Matthew 5:23

[Pamelasv]

'Therefore if you are presenting your offer at the altar, and the there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering at the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.'

So my question is: Why?

[Ezra]

The answer is quite simple. No one can come to worship before God without self-examination and reconciliation with those who are at odds with us. As Scripture says we are to come before God with clean hands and a pure heart.

[Pamelasv]

But it says, if your brother has something against you, not you against your brother.

[Pamelasv]

For crying out loud havent people had that happen when you did nothing to deserve it? So your hands were clean. That has happened quite frequently in my life. Maybe not to everyone. I have had people just hate me. I didn't do anything to them at all.

[Littlelambseativy]

If you know that your "brother" resents you or thinks you have done him wrong...though you may not have,...first go and settle things with your friend or relative, then come before God. Not just when you have wronged another and they are offended...but when a wrong is perceived by another and you have heard of it.

[Pamelasv]

Yes, and that was what I was thinking, and my question is why? Because you ARE clean before God. That is exactly what I was thinking. You have done nothing wrong.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Pamelasv

[Pamelasv]

But really, that was many years ago, it doesn't happen anymore, I don't think. Except maybe online now. Lol.

[Openly Curious]

'Therefore if you are presenting your offer at the altar, and the there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering at the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.'

So my question is: Why?

Sometimes we ourselves do personal wrong things and commit tresspasses or sins against other people in our lives. Then sometimes it's the other way around others may tresspass and sin against us doing us wrong in someway or another.

In either case to be forgiven of our tresspasses and sins we must forgive others their tresspasses against us. So if we want God to accept our offering to him in whatever form that offering may be to Him. Then we must personally have a good conscious towards God and man. If others have been done wrong by us then we need to make it right and ask for forgiveness and make retribution even if need be. If others have done us wrong then we need to show forth the forgiveness of God to those people so that we may be accepted by God and recieve his forgiveness and reconciliation for our own lives.

It's a two way street most think it's only a one way street but if we wrong or if others wrong us both need to forgive the other party their wrongs to be in right standing with God to be accepted.

The teaching of Christ are found given in scriptur to both sides of the coin {such as in the Lord's prayer}. But whichever side of the coin you find yourself on things should be made right if someone has sinned against us or if we have sinned against someone else. If you want God to accept the offerings in whatever that may be then we must have a right spirit and conscious before him and if we don't then we need to make things right.

[bcbsr]

'Therefore if you are presenting your offer at the altar, and the there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering at the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.'

So my question is: Why?

 

I think the verse makes most sense if it's saying if your brother holds something legitimately against you. There are a lot of things that people held against Jesus, but not legitimately

[Ezra]

But it says, if your brother has something against you, not you against your brother.

That's what "at odds" means.  Someone else is at odds with you.