________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2.  How does David express the condition of the unforgiven sinner? Read Psalm 51: 2,7,10; 5; 8,11,12; 14.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

The Holman's Bible Dictionary gives the following information on Forgiveness in the Old Testament.  I quote the following information: "The primary means of obtaining forgiveness in the Old Testament is through the sacrificial system of the covenant relationship, which God established when He brought His people out of Egypt. The sacrificial system expressed the dynamics of the sinful human condition. The bringing of the sacrifice showed the sense of need; the laying of the hands on the living sacrifice symbolized identification of the person with the sacrifice, as did the releasing of the life of the animal through the sacrificial slaughter. Emphasis on an unblemished sacrifice stressed the holiness of God contrasted with human sinfulness. The forgiveness of God, channeled through the sacrificial offering, was an act of mercy freely bestowed by God, not purchased by the one bringing the offering".

3.  According to these Old Testament scriptures, what does God really want from us besides sacrificial offerings?

Isa. 1: 10-18_____________________________________________________

Jer. 7:21-26_________________________________________________________

Hos. 6:6__________________________________________________________

Amos 5: 21-27_____________________________________________________

4.  What does Hebrews 10: 1-4 have to say about the Old Testament sacrificial system?

________________________________________________________________

5.  According to Romans 3:25, and Heb. 10: 11-12, who is the perfect and final Sacrifice through which God's forgiveness is mediated to every person?  ______________

6.  According to the O. T., only God could forgive sins, yet Jesus declared that He could also forgive sins.  See Mark 2:1-12, and John 8: 2-11.  Jesus death was the fulfillment of the O.T. sacrificial system.

7.  Who was the unblemished sacrifice?  Read Isa. 53: 3-7. _________.  He was offered once for _________. Heb. 9:28.  for the ________of mankind. Heb. 9:14, Rom. 3:25, Acts 13: 38.

8.  Forgiveness is available for _______________who truly repents.  Luke 23: 39-43, John 8: 2-11, Acts 2: 36-39, 3: 13-19, 5:31.

9.  Jesus spoke of an unforgiveable sin.  What was it?  Matt. 12: 22-32, Mark 3: 22-30, Luke 12: 10

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

10. What condition is there for receiving God's forgiveness? Matt 6:12, Luke 11:4, Matt.18: 12-35, Matt 6: 15, and Eph. 4:32. _____________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Reasons people may have for not being forgiving:
1.  The offense was too great.
2.  He or she won't accept responsibility for the offense.
3.  He or she isn't truly sorry.
4.  He or she never asked to be forgiven - Are you going to withhold forgiveness until it is requested?  Read 1 Cor. 13: 5 and Ephesians 4:32.

What would God have us do?

_______________________________________________________________

5. He or she will do it again. Read Matt. 18: 21-22.  What did the Lord say here?

_____________________________________________________________

6.  He or she did it again.
7.  I don't like him or her.  Forgiveness is not of the emotions, but an act of our will.
8.  He or she did it deliberately.
9.  If I forgive the offense, I'll have to treat the offender well.
10.  Someone has to punish him or her.  We want God to be merciful to us, but we want to see that the other person gets his share of punishment for an offense.  Do not be God's hand of vengeance.  Read Romans 12: 19.
11.  Someone keeps me from forgiving.  Who is this someone? _____________. What does James 4:7 say we should do? ___________________________________.
12.  I'll be a hypocrite if I forgive, because I don't feel like forgiving.
  13.  I'll forgive, but I won't ever forget. Do not continue to harbor the memory of an offense.  We cannot experience any freedom if we hold on to the offense. It doesn't mean that we will never think of it again.  What does Phil. 4:8 say we should do?
________________________________________________________________.
14.  I'll forgive, because I have found an excuse for the offense.  Are you looking for a reason for the offense?

What are the results of unforgiveness: 1.  Stress.  A hurt in our lives initially is only a fraction of the total hurt.  The majority of the pain comes afterward as you dwell on the offense, and how you react to it. We may experience physical problems(Illness, pains, etc.)
2.  Self-Inflicted Reinjury.  Don't reinjure yourself because past offenses haunt you. We have a tendency to hold on tightly to our hurts, grudges, and losses, even when we know deep down that we don't have any power over them.
3.  No More Love.  This can be very devastating to your condition. Emotional effects such as depression, self-pity, inadequacy, etc.
4.  Bitterness.  It produces an ugliness of many kinds.
5. Perpetual Conflict.
6. Walls That Keep Others Out. We may become anxious and threatened when personal intimacy becomes possible.
7. Spiritual effects: inability to pray, no feeling of joy, inability to read the Bible, reduced fellowship with believers, and a sense of alienation from God.
8. Relational: Irritability, blaming others, withdrawal, profuse apologies, inability to relax, self-justification, refusal to accept compliments, and outbursts of temper.

1.  If I Forgive, I Also Have To Forget.  God has the power to forgive and forget, but we don't.  Our memories can be softened, but not completely erased from our minds.
2.  Forgiving Him Is Impossible.  I'd Like to See You Do It.  We can choose to offer forgiveness anyway drawing on God's strength.
3.  I Just Don't feel Like Forgiving.  If a person waits to forgive, then we are just choosing to feed the mind with resentment and bitterness.
4. I Shouldn't Grant Forgiveness Unless the Other Person Is Willing To Respond. We are responsible for ourselves. We can't control the other person or their responses.  Sometimes we may assume that the other party is unwilling to respond, but deep down inside they really want to resolve the conflict.  Who will take the first step is the question in a person's mind.
5.  Forgiveness Means Acting As If Nothing Happened. We need to confront the issues, deal with our emotions, and try to communicate as effectively as we can.  We then can seek and grant forgiveness. It may take sometime to trust another person after an offense has been made, and forgiveness granted.
6.  I Have To Forgive Immediately. The Bible does instruct us to restore broken relationships, and that we should not fester anger in our hearts.  Forgiveness is an act of a person's will, and it may take some time to come to the point of where we're able to grant forgiveness to someone.

1.  Forgiveness is first choosing to resolve a conflict. Without it we cannot know restoration. It takes both parties to start the process of restoration and forgiveness.
2. Forgiveness is choosing to release the offender.
3. Forgiveness is validating the offense.  This doesn't mean that the offense may still hurt, or that it didn't really matter. When we don't have to deny the offense we are free to forgive.
4.  Forgiveness is giving up resentment.
5.  Forgiveness sets us free. The bondage is cast off of ourselves.
6. Forgiveness is an act of grace. Remember here the story of the Prodigal Son.  Offer forgiveness as Christ would do, not because we feel like it.
7. Forgiveness gives us a second chance.  It allows us to start over again, and to deepen our relationships with one another. Our relationships will become more meaningful than before.

1.  As I said before it takes two people to start the forgiveness and restoration cycle.
2.  We must first seek forgiveness in these following ways:
a.  Admit that you were wrong. Talk about what you did to offend that person.
b. Say I'm Sorry. We need to also express our sorrow for the offense. What does 2 Cor. 7: 9-10 say about this? See the other's perspective on the offense. The old saying - to walk a mile in the other person's shoes.
_________________________________________________________________
c. I don't ever want to hurt you this badly again. Acknowledge what you have done. Repent. Then change what you were doing wrong. This makes the other person realize that we desire to change our ways. A change of heart and mind is what the other person wants to see.
d. Will you forgive me? This brings the wholeness of forgiveness to an intimacy at its best.
e. I want to forgive you and close the issue we have with one another. As each of the persons forgive, the giver and the receiver will experience emotional relief.
f.  I forgive you for________. Be specific.

1. Is it possible to have forgiveness without reconciliation?
____________________________________________________________________
2.  One sided forgiveness sometimes is the only way we can forgive others who are not willing to forgive or are not living. We can be set free (peace with God, we can rejoice in our sufferings, we can rejoice in hope of the glory of God) - forgive ourselves, forgive others involved, and ask God's forgiveness to. Read Romans 5: 1-5.
3. Work to build trust in your relationship - this may take time. Communicate honestly with one another.
4. Through forgiveness and restoration we according to Romans 5:1-5 develop what? ________________________________________________________________

**We can choose to forgive in this way: Think of it this way - there is nothing that anyone can do to me(insult me, lie about me, annoy me, etc.) that can compare with what Christ has forgiven me for doing. God's ability to forgive is greater than our ability to forget. Forgiveness really does set the offender free. It also sets us free. Forgiveness comes through faith alone. It is not faith plus repentance, faith plus baptism, faith plus good works, or faith plus anything! Read Is. 43: 18 -19, 25. Are we truly forgiven of our sins?
  ________________________________________________________________________
Biblical examples of people who were forgiven:
1. Adam and Eve.Gen.3
2. Aaron. Ex. 32; Lev. 8
3. Aaron and Miriam. Num. 12.
4. Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar. Job 42
5. Rahab. Joshua. 2; Mt. 1:5
6. David.  2 Samuel 11-12; Psalm 51
7. A Paralytic.  Mt. 9: 28
8. Matthew.  Mt. 9: 9-13
9. A repentant criminal.  Luke 23: 40-43
10. Peter.  Mk. 14: 66-72; John 21: 15-19
11. A woman caught in adultery.  John 8: 1-11
12. Zaccheus.  Luke 19: 1-10
13. Nicodemus.  John 3: 1-21; 19: 39
14. Paul.  Acts 9; 1 Tim. 1: 15
15. Corinthian Believers. 1 Cor. 6: 9-11
16. The public sinner who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. Lk. 7: 1-48

Here are some questions to think about for discussion to do with this subject on forgiveness:
1. What if I don't feel forgiven by God?
2. Isn't forgiveness something between us and God alone?
3. Why does the Bible say God will not forgive us if we don't forgive one another?
4. Does this mean we should always forgive others unconditionally?
5. But what about Jesus' teaching that if we don't forgive others, He will not forgive us?
6. But doesn't God forgive us unconditionally? Aren't we to forgive others as He has forgiven us?
7. If we have been forgiven by God, why won't people let us forget the past?

Some information on these questions are on a separate sheet for your reference.

Other questions concerning Forgiveness to discuss:
1. What are some of the reasons we find it so hard to resolve conflicts even with loved ones?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What price does the person who was hurt have to pay to reconcile a relationship?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What price does the person who committed the offense have to pay?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What special price does the person taking the initiative in the healing process have to pay?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What are some potential dangers of trying to avoid conflict at all costs?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Read Matthew 18: 21-35. Answer these questions:
a. How much does this parable suggest God has forgiven us?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
b. Why do you think the unmerciful servant was unwilling to forgive his fellow servant?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
c. Why is it so important to God that we forgive others(v. 35)?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. How does the reminder that God has forgiven you affect your willingness to forgive others who have hurt you? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
8. In your own words, how do we forgive a person without forgetting the offense he or she committed against us?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. If we wait for the other party to initiate reconciliation or to at least respond to our overtures before we forgive, what's likely to happen? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
10. As you understand it, what are some of the dangers inherent in trying to grant forgiveness too quickly?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
11. In your own words, why is rebuilding trust a necessary step beyond forgiveness?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

The material used in this study was taken in bits and pieces from:
a. Dr. Gary Rosberg's book entitled, "Do- It-Yourself Relationship Mender".
b. "The Forgiveness of God" - Discovery Series - Martin R. De Haan II.
c. "Learning More About Bitterness" - Robert S. McGee, and Pat Springle.
d. Holman's Bible Dictionary.