Self-Forgiveness

I’m sure we have all been to a church where the topic was forgiving others; forgive your mom, your brother, the ex, and the next. Forgiveness is mentioned in the Bible several times and includes verses such as Colossians 12-13 that states:

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. “

In this verse, the Bible teaches that we should be forgiving to each other just as God has forgiven us. The Bible also states in Matthew 18:21-22

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven”

So that verse teaches us that we should forgive that person over and over again when they have done wrong to us.
Forgiveness of others is important. When we hold grudges in our hearts for another person, we give them a certain control over us and our emotions. Learning to let go of that hurt can be difficult but it will only be rewarding to you physically, emotionally and spiritually.

How many times have you been to church where the topic was on Self- forgiveness? Many people do not believe that we need to forgive ourselves for the hurt we might have caused others, or the hurt we might have caused ourselves. Some believe that forgiving ourselves places us above God, who says in 1John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”

Therefore, if God will forgive us of the sins that we have committed, why would it be important to forgive our-selves?

On the other hand, many people suffer by holding on to the grudges, criticism and hurt they have caused themselves or others. With this, many people believe that healing begins after confessing our sins to God, accepting His forgiveness and allowing ourselves to forgive our-selves for the things we have done wrong.

What is your take on this topic? And what is your reasoning? Would love to hear from you all. Is it important to forgive ourselves? Or should we only forgive others and confess our sins so God can forgive us?

LU
Follow us on Twitter @LoveUnthorned
‘Like’ us on Facebook
loveunthorned.blogspot.com
Contact us to speak about us at your church at loveunthorned@gmail.com