"As a Christian, I need to forgive you"

Then, in 2009, Ms. Gibson met with Muammar Gaddafi, the former Libyan leader who was considered the mastermind behind the attack, when he came to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. In the 10-minute meeting, she told him she had made a decision to forgive and he offered his condolences. “His words said ‘I didn’t do it,’ but his behavior said he did,” says Ms. Gibson.

1 John 1:9 [NKJV] - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Since God only forgives after confession, is it possible for us to forgive where there is no confession?

Luke 17:3, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (ESV).

(Granted, if this woman is a Christian, Ghaddafi wasn’t her brother.) I don’t find conferring forgiveness on the unrepentant in the Bible. The prayers of Jesus and Stephen for the forgiveness of their killers was fulfilled in God saving those who killed them-it wasn’t forgiveness for those who hadn’t yet repented. The preaching of the apostles in the early part of Acts still held the people of Jerusalem accountable for the death of Jesus. Thus, the forgiveness Jesus prayed for was granted in God saving some of those who killed him; the prayer Stephen prayed was answered in God saving Saul.

God doesn’t forgive apart from repentance, how can we?

I do counsel people that even if a person won’t repent, that one can still deal with that person’s sin between one’s self and God so as to rid ourselves of the bitterness and malice we are tempted to nurse.

I believe the pattern for forgiveness is found in Ephesians 5:32—”And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”

We are to forgive others in the same way God forgave us: 1. We must be kind and tenderhearted, ready to offer forgiveness; 2. God forgave us because of what Christ did for us; 3. God forgave us when we confessed our sin (agreed with God about sin) and repented of that sin.

Since this is our pattern, we are not to do more or less than what it says here.

Many confuse the true forgiveness with not holding a grudge, not being bitter and/or not seeking vengeance on those who have wronged them. All of these actions are wrong but giving up the “right” to feel or do these things to someone who has sinned against them many times is confused with actual forgiveness.

When we “forgive” someone whom God has not forgiven, we place ourselves in the untenable position of trying to do something “better” than God does it.

[MShep2]

When we “forgive” someone whom God has not forgiven, we place ourselves in the untenable position of trying to do something “better” than God does it.

Profound statement!

There was a popular Christian (?) song in the 70’s titled He The chorus ended with these 2 lines:

Though it makes Him sad to see the way we live
He’ll always say “I forgive”

Leaving the impression that God unilaterally provided forgiveness without any confession. It may be that song that is still influencing folks to grant forgiveness without the requisite confession.