Wednesday, December 5, 2012

DO YOU NEED TO REPAIR SOME RELATIONSHIPS?


SINS THAT CAUSED TROUBLE FOR A FICTIONAL CHARACTER

Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right
Where did we get the idea that it is right to do unto others as they have done unto us? I may not be a Bible scholar, but I believe the Scriptures say to love others as we love ourselves and also to forgive our enemies. I see people on both sides of this dilemma, including brothers and sisters in the faith, and it baffles me.
The whole idea of “I forgive but do not forget” is nothing but a lie from the enemy to encourage us to hold onto resentment. Can you imagine if God forgave us but didn’t forget our sins? I think it would be a horrible thing to know, that when we face our Lord, he tells us…“You know I forgave what you did, but let me show you what you did.” (Luke 6:37) “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
The Word of God talks about how once we are forgiven we should not live in condemnation. God, the Master of the Universe, our Creator, and the one against whom we truly sin (aside from transgressing against those around us) forgives and forgets. Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.” Who are we to consider ourselves higher than the Creator, with the right to judge and decide not to forgive others? On the other hand, the Word of God talks about receiving forgiveness as we forgive. So, don’t we want to be forgiven? Matthew 6:12 “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” If we do… we need to start forgiving others.
The other side of this coin is the truly repentant transgressor. I know that for a long time in my life I felt that everything that was going wrong in my life was my punishment for my transgression, therefore I needed to suck it up because I was getting what I deserved. I think we get confused between bearing the consequences of our actions vs. being punished for our actions. When we repent, God forgives us and gives us a blank slate immediately. No condemnation, once again, says the Word of God. Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” So if that’s the case, once forgiven, it’s not God reminding us and dragging us through the mud for our sins; it’s ourselves!
Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
There’s no point in being a Christian if we’re not going to enjoy the benefits of it. It’s like paying for a gym membership and never going, which I have done that plenty of times. I can tell you first-hand that it is a waste of time and money. In this case, it’s more than a waste of time; it’s a waste of life…of which we only have one. One of the benefits of Christianity is freedom. “Who the son sets free, is free indeed.” (John 8:36) Don’t we want that freedom? Then why do we insist on binding ourselves in the tentacles of unforgiveness, shame, and condemnation?

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