Forgiveness

Where did the idea of forgive and forget come from? I always assumed it was a biblical idea. But I have become more and more convinced that it really isn’t at all. In fact, the biblical teaching on forgiveness is very different to what I originally thought.

In a lecture on the Psalms a lecturer discussed biblical forgiveness…

Forgiveness is not something that should just happen within yourself. It’s not the loving thing to do, to feel hurt by someone and then just forgive them in your heart without discusses it with them. For, what happens if you have it wrong? You are actually judging them. This means that the act of forgiveness becomes just about you and yourself.

So, there is actually no need for forgiveness unless the person realizes that they have wronged you. This does not mean its ok to harbor grudges etc, but maybe forgiveness is not always the appropriate thing to do. Forgiveness is not a personal activity, but something that happens between people.

I think maybe our view of forgiveness has become self-centered. Forgiveness is not about making yourself feel better and enabling you to move on. It is about love and restoring community. Because God forgave us, we should forgive others.