The Mind of Christ. Characteristics of Christ’s Mind. Christ’s Forgiving Mind and life.

Text: Luke 23:34

‘Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”’

Introduction: Several years ago, I watched a near-death experience of a young Hispanic lady. She took ill and eventually was pronounced dead. But, the Lord revived her. When she came back, she told her experience of how Jesus took her to heaven and she saw its glories and wonders. Then, He took her to hell where she saw several people that she recognized including some highly placed celebrities and individuals while on earth, and her “very prayerful grandmother!” She was shocked and asked the Lord why her grandma ended up in hell fire! The Lord answered, “Yes, she was very prayerful but she had an unforgiving mind.” Unforgiveness can land someone in hell fire! For Jesus, forgiveness is of paramount importance. He has a forgiving mind.

What is forgiveness? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is a deliberate effort to stop feeling angry, bitter or resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, mistake, or hurt. We should pay attention to the word: deliberate—it is an intentional effort on the part of the offended to pardon, cease feeling angry and resentful towards the offender. Forgiveness impacts our minds, emotions, health and relationship with God and others. Forgiveness may involve you forgiving someone else: a family member, friend, colleague or even a stranger; it may be God forgiving you; or even you, forgiving yourself.

So, let’s examine what we can learn about Christ’s forgiving life and mind:

1. Jesus came and died to forgive our sins (Matt. 1:21): “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Since the fall in Eden, all of mankind had sinned and come short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). The Holy God’s eyes are too pure to behold sin, and so He requires an atonement (At-One-Ment) with Himself. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifice was made so that the blood shed could cover sins and make the people acceptable before God. This was a foreshadow of the once-for-all-perfect sacrifice of Jesus to forgive, cleanse and save us from our sins (1 John 1:7).

In Christ’s death on the cross, “…..we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:17). His death brought you and me the forgiveness that we require to restore us to God and keep us out of hell fire. Forgiveness of our sins underpins the coming, death, and resurrection of our Savior. Have you received the forgiveness that Jesus brought through the cross?

2. Jesus taught His followers to forgive: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the beautiful attitudes expected of His followers, including how to pray, and with a major emphasis on forgiveness. He taught us that:

(i) Forgiving others paves the way for God to forgive us: He taught us to pray, “¹² and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us……” He further stated, ¹⁴ “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” ((Matt. 6:12, 14-15—NLT). Forgiving others paves the way for God to forgive us. How is your forgiveness quotient?

(ii) Forgiving others is critical to acceptance and answered prayers: Jesus said, ‘“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25). Our gifts and offerings are only acceptable to God when we forgive others (Matt. 5:23-24).

(iii) Forgiving others is a never-ending practice: Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive: “Up to seven times?” Jesus replied him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matt. 18:21-22); a number to indicate that we ought always to forgive and not keep a record of wrongs.

(iv) Forgiving others is reminiscent of God’s forgiveness to us: Jesus also used parables to illustrate various aspects of forgiveness. During His conversation with Peter, Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:23-35); whose master forgave him much but he failed to forgive little, and ended up in jail. Luke’s gospel records some forgiveness parables namely: The barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9; The lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7); The lost coin (Luke 15:8-10); The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32); all reminiscent of God’s forgiveness with love, joy and rejoicing and without blame or condemnation. We should go and do likewise.

3. Jesus mercifully forgave those who sinned: When four men brought the paralytic to Jesus, He said to the sick man, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:1-5). To the sinful woman who bathed His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48); to a woman caught in the very act of adultery, He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11). As Jesus hung on the cross, He said to the thief at His right, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). It was Jesus’ way and practice to forgive whether for salvation, healing or deliverance. True followers of Jesus must forgive so we also can be saved, healed and delivered.

4. Jesus forgave those who sinned against Him: Jesus forgave those who sinned against Him directly. After the Roman soldiers had scourged, spat on, mocked and nailed Him, Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). At the season of His suffering and agony, Jesus’ disciple, Judas, betrayed Him; Peter, one of the closest three denied Him; all the disciples deserted Him. After His resurrection, when Jesus entered the Upper Room, He neither reprimanded nor condemned the disciples, instead, with forgiving love, kindness, and compassion Jesus said thrice, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19,21,26). Can you sincerely pray for the person who has sinned against you?

5. Jesus instructed His followers to continue His forgiveness ministry: Jesus asked His disciples and us to continue to forgive. He told Peter, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). After His resurrection, “…… He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).

In continuation of Jesus’ ministry of forgiveness, we see Stephen, the first Martyr, who when he was being stoned to death by the Sanhedrin, “was calling on God and….. ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:49-50). He forgave his murderers. Can you do that?

Paul enjoined us, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). How did Christ forgive us? Lovingly, kindly and completely. He further admonished us, “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another” (Col. 3:13), with an emphasis on whatever.

Conclusion: It is by grace we are forgiven by God. In return, He expects us to keep our minds and hearts pure toward Him and others. He doesn’t want us to hold grudges or harbor a spirit of unforgiveness. Marianne Williamson said, “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

If you and I realize that God gave us such undeserved love and forgiveness at an enormously high personal cost to Himself, we should be “very, very grateful” and forgive others. But, “If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal” (Luke 7:47 MSG). To be truly Christlike, we need the grace to forgive promptly, lovingly and completely.

Check Your Life: What sin are you struggling with for which you desperately need God’s forgiveness? Who in your family, workplace, neighborhood or church has hurt you and you need to forgive? What in your past has been hunting you for which you require grace to forgive yourself? Today is the day to ask the Holy Spirit to shine His searchlight on your life, mind and heart; and to pray that the poison of unforgiveness be washed away by the blood of Jesus.

Prayer: My Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Forgive my sins as I forgive (Name the persons including yourself) who have hurt me so deeply. Jesus, let Your blood purge my mind of every trace of the unforgiveness-poison, and make it like Yours. Holy Spirit, make me sensitive henceforth to Your promptings to forgive instantly, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Prayer: 

1. Father, thank You for loving me and sending Your only begotten Son to make the sacrifice that paid the penalty for my sins.
2. Thank You Jesus for leaving the glories of heaven and coming to this earth to live a perfectly obedient and humble life that satisfied the Father’s demand.
3. Thank You Lord for showing me the virtues of Your mind
4. Help me to imitate You by loving God and others; living a life of humility, obedience and self-sacrifice reliant on the Holy Spirit.
5. Search me O Lord, and reveal the attitude of my mind to me.
6. Holy Spirit, let self and flesh die, and let Christ be made alive in me in my calling as a prayer warrior in Jesus’ name.
7. Forgive my selfishness, unforgiveness, conceit and indifference to others. I want to be like Jesus!
8. Holy Spirit, give me the grace to forsake the ways of the flesh, the world and Satan, and imitate Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord; in Whose name I pray. Amen.

Thank You Jesus,

Salvation Prayers

If you don’t Know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour and would like to accept him into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, Please say this prayer:

Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from You. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward You. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your Will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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