A very perceptive essay<\/a> that, inter alia, mentions Chesterton\u2019s Father Brown while talking shrewdly about the difference between actually forgiving and merely excusing things we don\u2019t really think are sins.<\/p>\nReal forgiveness is hard because it addresses people who, you know, sinned<\/em>, dammit! \u00a0They don\u2019t deserve forgiveness.<\/p>\nCorrectamundo. \u00a0People who have sinned do not deserve forgivenness. \u00a0A helluva a lot of them don\u2019t (or won\u2019t) even admit they\u2019ve sinned, much less gotten around to asking for forgiveness. \u00a0Jesus\u2019 extremely hard command is still plain:<\/p>\n
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.\u00a0(Mk 11:25).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Note the completely unqualified nature of that command. \u00a0Nothing about the sinner apologizing. \u00a0Just \u201cforgive everybody everything, always, and forever\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then they\u2019ll have gotten away with it!\u201d<\/p>\n
No they won\u2019t. \u00a0God is still God. \u00a0He sees if and when they repent. \u00a0The forgiveness is for your sake as much as theirs. \u00a0Forgive and they won\u2019t own you anymore. \u00a0Hold to bitterness and their cold clammy hand will still grip your ankle 25 years after they have died (and perhaps all the way to hell). \u00a0Forgive. \u00a0Let them go. \u00a0Be free. \u00a0Let God worry about their destiny.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A very perceptive essay that, inter alia, mentions Chesterton\u2019s Father Brown while talking shrewdly about the difference between actually forgiving and merely excusing things we don\u2019t really think are sins. Real forgiveness is hard because it addresses people who, you know, sinned, dammit! \u00a0They don\u2019t deserve forgiveness. Correctamundo. \u00a0People who have sinned do not deserve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[335],"class_list":["post-55208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-we-believe-in-the-forgiveness-of-sins"],"yoast_head":"\n
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