“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Notice God's criteria, "if they say I repent."
Those who are born again desire to forgive those who are repentant. We rejoice when someone wants to be forgiven and wants their heart to change.
It is a grief to the heart of a believer when someone is too prideful to admit they have sinned and need forgiveness. Those who are too proud to admit their flaws and sins will never grow and it may be evidence that they are not saved. These people do not change, which is why most people do not change over their lifetime. There are few who are born again, most people will not trust in Christ and will justify themselves even though they have no peace in their hearts.
The Holy Spirit disciplines those who are saved convicting them until they confess. A child of God hates the sin they battle, it's why they battle it.
The unsaved unrepentant sinner does not hate their sin always justifying what they did to stave off guilt. When they are guilty they blame others for their actions instead of owning the actions they even make up stories that are not true as their ammunition against their own guilt.
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"
Psalm 103:12: "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west"
The unrepentant sinner walks in condemnation but there is no condemnation for the born again believer.
Romans 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit"
Everyone can have the salvation offered by God, there is only one requirement, that is to confess our sinfulness, trust in Christ desiring to be changed by Him.
Hallelujah!!!
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