For those who have been born again.
I know you did not become born again without confessing your sin and desiring forgiveness.
Why would you deny others this very important blessing?
Having to face our sin, own it, and become cleansed from it, is a blessing. All those who have done it are free from the guilt of their sin, not because we forgave them but because they saw the need and answered the call of repentance.
May we stop forgiving people to feel better about ourselves, and obey God His way, not the way of the world. May we have a greater concern for the welfare of others, than we do for our own feelings.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Forgiveness is for the Purpose of Reconciliation
I hear this all the time, "if I don't forgive I will become bitter." Where is that in the Bible?
I feel no resentment toward those who have offended me and are not sorry. It is a psychological teaching that makes our culture think that it automatically follows that if we "say" we forgive, then the process has occurred.
When I encounter an offender, I don't treat them any differently than anyone else on the street. The thing I feel the most is sorrow that they don't see their sin and that God has not yet forgiven them.
I have no right to forgive what God has not forgiven, that makes me better than God.
God says "IF they repent forgive them." He also says "IF they come to you and ask seven times in a day." Notice in all the verses about forgiveness, the offender is coming to ask for forgiveness. No where will you find one scripture that says forgive them even if they are not repentant.
Our ultimate example is Christ. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but we were not yet forgiven, He extended forgiveness, but we have to want it. Throwing your forgiveness at the unrepentant person does nothing.
If you want to avoid bitterness toward someone, stop trying to throw your forgiveness into the air hoping it will land on the offender, and just pray for them.
If we have a heart for the lost and for the sinning brethren, then we will not be bitter, we will be on our knees. When there is love for mankind in our hearts, bitterness is not a part of our thinking, but reconciliation to God is first and foremost.
When we do not require repentance for sin, we leave the offender in a place of comfort with his sin, allowing him to believe it wasn't so bad after all. Every encounter teaches, we must continually obey the principles of God for anyone to grow.
Yes, by all means be ready to forgive when someone comes to ask, desire that they repent so that the relationship will be restored. Pray to this end, seek it, even if it means having to confront the sin, perhaps the offender doesn't realize they have sinned and need to be shown.
We need to stop throwing God's principles of operation under the bus in favor of the psychological mantras of our modern day. Man's way only leaves everyone feeling comfortable in their sin, God's way brings conviction and repentance. When we shortcut the principles to be able to "feel better", we miss the blessings of changed lives.
1 John 1:9 "IF we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Luke 17:3-4 "3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and IF HE REPENTS, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, SAYING I REPENT’ forgive him.”
I feel no resentment toward those who have offended me and are not sorry. It is a psychological teaching that makes our culture think that it automatically follows that if we "say" we forgive, then the process has occurred.
When I encounter an offender, I don't treat them any differently than anyone else on the street. The thing I feel the most is sorrow that they don't see their sin and that God has not yet forgiven them.
I have no right to forgive what God has not forgiven, that makes me better than God.
God says "IF they repent forgive them." He also says "IF they come to you and ask seven times in a day." Notice in all the verses about forgiveness, the offender is coming to ask for forgiveness. No where will you find one scripture that says forgive them even if they are not repentant.
Our ultimate example is Christ. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but we were not yet forgiven, He extended forgiveness, but we have to want it. Throwing your forgiveness at the unrepentant person does nothing.
If you want to avoid bitterness toward someone, stop trying to throw your forgiveness into the air hoping it will land on the offender, and just pray for them.
If we have a heart for the lost and for the sinning brethren, then we will not be bitter, we will be on our knees. When there is love for mankind in our hearts, bitterness is not a part of our thinking, but reconciliation to God is first and foremost.
When we do not require repentance for sin, we leave the offender in a place of comfort with his sin, allowing him to believe it wasn't so bad after all. Every encounter teaches, we must continually obey the principles of God for anyone to grow.
Yes, by all means be ready to forgive when someone comes to ask, desire that they repent so that the relationship will be restored. Pray to this end, seek it, even if it means having to confront the sin, perhaps the offender doesn't realize they have sinned and need to be shown.
We need to stop throwing God's principles of operation under the bus in favor of the psychological mantras of our modern day. Man's way only leaves everyone feeling comfortable in their sin, God's way brings conviction and repentance. When we shortcut the principles to be able to "feel better", we miss the blessings of changed lives.
1 John 1:9 "IF we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Luke 17:3-4 "3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and IF HE REPENTS, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, SAYING I REPENT’ forgive him.”
We Are Only The Messengers
Let all those who say they are born again, evaluate what they do and what they believe, according to the Scriptures, so as to remove from our lives all those things that we love because of the feelings they give us.
How much of what we do is based on what we get out of it, or how it makes us "feel?"
God wants us to follow His principles to glorify Him, we don't always understand what He is doing, but we can obey anyway. The more we obey, the more our faith builds.
We also don't know what is in the future. Will someones become born again, that we don't know about, because we obeyed God? Will someone's life be saved because we obeyed, even though we never know about it?
We cannot see into the future, nor can we see into the hearts of all those we come in contact with. If we have faith we can know that God will use whatever we do in obedience to Him, and no one knows to what extend, that is His business.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
2 Corinthians 4:18 "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Isaiah 55:11 "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
No matter what we go through, people may hate us for speaking truth, they may disregard us in various ways because they don't like our message, none of that matters, God already knows about it and He will take care of the results, after all, it is His work, we are merely the messengers.
How much of what we do is based on what we get out of it, or how it makes us "feel?"
God wants us to follow His principles to glorify Him, we don't always understand what He is doing, but we can obey anyway. The more we obey, the more our faith builds.
We also don't know what is in the future. Will someones become born again, that we don't know about, because we obeyed God? Will someone's life be saved because we obeyed, even though we never know about it?
We cannot see into the future, nor can we see into the hearts of all those we come in contact with. If we have faith we can know that God will use whatever we do in obedience to Him, and no one knows to what extend, that is His business.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
2 Corinthians 4:18 "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Isaiah 55:11 "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
No matter what we go through, people may hate us for speaking truth, they may disregard us in various ways because they don't like our message, none of that matters, God already knows about it and He will take care of the results, after all, it is His work, we are merely the messengers.
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