You know what the biggest problem we have is when we’re trying to see things from God’s perspective?
It’s that we are a finite being, but he is not.
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When we talk about forgiveness, there is the forgiveness we give to and receive from other human beings, and then there is the forgiveness we receive from God. But human forgiveness is only good for now, meaning while I am alive. However, God’s forgiveness isn’t relevant to my life here on earth, but is totally tied into my life after death.
And despite being forgiven by either humans or God, there is no chance of not having to suffer the consequences of what I did to need forgiveness.
Let’s say I rob someone, and when the police catch me, the person I robbed refuses to press charges and I go free. It seems that I got off the hook, but in truth God knows what I did, and the consequence of that sin will follow me the rest of my life, unless and until I repent of it, and ask forgiveness- not from the person I robbed (which I should do, anyway), but from God.
Here’s what crazy… if the person I robbed files charges and I go to jail, I suffer here and now for my sins, but if I repent and ask God for forgiveness, my eternity will be pleasant. But, on the other side of this equation, if the person I robbed doesn’t forgive me, their eternity may be threatened!
And for people who think that someone doesn’t deserve to be forgiven, God says (in Ezekiel 18:23) that he doesn’t want anyone to die (meaning on an eternal level), but rather that they turn from their sinful ways so they can live (again, referring to an eternal level). So, if God wants to forgive everyone, who are we to judge whether or not they deserve it?
Here is something else I think many people do not understand: forgiving someone doesn’t make them right with God- no! Their relationship with God is between them and God. Forgiving someone makes YOU right with God! We are not commanded to ask for forgiveness, but when I read Matthew 6:14-15, it seems pretty obvious to me that we are, at least, expected to forgive others…unconditionally.
For the record, that verse goes like this:
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins.
So, forgiveness doesn’t get anyone off the hook while they are alive, but it can make eternity a lot easier to take. And I am not talking about the bad guy, I am talking about the one who was sinned against.
So, if you sin, you need to repent and ask forgiveness from God, first and foremost, and then you should also ask forgiveness from the one you sinned against. Not so much to save your own skin, but to give them the chance to save theirs.
Thank you for being here and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, even non-believers. Hey, after all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!