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Forgive Them. IT IS FINISHED!

“It is finished!” are the last words of Jesus on the cross while still in a body like ours. He had already prayed for His attackers/torturers (and all mankind, including you and me), “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Jesus instructs us to pray the same way when He gave us the model for our prayers, “…and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) and even repeats it for emphasis immediately following. (vs. 14-15)

How is it possible to forgive heinous crimes against us, deep hurts and overwhelming loss? It’s not…by/in our own strength. (see Prayer Reminder re: bitterness) We must cry out to Jesus! It helps tremendously to shift our focus to the cross and His cry, “It is finished.”

Part of what happened as He said “It is finished!” is that my/your HUGE and unpayable debt of sin was paid in full; I/you owe nothing as repayment. This is described much more fully in an old Puritan prayer as, “atonement achieved, expiation completed, satisfaction made, guilt done away, my debt paid, my sins forgiven, my person redeemed, my soul saved, hell vanquished, heaven opened, eternity made mine.”*

So what about the debt owed to me by the wrongs, offenses, losses from others against me? Expiation completed – as I suffer and forgive in Jesus name, He has already more than repaid the debt owed me. I have already received much more than I am owed. (Ref. Matthew 5:11-12; 18:21-35; Mark 10:29-30)

I/you too can pray forgiveness like Stephen in Jesus’s name, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Acts 7:60 And when we do, we are truly free and can live ‘life abundant’.

*The Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennett p.57

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2 Comments

  1. 👍well said. But it certainly can be difficult when one hears about horrible things happening to people because of evil.