ONLY GOD can forgive sins, and ONLY then must we follow suit.
I have been going through the most horrendous spiritual depression, and there is no therapist, no medicine, no cure, accept one, forgiveness. I've had this horrible war raging inside of me. It has turned me into a raving maniac on-line. One minute I'm shouting from the rooftop, swearing to take down Goliath, the next, I'm doubling back, because I just can't take this anger that comes and goes. One day, I think that I've managed it, it's forgotten and forgiven, then I have a flashback, and the burn starts all over, again. I’ve given the offender(s) opportunity after opportunity to receive my grace. So, I imagine you can fathom the battle going on inside of me. Christians, i.e. church people have been taught the wrong thing for generations, and that is the reason for the horrible battle we feel with hurt multiplied by guilt. I'm free now, not any happier, but at least I do not have to do that which I cannot do:
F-O-R-G-I-V-E
When Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven time?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." We have been taught this verse so out of context it's not funny. Let's note where this Scripture is; smack dab in the middle of Jesus instructing his disciples what to do about someone who sins against us. In verse 15, it is clear that if this person does not recognize or acknowledge their sin against us on their own, we are to take it to them. (Note, this is a brother in the LORD, we cannot do this with people outside the church.) If this person repents, apologizes, Yay! Yet, if not, then we should take one or two witnesses with us. Again, if he repents, Yay! Lastly, if this person continues to deny his sin, then boot him! This means, NO FORGIVENESS. This person now becomes the one worthy of the garbage bin. If Jesus doesn't forgive him, then who are we to usurp Jesus's authority.
Next, Jesus give the parable of the unmerciful servant who owes his master big time. He pleads for mercy and receives it. He then in turn goes to his servant and demands payment for the little owed to him. This minor debtor pleads for mercy, but the swindler has no mercy and throws him in prison. When the master finds out about this, the master hits the roof and the stuff hits the fan for the unmerciful servant. If you notice the unforgiving servant did not forgive the pleading debtor who wanted forgiveness. That's not the same as being hurt deliberately and the offender never even considers asking for forgiveness.
Do you see a co-relations here? In all these situations, there is repentance. Just what is repentance? Defined, it's changing one's mind to agree with God, in this instance about our sin. If we don't believe that we sin, and we don't believe that we need any mercy or forgiveness, then we are granted what we don't want, no mercy, no forgiveness. If GOD isn't going to forgive someone, what right do we have to overstep GOD's authority. Note in the story of the prodigal son, the father never went chasing after the wayward son when the wayward son ran out of money. The father waited and watched from afar, until the son came to his senses. Likewise, GOD doesn’t always chase after us if He knows that our hearts are hardened permanently, however, if GOD knows that we have a heart after His, hidden under all that dirt, he relentless chases us with more trials, persecutions, problems than we can handle, until we come to our senses. The implied reprimand of the first-born son is because of his unforgiveness toward his repentant brother.
Think about it, we can't give what we are not asked to give. I know this goes against everything you've learned, however, I do believe that is why the church is in the mess it is in and ineffective in reaching people with the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe if we stop forgiving those who aren’t forgiven by GOD, then they won’t be free to continue to perpetuate spreading their sinful seed around to unsuspecting, and other stupid women like me. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul says boot the sexually immoral brother. Don't hide it, sweep it under the carpet or affirm it. We have no right to boot the non-believer who does not already have the Holy Spirit, but only the believer who claims to be a believer. He is doing far more damage to the body of believers by claiming to be one of them, sitting in a pew every week, unscathed, and continuing in his lifestyle of unrepentant sin.
Scripture always needs to verify Scripture and I wouldn't be me if I don't go back into the Old Testament to find where this principle originated. It takes us back to the book of Joshua. I am sure that you all know the story of Joshua and the Israelites circling the city for seven days then shouting down the walls, (by GOD's Hand, of course). There was one other thing GOD commanded, and that was "don't steal any of the goods for yourself." There was a bad apple in the camp, and only GOD knew about it, but the whole camp suffered. Joshua was commanded by GOD to seek out the bad apple and expose it. So, to sum up, one bad apple in the whole bunch surely does spoil the entire barrel. One approved or even non approved sexually immoral person in the church ruins the entire congregation, rending them powerless to fight the enemy we fight today, the dark forces, principalities, authorities, or as I called them, the rip-tides in the Spiritual Realm. Here's your problem with your mega-churches. It's so easy to hide up in the corner of the darkened balcony not only oneself, but one's sin. If the head pastor is only preaching sermons about how much GOD loves them to get them to feel better about themselves, how has the helped the whole congregation? It doesn't change the truth of one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch.
Now, I'm not telling ANYONE to go out and take revenge, that's GOD's job. What I am saying is, cheap grace ain't no grace at all. Cheap grace is permission to do it again, and again, and again. Cheap grace is forgiving the sin that GOD has not yet forgiven. Cheap grace wreaks havoc in the body of the church and the body of the "victim." I can't say that I feel better because I don't have to forgive what GOD hasn't forgiven, because here is the tricky part. I want to forgive like GOD wants to forgive. I have had a sad life, and there are way too many hurts that GOD has allowed to happen to me that intimately portray GOD's hurts we cause Him. I read that GOD feels our pain when we are in pain, I beg to differ. I believe we feel GOD's pain when we sin or are sinned against.
