Please ping others.
A ping to you, my Anglican friend!
We should wish his salvation, rather that what this world considers good things; just as we should prefer our own salvation to the goods of this world. Leaving a criminal free to rape, rob, and murder does not lead him to salvation.
But we must keep in mind that we can't do it on our own: We need God's help [my emphasis] to heal our fallen, wounded nature, to humble our pride.
Pope John Paul II meeting with Mehmet Ali Acga in prison, and offering his forgiveness, is exemplary of this.
Thanks for Part 2! Yes, if Jesus could hang on a cross and forgive us, then surely we can forgive whatever is done to us. So often our resentments and angers are over such small things...our pride is hurt, or we are afraid we won't get what we want. I notice that when I pray to lose my resentment, sometimes my ego fights back, saying it doesn't want to forgive the other person. I had a good friend who would say this about hanging on to resentment and anger: "Why are you letting someone else live in your head rent-free?" There truly is no peace to be had when we do that!
Tomorrow, I am going to visit an Orthodox church...what should I expect to do with my kids? I am not at all certain of my kids' ability to stand respectfully for an hour and a half. One is six and the other is seven (and high-functioning autistic).
Wonderful post. Thanks.
I tend to counsel people that FORGIVENESS IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A CHOICE.
And, that it is essential for our emotional, psychological and spiritual health and welfare as well as regarding eternal life.
That we must CHOOSE moment by moment at every thought to TAKE EACH THOUGHT CAPTIVE; TO RESIST THE ENEMY and to CHOOSE TO FORGIVE again at that moment.
And, of course, as you note, to ask God to change our hearts and make it real in our hearts and emotions etc.
But I think--by The Spirit's grace, it must begin with our will--choosing to release the other person to God's mercies and disciplines according to God's priorities and perfect judgment.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that somehow God is more freed to deal with the other person when we bow out of our judgment high horse and allow the other person to be somehow more fully on God's altar or at least more face to face with God because we have quit encasing them in our resentment, judgment, bitterness, unforgiveness etc.
Also, that forgiveness is first and foremost for us. The unforgiven person may not care a flip about how we feel toward them. But God does and it poisons our bodies and our souls.
Thanks much.
BTW, you may be interested in this fascinating phenomena described in this post/thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1356926/posts?page=8
Most treatises on forgiveness do just what this one does.
Omits a very important step in forgivness..
In Luke 17:3 Christ lays out the formula for forgiveness, “If thy brother sin against you, CONFRONT him and IF he REPENTS, forgive him.” He then repeats this, for emphasis, in the next verse.
I have read elsewhere that it is a sin to forgive the unrepentant, as this will be a green light to keep doing what they did.