[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[Mr. Douglas]

This is SO true. I had to forgive my ex, and Obama, and Hillary.

However, I look at it this way: you can forgive a lion for eating one of your children, but it is dumb to allow the rest of your children to continue to play around the lion.

[SkyDancer]

Mark 11:25 - "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you.

[Nifster]

I let other folks off the hook because I want to be let off the hook

[Little Ray]

However, forgiveness is not a suicide pact, nor should it be allowed to endanger others.

[afsnco]

Forgiveness is one of those things that most people don’t understand. Christ explained forgiveness in Luke:

Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

All other passages on forgiveness must be understood by bearing this passage in mind. What’s being condemned in those other passages is hard heartedness in failing to forgive AFTER our brother has repented, when God DID forgive us after we repented.

-Does God forgive our sins and save our souls, without our repentance? Of course not. Repentance is a prerequisite to salvation.

-Does God forgive our backsliding and stop chastising us, without our repentance? Nope. Repentance is a prerequisite to getting back in God’s good graces.

-Does the church forgive a member being brought before them for church discipline, without their repentance? Again, no. The errant member must humbly repent or be cast out of the church and treated like a heathen and a publican (Matt. 18:17).