{"id":32098,"date":"2022-09-10T15:56:17","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/christians-say-theyre-more-likely-to-forgive-than-be-forgiven\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:56:17","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:56:17","slug":"christians-say-theyre-more-likely-to-forgive-than-be-forgiven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/christians-say-theyre-more-likely-to-forgive-than-be-forgiven\/","title":{"rendered":"Christians Say They\u2019re More Likely to Forgive Than Be Forgiven"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vera Arsic photo – Pexels<\/div>\n

By Aaron Earls<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus taught His disciples to forgive others in the same way God had forgiven them. Many Christians say they\u2019ve done that but haven\u2019t received the same forgiveness from others.<\/p>\n

A Barna survey found 76% of practicing Christians say they\u2019ve offered unconditional forgiveness to another person who had hurt, upset, or sinned against them or someone they loved. Nearly 1 in 6 (15%), however, say they\u2019ve never offered this type of forgiveness, while 9% say they\u2019re not sure.<\/p>\n

Fewer Christians say they\u2019ve actually received this type of forgiveness from others. Slightly more than half (55%) say someone else has forgiven them unconditionally. More than a third (38%) say they\u2019ve never experienced this from someone else and 7% don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

The difference between the number who say they\u2019ve offered such forgiveness and the number who received it \u201csuggest the perceptions of giving versus receiving unconditional forgiveness may sometimes vary dramatically\u2014meaning, while someone may feel they have extended unconditional forgiveness, the supposed recipient of that forgiveness m ay not feel the same way,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n

Those who say they have received unconditional forgiveness indicate they are more likely to forgive others than those who say they have not received such forgiveness.<\/p>\n

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Among those who have received forgiveness, 87% say they have given it in return, compared to 64% of those who say they have not received unconditional forgiveness.<\/p>\n

A significant number of practicing Christians struggle with forgiveness in other ways.<\/p>\n

Around a quarter (22%) say they find it difficult to receive forgiveness for something they\u2019ve personally done wrong.<\/p>\n

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See also  The Power of the Ordinary Moments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Six in 10 Christians say they can identify someone they are struggling to forgive, including 23% who say there is someone they \u201ccan\u2019t forgive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study found those who say they can\u2019t forgive someone have other differences with practicing Christians who don\u2019t have the same issues with forgiveness.<\/p>\n

Theologically, those who can\u2019t forgive someone are more likely to say people go to heaven because of good deeds (39% to 21%). Practically, they are less likely to believe mercy influences their words or actions (46% to 67%).<\/p>\n

Regardless of their own personal experience, practicing Christians believe showing forgiveness and mercy to others is something they should do. Eight in 10 (81%) believe that offering undeserved mercy to someone else is an action God blesses.<\/p>\n

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Aaron Earls<\/h2>\n

@WardrobeDoor<\/p>\n

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Aaron is a writer for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n