Why God Wants Us to Forgive Our Enemies
By Bishop Jerry Pena, God’s anointed servant
When we study the subject of forgiveness in Scripture, we often focus on the benefits it brings to the forgiver—freedom from bitterness, emotional healing, and personal peace. While these are certainly true and important, they only scratch the surface of a much deeper, more profound truth about the heart of God. The real reason God commands us to forgive those who hurt us reveals something extraordinary about His character and His love for even the worst of sinners.
Consider the scene at Calvary. Jesus hangs on the cross, nails driven through His hands and feet, gasping for breath as He bears the weight of humanity’s sin. In this moment of ultimate injustice and agony, He utters words that would echo through eternity: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Why would Jesus, in His moment of greatest suffering, be concerned about the eternal fate of His tormentors? The answer reveals the very heart of divine love. Jesus understood that the soldiers, the religious leaders, and the crowd were not just committing a crime against Him—they were sealing their own eternal condemnation unless grace intervened. His prayer was literally an intercession to spare them from the judgment they deserved.
This wasn’t simply about releasing personal offense or finding inner peace. This was about preventing His enemies from bearing the full weight of divine justice for their actions. In that moment, Jesus’ love for them outweighed His own agony. He was essentially pleading, “Father, don’t let them carry the eternal consequences of what they’re doing to Me.”
This transforms our entire understanding of what forgiveness truly means. When God commands us to forgive those who wrong us, He’s not primarily concerned with our emotional well-being—though that’s certainly important. He’s asking us to participate in His heart of intercession for the very people who have wounded us most deeply.
True forgiveness, modeled after Christ’s example, is actually an act of spiritual intercession for our offenders. When we choose to forgive, we’re joining Jesus in asking God to show mercy rather than giving our enemies the full consequences they’ve earned. We become partners with the Holy Spirit in creating space for their repentance and redemption rather than their destruction.
This explains why the Apostle Paul could write, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14). It’s not because their actions become acceptable, but because
blessing opens the door for their transformation. When we curse our enemies, we’re essentially agreeing with their condemnation. When we bless them, we’re hoping for their salvation.
Consider the profound implications of this truth. God loves our enemies so much that He’s willing to work through our pain to potentially save them. He asks the very people they’ve wounded to become instruments of their possible redemption. This reveals a love so deep, so comprehensive, that it extends even to those who seem most undeserving.
When Stephen was being stoned to death, his final prayer echoed Jesus: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Stephen understood that his forgiveness might be the very thing that opened heaven’s door for his murderers. Indeed, we see Saul (later Paul) present at that stoning, and many believe Stephen’s prayer played a role in Paul’s eventual conversion.
This is why forgiveness can feel so difficult to our flesh. Our natural desire for justice conflicts with God’s desire for mercy toward our offenders. We want them to “pay” for what they’ve done, but God wants them to be “saved” from what they’ve done. Our forgiveness becomes a battleground between human justice and divine mercy.
When Peter asked Jesus about forgiving someone seven times, Jesus responded with “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). This wasn’t because repeated offenses become less serious, but because love keeps hoping for the offender’s repentance rather than their judgment. Each act of forgiveness is another opportunity for grace to work in their hearts.
This perspective doesn’t minimize the seriousness of sin or eliminate the need for justice. Rather, it elevates forgiveness to its proper place as a reflection of God’s heart for the lost. When we forgive, we’re not saying the offense doesn’t matter—we’re saying the offender’s soul matters more than our right to see them punished.
Understanding this truth should revolutionize how we approach those who have wounded us deeply. Instead of seeing forgiveness as something we do for our own benefit, we can see it as participation in God’s redemptive work. Our forgiveness might be the very thing that creates space for the Holy Spirit to work in our offender’s heart.
This doesn’t mean we ignore boundaries, enable destructive behavior, or pretend that reconciliation is always possible or wise. It means we release our right to see them condemned and instead join God in hoping for their transformation. We pray for their conviction, repentance, and salvation rather than their destruction.
When someone hurts us deeply, we have a choice: we can either partner with the accuser who wants to see them condemned, or we can partner with the Advocate who wants to see them redeemed. Our forgiveness becomes our vote for their possible salvation rather than their certain judgment.
This understanding of forgiveness reveals why it’s such a powerful spiritual weapon. When we forgive our enemies, we’re not just freeing ourselves from bitterness—we’re potentially freeing them from eternal condemnation. We’re choosing to be instruments of possible redemption rather than agents of certain judgment.
The ultimate victory of forgiveness isn’t just personal peace—it’s the possibility that our greatest enemies might one day become our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the heart of God displayed through human vessels, love conquering hatred not through force, but through grace.
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:44-45). In forgiveness, we reflect the very character of God—a love so profound it extends grace even to those who deserve judgment.
Father God, I release forgiveness to those who offended me, hurt me badly, and gave me pain and suffering. Do not hold them accountable for what they have done. May they find grace and favor in your sight and see the light of your glory. Forgive me if there is any unforgiveness in my heart and soul. I ask now the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. Thank you for setting me free from the consequences of unforgiveness. I pray this in the name of Jesus.
Amen!
“For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” -Matthew 6:14
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