Reconciliation
Forgive wicked offenses so that you can receive a royal pardon for your own offenses. The greater the wrongs you forgive, the greater the pardon you will receive. Therefore, we have been told to say, "Forgive us, as we forgive." This teaches us that the measure of our forgiveness begins with us. As a result, the degree to which we benefit from the enemy's attacks is proportionate to their severity. So then let us eagerly seek reconciliation with those who might have hurt us, whether or not they were right...—St. John Chrysostom (347-497)
Christ tells us to go to those who provoke us. He said, "Forgive your debtors in order that your Father may also forgive your trespasses." Christ didn't offer us a small reward, but an exceedingly great one. So then, reflecting on all this, considering the reward, and remembering that wiping away sins doesn't take much work and passion, let us forgive those who have wronged us.
Labels: Forgiveness, John Chrysostom
posted by King of Peace @ Monday, April 14, 2008
4 Comments:
At 4/14/2008 6:03 PM,
Anonymous said…
Shouldn't forgiveness be sincere? Honestly, this sounds like, "Forgive and get a prize."
At 4/14/2008 7:01 PM,
Anonymous said…
I've always thought that all sins were equal in God's sight. They all separate us from Him and they all have to be covered by Jesus' blood.
It's our harm to others and others' harm to us that can be judged on a severity basis. We do have to be willing to forgive lest that attitude stand between us and Christ. Fortunately, Jesus is there to help with that as well.
At 4/14/2008 8:44 PM,
Anonymous said…
How can sins be equal? Yes, they all separate us from God.
So expain the sin of stealing a candy bar from a store and the sin of murder.
One is a much easier to forgive than the other from those who were effected. Right?
At 4/16/2008 8:00 PM,
Robin D. said…
Kenny is right. Murder separates us from God just as stealing a candy bar does.
The most dire consequence of both is not what punishment a jury of men may sentence you to, but an eternity without God.
Sin is what keeps us from God. If we die in that separation, then we die for all eternity.
If we receive and claim pardon as Jesus' sacrifice assured us, then we can die in the knowledge that we will be with God for all eternity.
In the light of the REALLY BIG PICTURE, which is all of time and eternity, (i.e. infinity) both sins are so close as to be equal.
∞ - 1 ≈ ∞
∞ - 1,000,000,000 ≈ ∞
In that equation the only value is the value assigned to it by God. To find that we must look to the reference material; the Bible and other sacred writings.
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