Posted on 10/03/2025 5:43:29 AM PDT by metmom
There's a lot of talk about justice and forgiveness as the world recently watched Erika Kirk publicly forgive her husband's alleged assassin. In this episode, Pastor Jack shares insights into what the Bible has to say about forgiveness and how we are to apply it to others, as well as what it means in regard to our relationship with God.
This is a podcast and is 26:42 minutes long.
Real Life with Jack Hibbs ping
Erica forgave the perp but the state does not.
We must forgive, but the Law must not!
Did the perp apologize?
Is the perp a Christian?
It isn’t as if they mutually exclusive terms
Repentance needs to precede Forgiveness.
However, if a person repents of the injury they have done to you, Forgiveness is mandatory.
The perp in this case has not repented, but Erika extended forgiveness anyway.
This can mean a few different things.
1. She forgave him in anticipation of his repentance. This takes a huge amount of Faith on her part.
2. She forgave him to free her own heart from vengeance and pain. This is like “releasing” the offender to the Father so that the Holy Spirit can work on the offender. This is similar to St. Stephen’s exclamation while he was being stoned to death: “Father, don’t hold this against them”. At least one of the “stoners” (St. Paul) later was converted in a dramatic way. Perhaps it was Stephen’s “pre-emptive” forgiveness that started the ball rolling.
3. She forgave him the same way Jesus forgave His tormenters: Father Forgive them, they know not what they do”.
4. She forgave the perp, not even knowing why, perhaps prompted by The Holy Spirit, Who sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning.
5. Her forgiveness doesn’t free the perp from the legal consequences of his action. Nevertheless, Erika’s heart has been freed, and that’s more important, in my humble opinion. (I’m still trying to forgive really bad stuff from a half-century ago in my own life. I see the person who hurt me EVERY DAY, and she has never repented, or even mentioned it.) I really wish I could free my heart, but if I mention the hurt to this person, I KNOW she won’t repent, but even hurt me further. So I’m still working on it. What’s another 50 years?
Forgiveness is spiritual, justice is temporal.
Why must it be “or” when it can be “and”?
The murderer must pay and most often with his/her own life!
Forgiving an abusive parent doesn't mean you dine with them and go on as if nothing happened. ( yes, in some circumstances you can do that..) More often than not, no....But forgiveness releases US from the hate and bitterness that satan wants to create in us, and puts the weight onto GOD!
Thank you for posting this.
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AMEN!
I think this is what I meant in my post.
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.Some have been given a very difficult trespass to forgive, but a deal is a deal.
Forgiving can be one of the most selfish things we can do, since our forgiving others for what they do to us directly benefits us now and forever.
Otoh, truly forgiving can also be one of the most difficult acts for our egos to allow or accomplish.
True Christianity as Jesus commands is or can be a very serious challenge to live up to, but it is doable.
As he said in the podcast, the thief beside Jesus asked Jesus- Remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Thank you for posting!!! I sent to my friends and family.
We have been unable to help by Scripture and testimony some in our midst who try to control others to get what they think is their rights now and inheritance. Trying to understand humanly what God can and does do if we let Him, is something that is spiritual first and once we let the spiritual work inside us, it is very humbling and we can let God be God over our lives- now and eternally!!
Forgiveness is for the wronged, not the trespasser. We are to forgive so we do not boil in wrath and seek revenge. There is no conflict between forgiveness and the measured, sober application of justice.
Put another way, if our rage drives us to call for execution that is a sin. If we dispassionately address that an evil act has occurred, and that an execution is necessary to provide justice to the family, punish the killer, and dissuade future killers then we are on biblically sound ground IMO.
For forgiveness to be complete, there must be repentance.
Sometimes you get one and not the other. It is best when it is complete. We like forgiveness and mercy from God but do we understand the repentance part?
justice and forgiveness
God must be just. It is who he is and cannot change in that. He chooses to be merciful at his great pleasure.
It is not an either or. Both should be employed, with justice administered first, followed by forgiveness.
We must forgive, but the Law must not!
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