I do not forgive for the sake of my own peace; I forgive to reconcile the relationship when someone is repentant and desires to heal the bond of friendship.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
God is all about relationships and little about feelings. We have feelings, and we need to pay attention to them, not to act on them, but to gauge our hearts to see if we are indulging ourselves or obeying God. We must evaluate our feelings according to the Word of God so that we do not follow feelings that are not accurate.
Feelings lie to us often; they tell us things are bad when they are good, and things are good when they are bad. We cannot trust our feelings, which is why I place no value on making myself feel better by claiming to forgive when someone is unrepentant.
Nothing is resolved according to feelings. In fact they can make us feel proud that we are special because we feel good about forgiving, but it does not cleanse us of anything, nor does it help the relationship.
Saying, "I forgive" someone who is not repentant does nothing at all. It does not resolve any problems, it does not seek to understand someone, nor does it cleanse anyone of anything.
God is not about pretending attitudes to feel superior; He is about resolving problems between people. If they cannot be resolved because someone will not admit to their failures, then we must move on and let God.
We are commanded to bless those who curse us when in company with an offender, but this is not a resolution to a conflict, nor can the relationship be mended until there is sadness that the relationship is broken.
Confession of offense and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin; both must be present for a relationship to be restored. When we pretend we forgive but do not reconcile, then the process is not complete, and the relationship remains broken.
It has been psychology that has taught this idea that we should just say in our head we forgive when someone else is not repentant to make ourselves feel better, but it is useless to God's plan.
God does not forgive without repentance; He is our ultimate example. When there is repentance and forgiveness extended it is a beautiful thing, and the relationships become stronger than it was before.
God cares more about results based on His principles than He does about feelings. We can only do our part, which is seeking confession to be reconciled; we cannot do the part of the other person.
Notice you rarely hear of anyone chastising the offender to confess and repent? All the pressure is placed on the one who was wronged to forgive, but no pressure is placed on the one who offended. Seems unbalanced, doesn't it?
Next time you are tempted to chastise people to forgive someone, be sure you also go to the offender and tell them to repent. And, be sure you counsel the one to wait upon the repentance before forgiving, so there will be a real and lasting bond of friendship.
We are seeking reconciliation, as well as spiritual and emotional maturity, which only comes from both confession and forgiveness. We are not seeking a superficial sweeping under the rug and pretending you did your part by messaging your feelings.
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.”"
Let's obey the Bible when God says; "rebuke your brother" and "if he comes and says I repent, forgive him."
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Appreciating One Another in the Body of Christ
Fellowship gatherings in homes in the first century were devoted to the people centered around Christ and not a building or a system.
It is a wonderful thing because everyone is free to share, edifying one another as they speak of Christ. The relationships were deeper because they were centered around Christ, not a man-made system with rules and expectations God never commanded.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
The leaders did not dominate the church gathering; they guided by example and teaching, and all were included in the exchange, allowing others to bring their perspectives and gifts. When we know the gifts of each are from the Holy Spirit, we will not be criticizing others or expecting them to be something God never called them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
"12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."
In God's body of believers, no one is less than anyone else, and all are to be honored and blessed by the love of the others.
When we appreciate that everyone has a part and everyone is to be loved, there will not be competitiveness or a sense of superiority.
We can even appreciate differing personalities that bring color and life to everyone else. With this perspective, we can stop judging things that are not sin and be grateful, treasuring our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Praise God for His design within the church gathering and the beauty of it when all work together in their particular gifts.
It is a wonderful thing because everyone is free to share, edifying one another as they speak of Christ. The relationships were deeper because they were centered around Christ, not a man-made system with rules and expectations God never commanded.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
The leaders did not dominate the church gathering; they guided by example and teaching, and all were included in the exchange, allowing others to bring their perspectives and gifts. When we know the gifts of each are from the Holy Spirit, we will not be criticizing others or expecting them to be something God never called them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
"12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."
In God's body of believers, no one is less than anyone else, and all are to be honored and blessed by the love of the others.
When we appreciate that everyone has a part and everyone is to be loved, there will not be competitiveness or a sense of superiority.
We can even appreciate differing personalities that bring color and life to everyone else. With this perspective, we can stop judging things that are not sin and be grateful, treasuring our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Praise God for His design within the church gathering and the beauty of it when all work together in their particular gifts.
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