Freedom through Forgiveness (1) - Hilary Walker

Jesus Christ gave His Divine Blood to pay the price in full for all of mankind's sin, offering us His full forgiveness as a free gift. In the light of His amazing grace and mercy toward us, it is a serious sin for believers to harbour unforgiveness and bitterness toward others. It cuts us off from the grace and blessing of God and opens the door to sickness, mental torment, oppression and bondage, and we can only be set free through forgiving those who have sinned against us. Hilary shares from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), the great importance of forgiveness and the serious dangers of unforgiveness. Our sin took Jesus to the Cross. Our forgiveness didn't come cheap, it cost God everything. In taking our place, Jesus bore the punishment we deserved and paid the price for our sins. If we meditate on the Cross, seeing what He suffered for our forgiveness, it makes it easier for us to forgive others. Since we’ve received such mercy, we must show mercy, and forgive others fully and freely. Christ is saying to us: "Look how much I'm willing to forgive you, therefore what right do you have to be bitter and unforgiving with your fellow servants, when I have so fully and freely forgiven you?"