Forgiveness, basic Christianity

[Who me]

Forgiveness.

How does it work, what do we do?

Basic Christianity starts with the OT. How did a Jew obtain forgiveness for his sins?  He sacrificed an animal. selecting the best that he had, at the alter he would lay his hand on its head. Signifing the transfer of his sin to that lamb.

Note he transfered his sins. To do this there had to be recognition that he had sinned. That had to be sorrow for his sins. This was not an empty ritual as it pointed to another lamb that would remove sin.

For forgiveness there has to be recognition that one has sinned/offended and that there is sorrow/repentance.

 

With me so far.

 

This is the same as what happens in Christianity. We as sinners ecognise we are/have sinned and say sorry to God, repent of what we have done and accept/receive his forgiveness.

Now the difficult bit.

If God only forgives those who repent. Why do so many Christians say that Christians MUST forgive Everyone who hurts them?

 

Luke 18:10-14(NIV)10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Who was justified?

Go back one chapter for the passage on forgiveness noone quotes from and read verse 3+4 where again repentance is the key to forgiveness.

Yes I know there are plenty of passages that say forgive, but with repentance so ingrained into the jewish mind it didn't need mentioning.

Last point. How did Jesus deal with unrepented sin. On the cross he did NOT forgive his murders but passed them over to God to deal with.

That is what we have to do with those who hurt us but won't or can't say sorry.

In those case we tell God all about it, the incident, the hurt, the anger, desire for vengence etc,etc,etc and to ask him to deal with them and with us.