Herod Antipas Married His Brothers Wife and John the Baptist was Beheaded for Calling Out His Sin

Herod Antipas married his brother's wife while his brother was still living. John the Baptist called him out, and he was beheaded for it. Chew on that for a moment.

Mark 6:14-29 tells of the account of John's beheading because he dared to speak for God in the unlawful marriage between Herod and his brother's wife.

 
Notice that many in our day wish they could behead those of us who declare divorce and remarriage as a sin against God. But it is not us that say it, it is God Who says it, so who are the rebellious hearts angry at, God for saying it or us for repeating what God says? Perhaps both!

This culture has become so brainwashed that a second marriage is a legitimate marriage, thats even those who do not do it defend those who do.

 
Romans 1:31-32 "…31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them."

The church gatherings of today are full of "unlawful" marriages, which Jesus Christ calls adultery, with the full acceptance of those who gather with them.

 
Mark 10:11-12 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Psychology Short Cuts God's Will to Deceive

Psychology short-cuts God's way, causing sin to grow and the offender to be coddled while the victim is punished for not forgiving someone glad they did the harm, and worse, continues to repeat that harm.

 
God's way produces change and transforms hearts. Man's way facilitates evil while punishing the innocent.

 
Satan was the author of the "forgive the offender who is not sorry" mantra. He lied and said we would be bitter if we didn't coddle the offender. In this model of forgiveness, evil grows; God's way repels evil because it demands responsibility and accountability.

 
Satan places pressure on the innocent by manipulating them into thinking they are guilty of bitterness when they cannot trust an unrepentant offender. Satan does not pressure the offender to repent; he gives him excuses for his offenses, causing arrogance and pride that not only perpetuates the sinful attitude but also accelerates it.

 
Justice demands consequences for the sake of the victims. It is unjust to coddle the sinner while accusing the victim.

Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."

Nowhere in the Bible do I see anything that says forgive an unrepentant offender so they feel better about themselves. Nor do I see anywhere in the Bible that tells us to forgive so we feel better about ourselves.

 
Matthew 6:14-15 "…14For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours."

God says we are to forgive when someone is repentant; there is no requirement to forgive when someone is not sorry.

 
Colossians 3:13
"Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Forgive as the Lord forgave you! How did He forgive? When we are repentant. God never forgives those who are not sorry.

 
As for our conduct toward offenders who are not sorry and will not stop their offenses, God tells us to treat them with the kindness and respect they didn't give us when we have to be in company with them, but this is not a friendship.

 
God also tells us to stay away from people who act badly and never repent in 2 Timothy 3:5, He says to avoid them, as well as many other places in His word when He tells us not to be friends with an angry man.

 
It would be good for us to look at all the passages in which God advises us to preach the gospel to the world but make no close friends with those who are wicked and rebellious.

 
The devil loves to make Christians feel guilty for doing what is right, what protects their walk with Christ. He makes up lies that tell us to do the opposite of what God tells us and spins it so well that the entire culture has oppressed the Christians into believing they are being rude or mean for obeying God.

 
The devil is the author of humanistic psychology. He mixes observations with wrong interpretations that sound good but thwart the purposes of God, especially in relationships.

When we read the Bible, it is important to read every word and every sentence within its context so the devil will not be able to deceive.

Forgiveness God's Way

Forgiving an unrepentant person does not make us kind it makes us unwise and enablers. To pressure others to forgive those who are not sorry is backwards. The pressure ought to be on the perpetrator to repent and apologize, but we rarely hear that.

 
It's lazy and easy to "say" we forgive someone, but if it does not lead to reconciliation, then it is not true forgiveness it is smoke and mirrors that lead to arrogance.

 
God told us to confess when we sin and forgive others when they are sorry. This is for the sake of reconciliation. There can be no reconciliation without sorrow over offenses.

 
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

 
Why do most people completely ignore the command "if he returns and says 'I repent'"?

To forgive an unrepentant sinner is mean, it does not give the person a chance to be convicted of sin and cleansed from their filthiness. They remain dirty and burdened because no one kept them accountable.

 
If you care about someone you love, you will warn them, that's the only help that will set them free if they listen and respond according to God's Word.

 
Ezekiel 3:18-19 "…18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself. "

Just saying words like "I forgive them" does nothing except build pride in the one who elevates themselves to appear special and good.

 
Relationships are hard work when done God's way and produce a cleansed life if responded to in humility. The one who sins must humble themselves to be forgiven, and the one keeping their friend accountable must humble themselves in taking a chance on being rejected if the offender refuses to confess their sin.

 
Psychology based on Darwinism has reversed the order and messed up what truly works. It is not our place to forgive someone who walks in rebellion; it is our place to love them more than we care about rejection.

 
In our day of apostasy, we will experience lots of rejection for our efforts to help others see what God sees.

By the way, it is lying to say you forgive someone who is not sorry when it does not lead to reconciliation. They are dead words that fall to the ground, meaningless and useless.

Something to ponder and ask God, He was clear about what He said in His word, but most cannot see with Spiritual eyes because their eyes are clouded with worldly psychology.