Jesus' sacrifice on the cross on our behalf healed our spirits. This brought us repentance; which in turn enabled us to reject sin. In other words, Jesus forgave us by healings our souls through his sacrifice on the cross. We too must bring healing to our offenders by sacrificing our own interest in the process of helping them.
Forgive the wrong doer. Ease his guilt because Satan uses human beings because they are more foolish than he. Confirm your love for the wrong doer in the name of Jesus
Nowhere in the bible, that is. We're taught that all day long and twice on Sundays by conventional wisdom (i.e. human wisdom) but never in the bible. In the bible, the affirmative teaching is that forgiveness ought to come in response to repentance.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Nowhere in the bible, that is. We're taught that all day long and twice on Sundays by conventional wisdom (i.e. human wisdom) but never in the bible. In the bible, the affirmative teaching is that forgiveness ought to come in response to repentance.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
True; it just seems that practicing Rom 12:14, cf Matt 5:44, in order to be genuine would demand not just forbearance but some degree of forgiveness, whether the offender knows it (or wants it) or not. I could be wrong.
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross on our behalf healed our spirits. This brought us repentance; which in turn enabled us to reject sin. In other words, Jesus forgave us by healings our souls through his sacrifice on the cross. We too must bring healing to our offenders by sacrificing our own interest in the process of helping them.
Many struggle with forgiveness when they feel wronged. Often these struggles are the result of a poor understanding of the concept of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is dismissing a debt.
In the New Testament, the Greek noun aphesis denotes a "dismissal" or "release."
—When you grant forgiveness, you dismiss the debt owed to you.
—When you receive forgiveness, your debt is dismissed. (You are released from any requirement for repayment.)
—When you grant forgiveness, you dismiss the debt from your thoughts.
Jesus expressed the heart of forgiveness when He said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27).
Forgiveness is dismissing your demand that others owe you something, especially when they fail to meet your expectations... fail to keep a promise... fail to treat you justly. Jesus said, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39).
—The holy standard of God is perfection, yet we all have sinned.
—The penalty for our sins is spiritual death (separation from God).
—The penalty for our sins (our debt) was paid by Jesus through His sacrificial death on the cross. Therefore, instead of being separated from God, we can have our debt dismissed by God and experience eternal life in heaven.
• Forgiveness is not circumventing God's justice....
—It is allowing God to execute His justice in His time and in His way.
• Forgiveness is not waiting for "time to heal all wounds."...
—It is clear that time doesn't heal wounds—some people will not allow healing.
• Forgiveness is not letting the guilty "off the hook."...
—It is moving the guilty from your hook to God's hook.
• Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation....
—It takes two for reconciliation, only one for forgiveness.
• Forgiveness is not excusing unjust behavior....
—It is acknowledging that unjust behavior is without excuse, while still forgiving.
• Forgiveness is not explaining away the hurt....
—It is working through the hurt.
• Forgiveness is not based on what is fair....
—It was not "fair" for Jesus to hang on the cross—but He did so that we could be forgiven.
• Forgiveness is not being a weak martyr....
—It is being strong enough to be Christlike.
• Forgiveness is not stuffing your anger....
—It is resolving your anger by releasing the offense to God.
• Forgiveness is not a natural response....
—It is a supernatural response, empowered by God.
• Forgiveness is not denying the hurt....
—It is feeling the hurt and releasing it.
• Forgiveness is not being a doormat....
—It is seeing that, if this were so, Jesus would have been the greatest doormat of all!
• Forgiveness is not conditional....
—It is unconditional, a mandate from God to everyone.
• Forgiveness is not forgetting....
—It is necessary to remember before you can forgive.
• Forgiveness is not a feeling....
—It is a choice—an act of the will.
God commands us to forgive. Forgiveness is an act of the will, it is not some emotion.
When you refuse to forgive, your unforgiveness keeps you emotionally stuck to both the offense and the offender. A continual refusal to forgive digs a deeper hole in which you can easily hide your hardened heart. Blaming others is a favorite tactic to justify not forgiving. You can become too comfortable in the unnatural habitat of self-righteousness and self-pity. Your past hurts, though buried, are still very much alive. And because they are not released in God's way, oddly enough, you become like your offender (but you are blind to it). Not forgiving your offender is an offense to God, thereby making you an offender to God as well! The Bible says to confess and renounce this sin:
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
Because of unforgiveness, the offended person becomes spiritually dry—trying to feel connected with God but lacking spiritual growth. As a direct result of unforgiveness, the offender's prayer life is blocked.
"If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:15)
Examine yourself to determine if you have genuinely forgiven. After someone has offended you, you can test the "quality" of your forgiveness by asking yourself the following questions:
• "Do I still expect my offender 'to pay' for the wrong done to me?"
• "Do I still have bitter feelings toward my offender?"
• "Do I still have vengeful thoughts toward my offender?"
To forgive someone does not in any way mean that you do not want justice, but it simply means that you are leaving the offense entirely in God's hands. You are refusing to harbor hateful feelings toward your offender.
Remember, forgiveness is an ongoing process which requires that you choose to forgive every time the offense comes to mind... and that you choose to pray for the offender every time the offense crosses your mind.
"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:" (1 Samuel 12:23)
Consider also, forgiveness versus reconciliation:
Spoiler
Forgiveness focuses on the offense, whereas reconciliation focuses on the relationship. Forgiveness requires no relationship. However, reconciliation requires a relationship in which two people, in agreement, are walking together toward the same goal. "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" (Amos 3:3)
* Forgiveness can take place with only one person. —Reconciliation requires at least two persons.
* Forgiveness is directed one-way. —Reconciliation is reciprocal... occurring two-ways.
* Forgiveness is a decision to release the offender. —Reconciliation is the effort to rejoin the offender.
* Forgiveness involves a change in thinking about the offender. —Reconciliation involves a change in behavior by the offender.
* Forgiveness is a free gift to the one who has broken trust. —Reconciliation is a restored relationship based on restored trust.
* Forgiveness is extended even if it is never, ever earned. —Reconciliation is offered to the offender because it has been earned.
* Forgiveness is unconditional, regardless of a lack of repentance. —Reconciliation is conditional based on repentance.
Reconciliation is not always mandated.
Most of the time God's desire for us is reconciliation. Second Corinthians 5:18 says, "God... reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."
However, sometimes encouraging the restoration of a relationship is not at all wise, as with a partner in adultery or with a rapist. First Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" For instance, if a husband's anger is out of control and he refuses to get help for his violent temper, the wife needs to take this Scripture to heart and move out of harm's way until counseling and lasting changes are a part of his lifestyle.
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered." (Proverbs 22:24)
Nowhere in the bible, that is. We're taught that all day long and twice on Sundays by conventional wisdom (i.e. human wisdom) but never in the bible. In the bible, the affirmative teaching is that forgiveness ought to come in response to repentance.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Of coarse you would seeing carnal minds with a perverted teaching of the dead letter concerning Divine Grace would think alike and wrongly divide the intent of the script, 2Cor 3:6, Romans 11:32, Matthew 6:15, Luke 23:34, 1Cor 13:1-13.
As for believing in the Trinity. I don't believe anyone will truly understand how God's Spirit was given to His Son or how the Holy Spirit truly works. Not till we leave this world for the next. But the Son and the Holy Spirit are truly divine. Jesus is our High Priest in heaven who acts on our behalf before the Father. I believe God sends us the Holy Spirit in to us to guide us and convict us when wrong. The Holy Spirit is very important. For to deny Him is not forgiven.
As for the military. I consider the young men and women who are serving their country in the armed services are America's best. I often question those in congress and the executive branch who send them into battle.
Of coarse you would seeing carnal minds with a perverted teaching of the dead letter concerning Divine Grace would think alike and wrongly divide the intent of the script, 2Cor 3:6, Romans 11:32, Matthew 6:15, Luke 23:34, 1Cor 13:1-13.
