17/07/2014 - DO NOT BE TOO FAST IN GRANTING FORGIVENESS

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Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him. Luke 17.3,4

There is not a single person who has not sinned. The person who committed a sin against another must seek the person offended and confess his error, without any omissions. Those who do not confess while they are alive are acting as fools, because on the last judgment, anything hidden will be revealed. And, since there will not be repentance or mercy on the last judgment, those who did not confess their sins will hear their conviction.

The person offended may forgive the offender or not; but, if he chooses not to forgive, he will not receive forgiveness from our heavenly Father, and will end up a culprit on the eternal judgment. He who refuses to forgive those who have sinned against him should consider Jesus’ words in the verses above, because by refusing to forgive he will go from victim to culprit. This is a very serious matter; so much so that the disciples of Jesus asked him to increase their faith. If you have suffered any losses, prepare yourself to grant forgiveness whenever the person who sinned against you seeks you.

The lesson is very clear: the act of forgiving must follow the offender’s repentance. We do not have to go around spreading the news that we have forgiven the person who did us harm. Knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who convinces us of sin, if we make the decision before the work is accomplished by the Lord, we will hinder God’s moving. And we can do nothing without God (John 15.5b). Besides that, by thinking it is easy to be forgiven, others will go back to sinning.

Before the offender repents, he must be rebuked, because he has to feel that his action was not good, that it caused harm to someone, and he must make up for it. Whether it is repairable or not, he must ask for forgiveness. In case he repents, he will receive forgiveness. The sinner who will not get convinced by the Holy Spirit will never repent, so he will not receive forgiveness.

It does not matter if the sin was committed once or seven times in a single day. If, after seven times, the offender comes to you to be forgiven, you must grant him forgiveness. If he asks for forgiveness six times but in the seventh time he does not seek the offended person, he will not receive forgiveness. The first time, he must be rebuked; in the other times, whether being rebuked or not, he must seek the person against whom he sinned and confess his sin, asking for forgiveness; otherwise, he will not be forgiven.

When a person sins, he acts as a fool, and if he does not confess his sin nor ask for forgiveness, he will be acting as an even bigger fool. The pride—or wickedness—of those who sin and do not repent will lead them to the worst destination possible, because they will not be able to be with those who confessed their faults and asked for forgiveness. Without forgiveness, people will spend eternity away from God.

You better seek anyone who is holding something against you and ask for forgiveness; otherwise, it will be your loss. What Jesus reveals to us is the truth, so those who reject it will never be delivered.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares