I was prompted to write about this subject, after reading an article that was written by Greg Laurie, the senior pastor of one of the largest churches in America. His article titled, "Your Choice: Forgiveness or Bitterness", was published by WorldNetDaily.com at the following link: http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/your-choice-forgiveness-or-bitterness/?cat_orig=faith .
Throughout his article, Laurie argued in favor of extending forgiveness, without qualification. In other words, regardless of whether an offender ever acknowledges his wrongdoing, his victims should nevertheless extend forgiveness to him. Laurie used two Bible characters, Joseph and Jesus, to make his point. In the case of Joseph, Laurie wrote:
"Joseph not only forgave, but he forgot. He didn't keep a record of the wrongs committed against him. He just let it go."
What Laurie completely ignored, however, is the Bible's account involving substantial evidence of contrition and repentance, on the part of Joseph's brothers who had victimized Joseph many years earlier. Emphatically, Joseph did not simply forgive and "let it go", as Laurie suggested that he did, where his brothers' offenses were concerned. On the contrary, Joseph exhaustively tested and proved his brothers' hearts, concerning what they now believed about their former maltreatment of him. Joseph forgave them, but only when he discerned true humility and godly sorrow in their repentance.
In the case of Jesus, Laurie had this to say:
"You are never more like God than when you forgive. Jesus modeled this so beautifully when he hung on the cross. The first statement he made was, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do (Luke 23:34 NKJV). From the cross, he was forgiving the very men who had driven the spikes through his hands, the very men who were standing at the foot of the cross, mocking and jeering at him."
Does anyone suppose that Christ forgave everyone who had taken any part in securing his crucifixion? Alas! Laurie, together with many others, evidently thinks so. Yet, Christ did not forgive everyone that was involved in that bloody crime. He did not then forgive those religious leaders who, driven by their hatred of Christ, had aggitated the crowd and threatened Pilate, in order to Jesus' crucifixion. Rather, Christ forgave those several Roman soldiers who were merely carrying out their duties as the State's (Rome's) agents in the matter of his execution. In so far as those men knew, Jesus had been duly tried and found guilty of crimes worthy of death. They were merely doing what--in their own minds, at least--was their lawful duty. Therefore, Christ forgave them of their participation in his unjust death.
According to Pastor Laurie, unforgiveness invariably results in a 'root of bitterness' "tak[ing] its place" in the soul of all those, victims, who refuse to forgive their tormentors:
"And if there isn’t forgiveness, what the Bible calls 'a root of bitterness' (see Hebrews 12:15) will take its place".
Yet, the text of Hebrews 12:15 makes no reference at all to forgiveness or to the lack thereof; much less does that text associate a "root of bitterness" with the question of forgiveness.
It is certainly true that God, in his Word, requires that those who have suffered wrongdoing must forgive: but, only in the event that the offending party will confess and repent of his or her wrongdoing (Luke 17:3,4). God himself will not forgive anyone, until and unless he or she confesses and repents! And God does not require anything of us that is not first true in himself.
Are we better than God? Are we more merciful than he is, in that we have greater capacity and grace than God has, to forgive? Is is righteousness, to altogether pass over transgression without redressing it? Should the guilty not merely go unpunished, but unconfronted, unopposed? Is that godliness? Pastor Laurie wrote, that one is "never more like God" than when one forgives.
Well, that statement is only true when one forgives in the same manner, and in accordance with the same principles of truth and righteousness, whereby God himself forgives. But those who are so foolish to forgive in the manner that Laurie recommends, are, in that case, never more unlike God!
God is not unrighteous: he will not forgive the unrepentant. Neither must we.
What should be done, then, in the case that--in addition to suffering due to some act of wrongdoing--one furthermore suffers the injustice of an unrepentant attitude, on the part of the wrongdoer? Do not "forgive" and "let it go", as Laurie wrongly counseled. Rather, confront the wrongdoer, if possible, with a demand for repentance and restitution. In lieu of which, repentance and restitution, the victim should make his or her appeal to the righteous judgment of God. Following upon such an appeal, the hitherto uncompensated victim must be careful not to seek vengeance against the malefactor; else, God's judgment and vengeance would thereby be subverted.
Still, the important question remains: Does a victim who finds it necessary to appeal unto God for judgment, thus become susceptible to that 'root of bitterness' that Laurie (ignorantly) warned about, in the event that the victim will not forgive regardless of an offender's lack of repentance? The answer is, No. In such cases (though they are doubtless few, in fact, due to improper teaching, as Laurie's), the peace of God is available to comfort and to guard the heart of the victim who places his or her trust in God's righteousness and judgment.
We are "never more like God" than when we obey his Word, and do things his way. God insists that those who will receive his forgiveness must confess and renounce their sins against him.
So must we insist that those who wrong us must confess and renounce their offenses against us. If they will repent, then we must forgive. Our peace, in that case, depends upon real forgiveness on our part. However, God neither requires, nor is God pleased, for anyone to extend forgiveness to the unrepentant. If men forgive other men apart from repentance and restitution, the principles of truth and justice are overthrown by those who make judgment void by their foolishness. In fact, it is probable that such persons unwittingly turn judgment against themselves, by making a mockery of sin.
I'm just sayin'.......
No comments:
Post a Comment