COLOSSIANS 3:13

“bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.”

Forgiveness! This is probably the top personal relationship issue that brings Christian growth to a halt or pushes one’s growth to higher levels. Forgiving someone is not an option. It’s a command. We are expected to forgive others when they do us wrong – even if they don’t realize they have harmed us. I’ve had to deal with this. I am sure you have as well.

Paul is continuing his thought from verse 12 (take a sec and review that verse). In verse 13, he addresses the issue of forgiveness. It is important to note that the two verbs in this verse – “bearing with” and “forgiving” are actually participles tied back to the main verb in verse 12 which is “put on.” In other words, to be able to bear with someone or forgive someone you must first have put on this new heart Paul talks about.

APPLICATION

As I read Albert Barnes’ words on forgiveness on this verse, I felt I needed to share his words in entirety. So, here they are:

“If any man have a quarrel against any – Margin, ‘or complaint.’ The word used here – μομφή momphē – occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, ‘fault found, blame, censure;’ and here denotes occasion of complaint. The idea is, that if another one has given us just occasion of complaint, we are to forgive him; that is, we are:

(1) to harbor no malice against him;

(2) we are to be ready to do him good as if he had not given us occasion of complaint;

(3) we are to be willing to declare that we forgive him when be asks it; and,

(4) we are always afterward to treat him as kindly as if he had not injured us – as God treats us when he forgives us; see the notes at Matthew 18:21.

Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye – Learn here that Christ has power to forgive sin; compare the Matthew 9:6 note; Acts 5:31 note. Christ forgave us:

(1) freely – he did not hesitate or delay when we asked him;

(2) entirely – he pardoned all our offences;

(3) forever – he did it so as to remember our sins no more, and to treat us ever onward as if we had not sinned.

So we should forgive an offending brother.”

Wow! No way to say that better. Forgive each other! Bear with each other! Just as Christ forgave you, forgive them. And that means we must die – die to our rights, die to our emotions, die to our self! Can you do that today?

Forgiveness can be hard, Lord. Give me the ability today to forgive those who have wronged me and those who even refuse to offer me forgiveness.