Receiving and giving forgiveness is the same thing.
Matthew 18:35
35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
This means that if you don’t forgive others, you can’t receive forgiveness.
Committing sin causes pain in someone else’s life. Forgiveness needs to take place between you and God but also between you and those you’ve hurt. True repentance and forgiveness brings healing.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Most people think that when you sin and you receive forgiveness from God, that everything is OK. But Jesus taught that when you commit sin, you must go to your brother or sister that you have hurt. Then you need to go to God.
When you go to people to ask their forgiveness, it really shows that your heart has changed. It’s easy to go directly to God because you know that He already knows. But going to someone else is difficult. But if you don’t take care of your relationship with that person and ask for their forgiveness, God won’t even accept your offering to Him.
Before you give your offering, if you have sinned against a brother or sister, go to them first and take care of your heart. Then, after that, come and give your offering to God.
Matthew 5:23-24
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Sometimes you ask someone to forgive you but they refuse. That is a different story.
John 13:1
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
Jesus loved His disciples to the end. That is what we need to do.
God bless you,
Pastor Sun Hui East
Read other posts in the “Forgiveness” Series:
Forgiveness is Stable
Forgiveness is the Action of Love
Forgiveness isn’t Measured
Giving and Receiving Forgiveness
It does make sense that we need to go to people to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness (as well as going to the Lord). That’s tough though…