The Blood Speaks of Forgiveness
Excerpt from the Law of the Leper
“Then Jesus said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you”
John 6:53
We cannot eat of Him and drink of His Blood yet walk in unforgiveness. It is impossible to drink of that blood which “speaks of better things than that of Abel” and walk contrary to what it speaks. The blood is the power and life to forgive others. In order to remain in a relationship with Him, and for us to receive His forgiveness into our lives, we must forgive others. If we withhold forgiveness from others our ability to drink of Him is cut off. Many Christians become stagnant in their life with the Living Vine because of envy, unforgiveness and bitterness. The flow of His life will always be to the degree by which we live in harmony with His life.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”
Matthew 6:14-15
How little we realize that the New Covenant is a law of life and its ministration is to bring us into a vital and living relationship with the risen Christ. My ability to partake of its ministration will be to the degree to which I have co-operated with the law of His life. If I hold on to bitterness, envy and strife, how can I expect to grow in my relationship with Him? I cannot hold onto these things and expect my relationship with Him to develop.
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies,
and envies, and all evil speakings,
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby”
1 Peter 2:1-2
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,
and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”
Ephesians 4:30-32
Forgiveness is a quality of the Divine Nature; it is only ours by abiding in Him. On a human level we can forgive to varying degrees depending on the level of hurt and the circumstances involved. The forgiveness that God would bring us into leaves no lingering scar, no lasting memory or reliving of the event; for the forgiveness which He desires to bring us into is nothing short of the same forgiveness that we receive from Him. These things are impossible without His Blood flowing through our own lives enabling us to live and walk in a dynamic beyond the resources of self.
We see all around us the broken wings of men and women who will never know the freedom of the released bird without the blood of the slain bird (Leviticus 14:5-7) being applied to their lives. The blood not only works in us to set us free, it must also work through us to experience the true freedom we have in Jesus. Truth received is never really ours until we can give it to others in the power of God Himself.
“On account of this, brothers,
rather be diligent to make sure of your calling and election;
for doing these things, you will not ever fall into sin.
For so will be richly furnished to you
the entrance into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”
2 Peter 1:10-11
Forgiveness is not just a nice teaching; it is a truth which only has value through the medium of doing. It is in the operation of it we are free from the sin which always accompanies unforgiveness. It is a part of the very armor of God. It frees us from bitterness, sorrow and anger for in the holding of unforgiveness the stain of sin cannot be removed. It is in the doing of truth that we are set free. In releasing others we ourselves will partake of the freedom we give.
“But he that doeth truth
cometh to the light…”
John 3:21
It is heartbreaking to see the divisions and strife that currently exist in the true Body of Christ. It is through the flowing of the Blood of Jesus into each of our lives, and its life becoming the life of each member, that the healing and wonder of God’s Love will transform her into the beauty of all that He has purposed. Failure by any member to be exercised in this grace will result in stagnation not only in this life but will have eternal consequences.
Note: It is here that God’s people reveal the degree to which they know and walk in the Fear of the Lord. The Fear of the Lord is a necessary component to walking in the life and vitality of the Son. They who refuse to forgive know not of the Fear of the Lord.
“Then had the churches rest
throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified;
and walking in the fear of the Lord,
and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied”
Acts 9:31
When the Church walks in the fear of the Lord we see the fruit and the power of God revealed in corresponding measure.
Brian Troxel
www.aword.info
“They who refuse to forgive know not of the Fear of the Lord.”
Amen. Too many Christians do not know the fear of the Lord.
_____
From Beyond Tolerable Recovery
By Ed M. Smith
Family Care Publishing
Campbellsville, Kentucky
Matthew 6: 12: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Matthew 6: 14-15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Quotations are from Matthew 18: 21-30:
Principle One: Forgiveness is not a means of changing another but rather is the avenue of release for the one holding the debt. “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Principle Two: Forgiveness requires that we take a full account of the debt. “…a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him…”
Principle Three: The debtor does not have the means to repay the debt. “Since he was not able to pay…”
Principle Four: Anger is a normal reaction to injustice, but it must be released before freedom will come. “Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.”
Principle Five: The integrity and sincerity of the indebted offender is not critical for true forgiveness to be administered. “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’”
Principle Six: Genuine forgiveness requires we find compassion. “The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go…”
Principle Seven: Forgiveness benefits the forgiver more than the forgiven. The king “canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.”
Principle Eight: Forgiveness should not be confused with reconciliation.
RESENTMENT IS LIKE TAKING POISON AND THEN WAITING FOR THE OTHER PERSON TO DIE. HANGING ON TO RESENTMENT IS LETTING SOMEONE YOU DESPISE LIVE RENT FREE IN YOUR HEAD.
Amen. Thank you for the comment and the sharing.
Blessings
Brian