So can we be more merciful than God?

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

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Interesting question. Of course, we know that Jesus said there is one sin that will never be forgiven, and that's blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

We humans like to think that we are more merciful than God and would not allow suffering and evil to flourish. But how is it mercy when we would deliver a person from the very hardship that God is using to bring him or her to repentance so that their eternal soul might be saved? I have been guilty of this.

Our perspective is often temporal (just for the now), but God always has His eye on eternity and doesn't wish that any should perish, but that all would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

There is merciful and then there is enabling. One thing that people are good at is corrupting what is good.

Can we be more merciful? No, because we don't have as much to forgive others of as God does. Can we enable those who need boundaries and correction? Yes, and that's something God doesn't do. Even when He does not directly discipline, He will allow natural or legal consequences to occur (which could arguably be his direct discipline since he put those things in place).

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

True "forgiveness" is a transaction and not a one sided act. Matt. 18:21-35 tells us God can forgive, but if the person does not receive that forgiveness as a purely charitable gift the transaction is not completed.
God will not force someone to accept forgiveness even if He is doing all God can, so God cannot forgive those of the sin of refusing to accept His forgiving them and will never accept His forgiveness, but we cannot either.

Michael Collum said:

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Can humans be more merciful than God?

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I don’t think so. People may forgive some things easily, but people are usually biased and not just/fair.

According to my understanding evil exist because freedom is a very fundamental reality.

So there is no point in God forgiving someone who does not repent of sin and attempt to change away from it because being saved from sin requires a person's freedom.

That is one reason why blasphemy of the holy spirit is not forgiven in this age or the age to come. being in the Holy Spirit equates to Salvation and forgiveness of sin because it is the same thing as being part of the kingdom of God.

"This age" is the life in this world we have. "The age to come" is the life after death and the spiritual world and the spirit that we already are. So those two ages are closely related to each other.

Being and becoming are so fundamental to reality that it in some ways restrains God or rather God restrains himself because otherwise only God would exist. So the question of God forgiving us is attached to our own states of being because God is not sovereign over our owness/freedom. If God was then everyone would have already been saved but Salvation would become meaningless because we would not be able to be in the image of God as we are when we have an owness and freedom.

One could argue that God is such a highly Advanced and great being that it is easy for him to forgive. Further one can say that we as weak and pathetic creatures find it hard to be merciful and us as Mercy might have more meaning in some ways.

I don't think I can truly measure this quality called "Mercy". I think us being what we are and God being what he is are complementary to each other which makes it all the more desirous that both Mercies be United together. It must be part of the mystery of the truth that the Son of God is fully God and fully human.

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

Perhaps a heroin addict is most forgiving at the peak of inebriation.
I've known many drunken stupors that that harbored no ill will.
Does that count as holy?

Contemplation of addiction is interesting. Addiction is enslaving which is in general not thought to be a good condition. But the addiction is addictive because it brings out certain Goods in a person. But they are mixed Goods, they also come with evil.

So this addiction is going to be looked at as something inferior compared to better ways. but it's wrong to ignore the good in something and call it completely evil if there is indeed good in it.

Then you can contemplate addiction in that method where darkness is a bright blinding light. In this sense addictions destructive nature can be seen as the destruction of the old man. The intoxication of the addiction and the pleasure can be seen as the union with god. It's kind of like how the merchant sold all he had for the sake of the pearl of great price.

Noxot said:

Contemplation of addiction is interesting. Addiction is enslaving which is in general not thought to be a good condition. But the addiction is addictive because it brings out certain Goods in a person. But they are mixed Goods, they also come with evil.

So this addiction is going to be looked at as something inferior compared to better ways. but it's wrong to ignore the good in something and call it completely evil if there is indeed good in it.

Then you can contemplate addiction in that method where darkness is a bright blinding light. In this sense addictions destructive nature can be seen as the destruction of the old man. The intoxication of the addiction and the pleasure can be seen as the union with god. It's kind of like how the merchant sold all he had for the sake of the pearl of great price.

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Which Goods?
None.

SkyWriting said:

Which Goods?
None.

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Depends on the thing u r addicted to. They could give less anxiety, more positivity or happiness, could possibly increase creativity, reduces inhibitions of various kinds, escape from certain bad parts of life, they could give you the impression of meaning which you might not otherwise feel.

Noxot said:

Depends on the thing u r addicted to. They could give less anxiety, more positivity or happiness, could possibly increase creativity, reduces inhibitions of various kinds, escape from certain bad parts of life, they could give you the impression of meaning which you might not otherwise feel.

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But no one has concluded that those are healthy outcomes except the addict.

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

That's an interesting question.

God has in his divine plan set humanity under condemnation as the default mode. Whereas, we humans tend to give someone the benefit of the doubt until they behave in a way that removes them from that category. Most are gullible in that regard and many have been taken advantage of. Which leads to a more cautious and suspicious approach.

At birth we are condemned, born into sin through Adam's race of humanity. Some would argue there is an age of accountability, but this does not alter the default position of condemnation. Here's the Good News.

1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

I have a very different take on this then everyone else by the comments I read.

I consider it blasphemous to say that a human being could be more merciful than God because true mercy has to be bound with being just and truth.

It would be like as a parent if I knew my child was going to keep doing something detrimental to themselves and in my actions being merciful, it would keep that bad thing happening again because of my action.

Unless we know all truth and are just being merciful can be actually wrong.

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

No. Humans don't seem top be very merciful at all. They tend to be vengeful , even to those that did them no harm. Look at the call for reparations. Vengeance against people that did not commit the crime in order to satisfy people who were not victims of it.

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

Mercy only works when we have the authority to give the judgment then choose to remove it. To say "I would forgive x sin" is not an example of mercy it is an example of opinion.

Michael Collum said:

Similar to the rock question, is there a sin that God cannot forgive, that humans would forgive?

Can humans be more merciful than God?

Click to expand...

Seeing as mercy is a divine gift, whenever we practise it in our own small ways, God is glorified, Christ is raised up and we are sanctified. So do try to enjoy it!

God forgives even deicide and regicide, that's what happened at Calvary. Divine justice is not about getting even (lex talionis) but about setting right (apocatastasis).

Shrewd Manager said:

Seeing as mercy is a divine gift, whenever we practise it in our own small ways, God is glorified, Christ is raised up and we are sanctified. So do try to enjoy it!

God forgives even deicide and regicide, that's what happened at Calvary. Divine justice is not about getting even (lex talionis) but about setting right (apocatastasis).

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Wow. There are several words in your post I have not encountered before. Like "deicide and regicide"? I think I have seen "apocatastasis", but not "lex talionis". Could you expand on your thoughts in layman's terms? I think I understand and agree, but I'm not 100 percent on that.

Saint Steven said:

Wow. There are several words in your post I have not encountered before. Like "deicide and regicide"? I think I have seen "apocatastasis", but not "lex talionis". Could you expand on your thoughts in layman's terms? I think I understand and agree, but I'm not 100 percent on that.

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Sure thing brother, and forgive me if I'm sounding like I'm trying to be too smart, I'm not a pro on these matters so hope my understanding's fairly accurate.

Deicide is the killing of God, and regicide is killing the king. As you can imagine, these top the list in terms of heinous crimes, especially when the first order of business is to love God with all of our heart soul and strength as per the Shema (Deut 6:5), and God became King in the incarnation of His Son.

'Lex talionis' is latin for 'law of the talon', or 'law of tooth and claw.' It's often equated with OT justice principles culminating in the Mosaic Law of 'an eye for an eye'. So it's the merciless principle of retaliation, aka 'payback time'.

Apocatastasis means 'restoration' (eg Acts 3:21 confirming that all things will be restored). Instead of the idea that someone needs to lose in order for another to gain, it's a win-win proposition which says that all can be set right with the exercise of loving self-sacrifice and mercy. So we're to repay evil with good, turn the other cheek, forgive endlessly. While the initial result may be a feeling that 'the offender got off lightly', a favourable long-term outcome is guaranteed by God - precisely by His forgiveness of the worst crimes in the book at Calvary by which He established the new covenant with mankind. God's mercy is infinite. Therefore His will and power to restore all mankind is not in doubt.

Clear as mud?