Forgiveness is truly the hardest thing for man to do. To wave off a wrong or harm as if nothing happened. This is against human nature where we wish to garner revenge on those that have wronged us.
If one looks we can see that there are two kinds of sin; one against God and another against man. When we turn our backs on God, take his name in vain or other slights to Him, these are the sins against God. This is when we must go to Him and ask God for forgiveness with a true and contrite heart. Because of Jesus, we are assured of his forgiveness if we do so.
But sins against man (which one could also say are against God) must be forgiven by those wronged by us. It is too easy to demand an apology from someone who did not do any harm against us, but in our hubris we think that they must. This is when harm has been done in the public eye or to someone we know. But the act is between those two (or group in some cases) that the harm had been done.
As hard as it might be we must forgive those that do truly come to us with contrite heart and do truly mean to right the wrong that was done. In all eras of history people seem to just give empty, blank apologies because they feel they have to or was made to. Their hearts are not in the task and in those cases one cannot forgive, not because they don't want to but because those that did the harm do not want to be.
But if one does truly come with that contrite heart we must find it in our heart to forgive, no matter how hard it may be. Remember what God does for us, and the price that was paid that we might be forgiven.
But we as humans must remember that there is the unforgivable sin that we are able to commit to one another. This is in the form of murder, or causing enough harm that the person is unable to do so because of vegetative states. No matter how contrite our heart is, they are unable to forgive us because they are gone and that sin remains with us until our final days. With that we must put our faith on God that he will right that wrong and wash away the harm done.
Eirik Farwanderer
9 December, 2009 Anno Domini
If one looks we can see that there are two kinds of sin; one against God and another against man. When we turn our backs on God, take his name in vain or other slights to Him, these are the sins against God. This is when we must go to Him and ask God for forgiveness with a true and contrite heart. Because of Jesus, we are assured of his forgiveness if we do so.
But sins against man (which one could also say are against God) must be forgiven by those wronged by us. It is too easy to demand an apology from someone who did not do any harm against us, but in our hubris we think that they must. This is when harm has been done in the public eye or to someone we know. But the act is between those two (or group in some cases) that the harm had been done.
As hard as it might be we must forgive those that do truly come to us with contrite heart and do truly mean to right the wrong that was done. In all eras of history people seem to just give empty, blank apologies because they feel they have to or was made to. Their hearts are not in the task and in those cases one cannot forgive, not because they don't want to but because those that did the harm do not want to be.
But if one does truly come with that contrite heart we must find it in our heart to forgive, no matter how hard it may be. Remember what God does for us, and the price that was paid that we might be forgiven.
But we as humans must remember that there is the unforgivable sin that we are able to commit to one another. This is in the form of murder, or causing enough harm that the person is unable to do so because of vegetative states. No matter how contrite our heart is, they are unable to forgive us because they are gone and that sin remains with us until our final days. With that we must put our faith on God that he will right that wrong and wash away the harm done.
Eirik Farwanderer
9 December, 2009 Anno Domini
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