Is Forgiveness Always Right and Required?
A few months ago, I wrote a couple of entries regarding the subject of forgiveness (here and here). Then our church hosted the Peacemaker Seminar, which was excellent by the way. I have a situation in my life where this issue keeps resurfacing in various forms and with various people. Today I read Between Two Worlds: Is Forgiveness Always Right and Required?. Justin concludes that
Is it possible for a Christian to remain fully obedient to Scripture, with kindness and tenderheartedness, loving his enemy as himself, and yet at the same time not granting forgiveness to an unrepentant offender?Whew! This is a toughee. What's interesting is that a friend of mine brought up this same facet of forgiveness only a few weeks ago.
From what I can discern from the evidence in the Bible, and from what the Westminster Confession of Faith calls “good and necessary consequence,” I’m persuaded that the answer is yes. “Love your enemies” is something that we should do at all times and in all places. It is modeled after God’s love for his enemies, whom he loves even when they are “unjust” and “evil” (Luke 6:35). At the same time, our forgiveness of others is likewise modeled upon God’s forgiveness of sinners, whom he forgives conditioned upon their repentance. God does not forgive apart from repentance; neither should we. In major offenses, we are not to forgive the unrepentant.
Needless to say, I will be chewing on this one for a while.
posted by Chris at 6:30 PM
3 Comments:
A couple of things, if I may. I do see the intent of forgiveness contingent on repentance. But here are some more scriptures to chew on...
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(Matthew 6:12-15 ESV)
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
(Matthew 5:23-24 ESV)
To me, this second one is pretty clear that if you recall someone you need to forgive that you should do so immediately. It says nothing about your brother asking you to drop what you're doing to be reconciled.
4:08 PM, January 11, 2007
Answering Chris Whisonant.
Your interpretation:
"To me, this second one is pretty
clear that if you recall someone
you need to forgive that you
should do so immediately. It
says nothing about your brother
asking you to drop what you're
doing to be reconciled."
is exactly opposite of what Matt 5:23-24 says:
"if you ...remember that your
brother has something against
you, ... go.. be reconciled"
"Your brother has something against you" means you did something bad to him, e.g., poked him in the eye.
"Go be reconciled" means you ask him to forgive you. This is someone whose forgiveness you must seek. You are the culprit. He is the victim. There is not (necessarilly) anything for you to forgive.
That's the general case.
A specific case might be that the wrong you have committed is not poking him in the eye, but that you owe him forgiveness for some earlier wrong.
If so, then by all means this verse applies to you.
But whether or when you actually owe him forgiveness in every case wher you are wronged (e.g., he is not repentant) is the whole point of this discussion.
This verse does not address that.
6:03 PM, January 11, 2007
Thanks guys. And I encourage you to look back at the comments of the original blog. A guy name KC added some great thoughts about the subject.
12:20 PM, January 16, 2007
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