same thing is true when we let a little bit of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander remain in us, over time it can grow and lead us to sin. What then should we do to get rid of it then? Paul tells us the answer in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Forgiveness is the remedy to the growth of bitterness, anger and resentment.

The idea, the invitation and the command to forgive is pervasive throughout all of Scripture, particularly in the New Testament. There are two Greek words in Scripture that is translated into the English word “forgive.” The first is charizomai, which comes from the Greek word charis that means “grace, good will, loving-kindness, favour.” Charizomai appears in its different forms about 23 in the Greek New Testament and it means, “to bestow a favour unconditionally; to show one’s self gracious, kind, benevolent; or to grant forgiveness, to pardon.” For example, this word is used in Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

The second is aphiēmi, which means “to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit, to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person.” Aphiēmi appears about 146 times in the Greek New Testament, almost exclusively in the Gospels. For example, this word is used in Matthew 6:15, “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

The Christian dilemma, as broken people saved by a perfect God but living in an imperfect world, is that there will be times when we are going to experience conflict and tension, even in the context of Christian relationships—marriages, life groups, churches and the list goes on. May we take a moment to quiet ourselves, search our hearts and honestly ask: are we holding onto bitterness, anger and resentment towards anyone, towards God or maybe even towards ourselves?  

As Christian, forgiveness is not an option and not something that we should leave for another day. Going back to the second Greek word for “forgive,” we could interpret the meaning of aphiēmi as the journey in letting go of the anger or bitterness that might be festering in our hearts. Because of the grace that we received from God, who forgives us of our sins, may we seize the day and choose forgiveness, coming before Him and asking the Holy Spirit to help us to let go, to release, to forgive.

PRAYER: Gracious Heavenly Father, I have been hurt. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to help me to forgive as You have forgiven me. Thank You, Lord.