Jesus told Peter to forgive even up to 'seventy times seven' in Matthew 18:22. Matthew 5:23-24 also states, "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." Now let's check if we can truly forgive in the way God really wants.
God's Endless Mercy and Forgiveness
Jeremiah 18:7-8 says, "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it."
As God said in the Scripture, God forgave the people of Nineveh who did not know God and could not avoid judgment to come forty days later. But He showed mercy on them and forgave them, when the king, the nobles, and the people sat down in the dust and repented with fasting together with their animals (Jonah 3).
When King Hezekiah was at the point of death with illness, he thoroughly repented before God. Then God extended his life (2 Kings 20). When his son Manasseh was captured, he humbled himself and prayed to God. Then he was able to become the king again (2 Chronicles 33:10-13). Such great love and forgiveness were explained by Jesus in Luke 15 through the analogy of a prodigal son's father.
Jesus opened the way of salvation by receiving harsh sufferings and being crucified on our behalf. He is still interceding for us without eating anything until we enter Heaven.
When we forgive people of things that are unforgivable, it is with love that comes from the depth of our hearts. When we pray with such love that moves God's heart we can receive His answers and comfort. It is because God Himself does not want anybody to be forsaken and desires all people to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).
Forgiveness Has Different Dimensions According to the Extent of Goodness Cultivated in Our Hearts
Although you forgave someone, the reason might have been different. You said you forgave but the forgiveness could be true or not depending on your heart. Here are four levels of forgiveness, so let's check the dimension of forgiveness of our hearts.
1) When you reluctantly forgive
Some pretend to forgive someone even though they do not want to forgive and still harbor ill feelings and hatred. This is usually because the person is their superior or they need the person's help. That is, for their own benefit they say they understand and forgive him. However, if no benefit is derived from the other person, they think they don't have to suppress the hard feeling towards him and just express their true feeling in words or actions. If you forgive or do not forgive depending on who the person is, it is not forgiveness, but hypocrisy.
2) When you forgive with desire to live by the truth
In this case, you don't forgive from your heart, but because you know the truth, you try to forgive. As you keep trying to forgive, you will eventually reach the level of being able to forgive from your heart.
Still, this level of forgiveness does not come from goodness cultivated in your heart. You still tend to draw a line limiting your forgiveness. When you think someone goes beyond the limit, you cannot endure and may show your ill feelings.
3) When you forgive from your heart
Forgiveness that comes from the heart is different from pretending to forgive or forgiving based on knowledge of the truth about forgiveness. There are some people who think enough of a favor has been done just by forgiving someone from your heart, but no more beyond the forgiveness can be given.
For example, a person did great harm to you. But you forgave him without taking it as a problem. Of course, you did not have any ill feeling and forgave with mercy. But if the person asks more help of you, you may think it is way too much. If you attain to a deeper level of forgiveness, you will not have such a thought.
4) When you not only forgive from your heart but also give more with limitless mercy
Colossians 3:13-14 reads, "Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."
Even if you forgive someone of something that seemingly could never be forgiven, you can add love to it as well and consider the situation. If the person asks more of you, you will give again and again as long as the Holy Spirit guides you not to do so. But you still do not have any discomfort or hard feeling towards the person. You may just desire for him to live a good Christian life and gain God's recognition.
When we think of the grace and love given to us by God, we can forgive anybody. However, one must note that in some cases unconditional forgiveness is not goodness. Such cases are because if someone receives forgiveness many times but do not show any effort to be renewed it will lead to building of walls of sin against God.
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