Foundational Scriptures:
2 Cor 2:10-12 – Unforgiveness is a device of Satan
Eph 4:31-32 – Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving, because Christ forgave me
Col 3:8 – Put off anger, wrath, malice, railing, dirty talk
Phil 2:3 – Esteem other better than yourself
Gal 2:21 – “Re-killing Jesus in your heart” by following rules but having a hard heart
1 Jn 1:8 – If we sin, we confess it, God cleanses us
1 Jn 2:8-11 – Hate blinds you.
Unforgiveness
- The nature of Satan is rebellion, hatred, unforgiveness, destruction, murder
- Satan is the originator of all Doubt – “Did God really say?” Gen 3
- He is trying to make disciples, just like God does, but with wildly different outcomes.
- He has had plenty of time to practice this – “Job: Skin for Skin comments”
- Satan and demons are unredeemable – Jude 6,9; Rev 20:10
- Unforgiveness keeps you from moving in the love of God
- Legalism (self-justified unforgiveness) holds people hostage to performance-based pseudo-faith by forcing you into keeping religious doctrines instead of walking in love
- (Luke 6:1-5 – I am not a machine)
- Unforgiveness leads to “knowing more than God”
- Hardness of heart leads to unbelief
Forgiveness
- The nature of God is forgiveness: it’s what makes Him different from other “gods”
- Frees you to flow in the supernatural. I’m not just “another guy” anymore
- Makes you aware of Satan’s devices.
- Stops hate.
- Love casts out all fear.
- Love stops arguments.
- Love makes you like God again.
- Doesn’t always solve problems in the natural (example: I forgive you crashing my car), but solves them in the spiritual: it becomes like the year of jubilee: all is forgotten, you can start over again
- Is part of “the word of our testimony which overcomes the devil (AKA, we don’t just receive Jesus and never make any personal changes the rest of our lives)