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What the
bible says about forgiveness:
A
man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the
share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father
divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his
belongings and set off to a distant country where he
squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck
that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired
himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his
farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the
pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming
to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired
workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I,
dying from hunger.
I
shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no
longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would
treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went
back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his
father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said
to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his
father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe
and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on
his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let
us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was
dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been
found.' Then the celebration began. Now the older son had
been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the
house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called
one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him, 'Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him
back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter
the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his
father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once
did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat
to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed
up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the
fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me
always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and
rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.' Lk 15:11-32
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one
owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave
it for both. Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose
larger debt was forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged
rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do
you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me
water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped
them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased
kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head
with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her
many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But
the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves, "Who is this
who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you;
go in peace." Luke 7:41-50
"Therefore
I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will
receive it and it shall be yours.
When you
stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so
that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your
transgressions." Mk 11:24-25
For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous
for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put
to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit.
1 Peter 3:18
"If we
acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our
sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. "
1 John 1:9
He
was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his
disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught
his disciples."
He
said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us
each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we
ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to
the final test."
And he
said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at
midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a
friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have
nothing to offer him,'
and he
says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already
been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get
up to give you anything.'
I tell
you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their
friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of
his persistence.
"And I
tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you.
For
everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What
father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
Or hand
him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you
then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to
those who ask him?" Luke 11:1-13
"You have
heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
But I say
to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes
you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone
wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as
well.
Should
anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two
miles.
Give to
the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants
to borrow.
"You
have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate
your enemy.'
But I say
to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,
that you
may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise
on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the
unjust.
For if you
love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the
tax collectors do the same?
And if you
greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the
pagans do the same?
So be
perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Mat 5:38-48
"If you
forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will
forgive you.
But if you
do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your
transgressions." Mat 6:14-15
"But to
you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you,
bless
those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the
person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your
tunic.
Give to
everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours
do not demand it back.
Do to
others as you would have them do to you.
For if you
love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners
love those who love them.
And if you
do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you
lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is)
that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same
amount.
But
rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting
nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be
children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful
and the wicked.
Be
merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful.
"Stop
judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not
be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and
gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken
down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure
with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."
Lk 6:27-38
Then Peter
approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how
often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus
answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is
why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to
settle accounts with his servants.
When
he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed
him a huge amount.
Since he
had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment
of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and
said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved
with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave
him the loan.
When that
servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him,
demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to
his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I
will pay you back.'
But he
refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the
debt.
Now when
his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply
disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I
forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you
not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?'
Then in
anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should
pay back the whole debt.
So
will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his
brother from his heart." Mat 18:21-35
Put on
then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one
another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against
another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over
all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.
Col 3:12-14
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