Joy and Forgiveness

Spirit and Truth Fellowship International

Suffering is a universal problem, and almost as universal is the hurt, anger, resentment, and bitterness that can accompany or follow suffering. But Paul was able to rejoice in spite of the fact that he suffered as a prisoner in Rome after being framed and unjustly accused. He wrote to the church in Colosse: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you” (Col. 1:24).

In this teaching, John Schoenheit talks about forgiving others from the perspective of his study of Colossians 1:24. He shows that sin is a debt, and when people sin against us we have the choice to either pay the debt and cancel the sin with forgiveness, or refuse to pay it, in which case the sin produces anger and resentment, and leads to more sin that just contributes to the sin in the world. This teaching covers the sin cycle, the fact that Jesus is still suffering now, how sin is a debt that must be paid, and that if we are going to have joy in life we cannot be carrying the burden of unforgiveness and resentment. To truly have joy in this life, we have to be willing to pay for the sins that others commit against us, just as Jesus forgave the sins we committed against him.