Forgiveness

Should we automatically forgive someone everytime we are wronged? To be honest with you, I don’t know. I have always believed that the other person should repent if they want forgiveness. In other words, they should feel bad that they wronged you, and perhaps should apologize. I was chastized by one of my sons the other day for not forgiving someone. This individual lied to me for months and nearly wrecked by business. It was a deliberate, willful act. He has never apologized and/or expressed any interest in reconcilliation. I’m not inclined to forgive him until he expresses some kind of remorse. If he does, I think I could forgive him.

I sometimes think that God would prefer that we forgive people no matter what; however part of obtaining salvation requires us to repent and try to sin no more. Then I think of Jesus on the cross and He asked His Father “to forgive them for they know not what they do”, and I think that is an example of his attitude toward the subject of forgiveness. In other words if He has the attitude that He wants to forgive the people that crucified Him even though they certainly were not apologizing for it, then perhaps we should want to forgive the lesser offenses committed against us, apology or not.

_______
Sorry no verse today – No Gideons Bible in my room – sigh

———————————-