EVIDENCE OF A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
"Then Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.' And having said this He breathed on [them] and said to them, 'Receive (admit) the Holy Spirit! [Now, having received the Holy Spirit and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.'" (John 20:21-23 AMP)
Do you want to see the evidence that someone is in Christ and Christ is in him or her? The proof is that he/she "forgives the sins of anyone." Forgiveness is the sign of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Not just the words, "I forgive," but, with deep devotion to God and concern for their fellow man, a person genuinely carries out forgiveness.
How do I forgive, you may ask. In the same way that Christ forgave you. The same way that Christ forgave us is this: (1) He realized and determined to do God's will; (2) He received the grace of God to forgive; (3) He took the sins of sinners upon Himself and the suffering it caused; (4) He did not seek to avenge Himself or shift the blame ; (5) He set them free from responsibility to Him for their sinful acts and entrusted them to God the Father; (6) He died so that He could give life.
Jesus said to His disciples, "If you want to be My disciples, you must deny your self, take up your cross and follow Me." It is hard, but not impossible, to deny yourself the right to retain the sin of another and seek vengeance. It is hard to take on yourself the sin (debt) of another, but, with God's grace, you can. It is hard to let go of your anger, unforgiveness and bitterness that you hold against someone who has dispitefully used you; but, you can, and must, if you would be like Jesus Christ and honor God. Think about it.
"Then Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.' And having said this He breathed on [them] and said to them, 'Receive (admit) the Holy Spirit! [Now, having received the Holy Spirit and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.'" (John 20:21-23 AMP)
Do you want to see the evidence that someone is in Christ and Christ is in him or her? The proof is that he/she "forgives the sins of anyone." Forgiveness is the sign of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Not just the words, "I forgive," but, with deep devotion to God and concern for their fellow man, a person genuinely carries out forgiveness.
How do I forgive, you may ask. In the same way that Christ forgave you. The same way that Christ forgave us is this: (1) He realized and determined to do God's will; (2) He received the grace of God to forgive; (3) He took the sins of sinners upon Himself and the suffering it caused; (4) He did not seek to avenge Himself or shift the blame ; (5) He set them free from responsibility to Him for their sinful acts and entrusted them to God the Father; (6) He died so that He could give life.
Jesus said to His disciples, "If you want to be My disciples, you must deny your self, take up your cross and follow Me." It is hard, but not impossible, to deny yourself the right to retain the sin of another and seek vengeance. It is hard to take on yourself the sin (debt) of another, but, with God's grace, you can. It is hard to let go of your anger, unforgiveness and bitterness that you hold against someone who has dispitefully used you; but, you can, and must, if you would be like Jesus Christ and honor God. Think about it.
© S.M. Hudson, Hidden Treasure Ministries, December 2003. All rights reserved.
Categories: forgiveness
