Introduction: I saw a painting (by Thomas Blackshear II) once in a Christian book store that I think beautifully illustrates the forgiving heart of Jesus Christ. It was a painting of a man who was injured, or sick, or exhausted. In one hand he grasped a hammer. And in his other hand he had some nails. Behind him, with His arms around him, saving him from falling down and getting hurt, was a strong Man with scars in his hands and feet. Who was that strong man lifting up the fallen sinner? Lifting up even the one who had nailed Him to a cross? You know who it was.

What does the Bible tell us about forgiveness in the life of a Christian?

I. The Repentant Brother NEEDS to be Forgiven.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 tells the end of the story that started in I Corinthians 5. There was a brother in the church who had fallen into scandalous sin. It was seriously immoral, and it was being flaunted openly. The Apostle Paul commanded that the church excommunicate the brother, cast him out of the church, and not even eat with him any longer. But 2 Corinthians makes it clear that the brother had repented of his sin, was grieving over it, and wanted back in the church.

Jesus tells us how to handle a sinful brother, and it is obvious that the primary goal is not punishment but restoration (Matthew 18:15-20). Jesus the Good Shepherd is there in the proceedings, and we know the heart of the Good Shepherd. We know He rejoices over the one sheep that is lost and found. We have the honor of being under-shepherds of Jesus, and bringing His wandering sheep back into the flock.

The brother who cannot find forgiveness, but who is permanently rejected and excluded from fellowship, is in vast danger of Satan's temptations. We must not allow that to happen!

II. "Christians" who refuse to forgive, have no right to call themselves Christians.

A. Christ made this crystal clear in his lessons on prayer in Matthew 6:12-15 and in Matthew 18:21-35, in the parable of the unmerciful servant. If we will not forgive others, then God will not forgive us.

B. Some will object, and say that our salvation is not based on what we do or don't do. It is all of grace. But remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 6:1-2:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

And remember the exhortation of the Apostle John:
"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (I John 3:17)

The Point: Our attitudes and actions demonstrate the genuineness of our conversion. If you don't think as a Christian, nor act as a Christian, you very likely aren't a Christian. To reverse the old proverb: "If it doesn't walk as a duck, and it doesn't quack as a duck, then very likely it is not a duck. (Even if someone has written "duck" all over it)."

People who are Christians have been "born again." They are new people. Their old hearts of stone have been replaced with hearts of flesh. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

III. Forgiving Church members are an indispensable element in any healthy local church.

A. The church is like a fishbowl. If the water is taken away, the fish die. We must swim in forgiveness in the church, even as fish swim in water.

B. A multitude of Bible verses tell us this about the local church:

1 Cor 13:5-7 "Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Mat 5:23-24 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

Prov 17:9 "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."

Prov 19:11 "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."

Luke 17:3-4 "So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Eph 4:2-3 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Col 3:13 "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Conclusion: That's a good note for our conclusion: "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." God rejoices in forgiveness. God forgives us for many things we don't repent of. God forgives us for sins we don't even know we have committed. Whatever grievances we have against each other, they are small potatos compared to how we have all offended God. Yet God graciously forgives us. May the Lord grant that each of us would seek forgiveness from those we have offended, and that we would freely and joyfully forgive those who have sinned against us. Amen.