When Do You Forgive?

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

What will they learn if you forgive them before they repent?

1. If you only forgive those who ask for it how are you any different than the Ungodly? We are an example unto the world, held to a higher standard. We forgive all those who have wronged us with nothing required on their part. And through our selflessness we show them how to live and how to forgive without any tangible reason to do so. That is what they learn.

 

[dreadnought]

1. If you only forgive those who ask for it how are you any different than the Ungodly? We are an example unto the world, held to a higher standard. We forgive all those who have wronged us with nothing required on their part. And through our selflessness we show them how to live and how to forgive without any tangible reason to do so. That is what they learn.

I'm not suggesting a person needs to ask for forgiveness. However, I believe they need to repent.

 

[Philip_B]

I am not Jesus.

Luke 10:25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’​

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

I'm not suggesting a person needs to ask for forgiveness. However, I believe they need to repent.

You can't know if a person repents unless you forgive them and go to them with the word of God. The may have repented/asked the Lord's forgiveness as soon as it happened but never asked you for yours. You can't know if/when a person repents to God. That's one reason why it is better to forgive the person in your heart as soon or as close to the time that they have wronged you regardless of whether or not you know/don't know they have repented.

 

[dreadnought]

You can't know if a person repents unless you forgive them and go to them with the word of God. The may have repented/asked the Lord's forgiveness as soon as it happened but never asked you for yours. You can't know if/when a person repents to God. That's one reason why it is better to forgive the person in your heart as soon or as close to the time that they have wronged you regardless of whether or not you know/don't know they have repented.

A person who has repented of a sin they have committed against you will have an apologetic demeanor.

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

A person who has repented of a sin they have committed against you will have an apologetic demeanor.

Yes if they ever see you again, but how can you know if they repented if they move away after wronging you and you don't every hear from them? You can't know, so your way you would go your whole life thinking they wronged you without forgiving them(wrongly) and would be damned for not forgiving a person who has done evil unto you. Again it's better to forgive as soon as it happens than to wait and hope that someday you find out, when you may never truly know what they feel.

 

[Jon Osterman]

I have always found the idea of Christians forgiving others rather odd. I say that because the ability to forgive sin implies that sin has been done to you. Actually sin is done to God - it is a rejection of God, and only He can forgive because it is hurt towards Him. So I have a hard time forgiving because I think I shouldn't be accusing in the first place.

In practical terms, what this means is, if I am treating someone badly because I perceive they have sinned against me, then I am myself sinning. I need to let it go. Therefore there is never an appropriate time to "forgive" someone because you should not be holding that hatred in your heart in the first place.

I would be curious as to the orginal word used in passages like Colossians 3:13, Luke 6:37 and Matthew 6:15, and whether "forgive" is really a good translation.

 

[dreadnought]

Yes if they ever see you again, but how can you know if they repented if they move away after wronging you and you don't every hear from them? You can't know, so your way you would go your whole life thinking they wronged you without forgiving them(wrongly) and would be damned for not forgiving a person who has done evil unto you. Again it's better to forgive as soon as it happens than to wait and hope that someday you find out, when you may never truly know what they feel.

If they don't ever see you again, it isn't really much of an issue, is it?

 

[Philip_B]

If they don't ever see you again, it isn't really much of an issue, is it?

Actually I think that is the point. Forgiveness is a celebration of the liberty of the Gospel. On the one hand we release the person who has offended us in whatever way, and set them free, and on the other hand we set ourselves free to be at peace with God, to be at peace with those around us, and to be at peace with ourselves.

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

If they don't ever see you again, it isn't really much of an issue, is it?

Yes it is, we must forgive all those who trespass against us or we can't be forgiven (Mark 11:25-26). So going your whole life without forgiving somebody in your heart is going our whole life in damnation. That's a pretty big issue brother.

 

[dreadnought]

Yes it is, we must forgive all those who trespass against us or we can't be forgiven (Mark 11:25-26). So going your whole life without forgiving somebody in your heart is going our whole in damnation. That's a pretty big issue brother.

If someone is out of your life, why would you think about them?

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

If someone is out of your life, why would you think about them?

We are supposed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, you think about your own well being every day we should do the same for those who trespass against us maybe not every single day but often enough to pray for them to find the Lord and come to the knowledge of the truth. I think about people I haven't seen for years who did me wrong and I pray for them not every day but every once in a while because I forgave them in my heart when they did me wrong and I want nothing but the best for them. Again you can't be forgiven if you don't forgive all those who trespass against you, no matter the circumstances.

 

[dreadnought]

We are supposed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, you think about your own well being every day we should do the same for those who trespass against us maybe not every single day but often enough to pray for them to find the Lord and come to the knowledge of the truth. I think about people I haven't seen for years who did me wrong and I pray for them not every day but every once in a while because I forgave them in my heart when they did me wrong and I want nothing but the best for them. Again you can't be forgiven if you don't forgive all those who trespass against you, no matter the circumstances.

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will give them the necessary kick in the shin. It is for their own good.

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will give them the necessary kick in the shin. It is for their own good.

I agree, you will forgive them and go to them telling them what they did wrong. If they do not repent of their sin you continue to go to them and help them, preaching the word to them until they understand their fault. That's what me and brother mark did to the men who tried to kill our family because we preached the word to them. That's what we are commanded to do.

 

[anx66]

Doesn't the Bible say that we are supposed to follow Jesus, and doesn't that mean we should be loving and forgiving.

 

[anx66]

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will give them the necessary kick in the shin. It is for their own good.

I don't see love in that kind of action.

 

[Saintly Sinner]

Doesn't the Bible say that we are supposed to follow Jesus, and doesn't that mean we should be loving and forgiving.

We are supposed to be loving and forgiving- we're also supposed to be aware of the fact that the world around us is extraordinarily wicked.
With great evil also comes great penalty; you can't simply overlook or forgive true evil.

 

[anx66]

I don't think that it's a Christians job to punish the sins of others. Does it say that it is in the scriptures? Does Jesus say that we should? I'm open to different ideas, with regard to interpreting these scriptures.

 

[anx66]

You say, "With great evil also comes great penalty; you can't simply overlook or forgive true evil."

Jesus forgave people on the cross, for their evil. After all, they did kill a perfect person. I don't remember Jesus retaliating.

 

[Saintly Sinner]

You say, "With great evil also comes great penalty; you can't simply overlook or forgive true evil."

Jesus forgave people on the cross, for their evil. After all, they did kill a perfect person. I don't remember Jesus retaliating.

An evil according to man's laws, not so much to God.
St Dismus didn't belong on the cross- he was a good man with bad circumstances.
And that's something a lot of people can relate to, including myself.