MUST WE FORGIVE?

People are saying that we must forgive those who are responsible for the holocaust of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and Timothy McVeigh. But must we?!

We must have an attitude of forgiveness that would cause us to want to forgive anyone who sins against us. Forgiveness is a two way street. It contains the one who sins against us and we who are sinned against. If we have not been one of the two then we are not a party to the situation. When one sins against another, he builds two barriers: one barrier between himself and God and another barrier between himself and the wounded person. That barrier must be removed. God is willing to forgive so he goes up to the barrier but he cannot remove it; the perpetrator must remove it through repentance. But until he does it will remain. The same is true concerning the barrier between him and me. I can go to the barrier but I cannot remove it; that's up to him. I am told, "if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him" (Luke 17:3)

But what if he will not repent? Must I forgive him anyway? You can be ready to forgive but until he removes the barrier it will remain and forgiveness cannot be complete. This is the way it is with God and we can't do better than God.

The terrorists nor Timothy McVeigh didn't sin against me so that situation doesn't involve me in a forgiveness condition with them .

But there is absolutely no evidence of repentance on the part of the terrorists nor Timothy McVeigh. (1 John 5:16) "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." The sin unto death is any unrepented of sin.

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