Women's Bible Study - October 25th, 2023 - Review and New Topic: Forgiveness

In one paragraph

This was the closing session of a women's Bible study series called "Root It," led by Deborah. She used the session to review the themes of the study before spending most of her time on what she said kept surfacing throughout the weeks: unforgiveness as the single biggest barrier to the spiritual life the series had been pointing toward. Deborah opened by walking through each chapter of the study...

Read together

1. Ephesians 4 Paul explains how we can walk out of darkness into light, covering renewal of thoughts and attitudes, putting on the new nature, and not bringing sorrow to the Holy Spirit
2. 1 Chronicles 12:32 the people of Issachar understood what was happening and knew what to do, used to illustrate spiritual awakening
3. Isaiah 44:21b-22a the Lord saying He made us, will not forget us, and has swept away our sins like a cloud and scattered our offenses like the morning mist
4. Matthew 18 the parable of the unforgiving servant, a king forgiving a massive debt while that servant refused to forgive a small one
5. Hebrews 10 Jesus's sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice by the perfect man to perfect imperfect people, and He wipes our slate clean
6. Matthew 18:34 the angry king sent the unforgiving servant to prison to be tortured until he paid his entire debt
7. Matthew 18:35 Jesus says this is how the heavenly Father will treat each person unless they learn to forgive
8. Ecclesiastes 7:20 not a single person on earth is always good and never sins
9. Proverbs 19:11 it is to one's glory to overlook an offense
10. Proverbs 17:9 love forgets mistakes, and nagging about them separates close relationships
11. Matthew 18 if your brother or sister sins, go point out their fault just between the two of you
12. Luke 17:3 if your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them, and if they repent, forgive them
13. Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you and pray for those who hurt you
14. Jeremiah 33:3 if you call on God He will answer and tell you things you do not know, cited in context of fasting and seeking breakthrough on deep forgiveness

Talk about it

1. Deborah described forgiveness as already bought and paid for before we even turn to God, and she compared it to someone paying for her meal at Pika's before she even ordered. Has there been a moment in your own life when that truth felt real to you rather than just familiar, and what brought you there?
2. Deborah said that what we do on a daily basis affects how we think, how we feel, the choices we make, and how we respond to what is happening around us. What spiritual habits have you found actually shape you over time, and which ones have you struggled to keep?
3. Deborah walked through the parable of the unforgiving servant and said the tormentors in the story represent bitterness and anger that eat us up inside and steal our sleep. Can you think of a time when unforgiveness did that kind of damage to you personally, and what did it cost you?
4. Deborah made a distinction between petty offenses that should simply be overlooked and deep wounds that require confrontation and resolution. How do you personally tell the difference in the moment, and what makes that line hard to see clearly?
5. Deborah said that sometimes forgiveness does not include a restored relationship, and that healthy boundaries are not the same as an unforgiving heart. Where have you found that line difficult to hold, and what has helped you stay on the right side of it?