Dr. Stephen Phinney: Unforgiveness results in a person living in a prison of their own making. The bars of the prison are the offended person’s anger, resentment, etc.
I love this, one of your best Stephen. Your examples to Rick are stunning. How many of us stand in our forgiveness? Standing in forgiveness is the definition of courage. I have never been asked to stand in reverent courage like you have. I pray I stand as you have when asked.
Since my flesh is cowardly, today, I refuse to be a coward before the Lord. His proactive demonstration of forgiveness is my empowerment to do the same FOR Him. Courage is belief in action.
Here is a sincere question, my friend. Is a Christian to forgive when the offender does not repent? That is not the way God offers salvation to us. Now, in my theology, he provides the gift of repentance to the offender - that is what he does with us. So we repent and get saved.
Let’s say you poke me in the eye and walk away. I am in pain, you have moved on, and yet I am to forgive you. But every time you come near me you poke me on the eye. You are not seeking any forgiveness. You are happy about what you are doing. In fact, you seek me out to poke me in the eye. There is no thought of repentance.
My opinion is I certainly need to work with Jesus on my heart toward that person and search myself for my part. But forgiveness?
Here is another extreme example to make a point. Let’s say a teenage girl in my church gets raped and beaten by someone from ISIS. Are we to tell her she needs to forgive her rapist? What a cruel thing to say to her, especially in the immediate aftermath. But Christian’s harm victims with these words all the time.
I’ve been a Christian for over 40 years. I know this seems basic. But how do you teach forgiveness based on the above scenarios!
Rick, thanks for taking the time to explore the issue of forgiveness. As for the offended, we are called to stand in existing forgiveness as Jesus does with us - it's called extending Grace. Forgiveness is not dependent on whether people acknowledge their wrongs. Such is the case when Jesus said on the Cross, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do." When we live a daily lifestyle of standing in forgiveness, we then are able to reach them with the Gospel. As for rape, or any other offense, I will answer that with a story.
One of my sisters in Christ shared her story of forgiveness in my office on day. As she unfolded her story, she got to the part where the raper was doing his thing. She looked him in in the eyes and said, "I forgive you. Jesus loves you despite what you're doing." He jumps off of her and ran into the dark alley. She called this the most powerful event in her life.
This woman is one of my faith heroes today. Several years after this event, I was faced with a difficult decision. While I was at the home of a local gang leader, in walks the husband of the wife that invited me to come and share the Gospel with her family and friends. This husband was known as a murderer and certainly wanted by the law. He walks up to me, pulls his gun out, presses it against my forehead and says, "Shut your mouth or die." Since I already forgave him before he entered the room, I pressed into his gun and said, "Shoot, I will not stop sharing the love of Jesus Christ to your family. For I love you with the love of Jesus." Tears began rolling down his cheek. He put his gun away and sat down to listen.
At the end of the meeting, he approached me privately. He told me he was split seconds away from pulling the trigger. I told him he cannot do anything to me that my Father does not allow. He asked me a question that changed my life forever. "Where do you get this kind of love?" I shared the Gospel with him, and he received Christ into his life. Today, he is a close brother. I discipled him, and he now leads a powerful ministry in the inner city that reaches gang members. His music and teachings are populated throughout America. Before most concerts, he tells the same story I just told you.
Rick, I could not have responded this way without this woman's testimony, certainly without Jesus revealing the power of STANDING in forgiveness before the offense. It matters NOT to me the "theology" of others. I know this, what Jesus said to His Father on the Cross required forgiving those who crucified Him before they repented, which, as we know, never happened.
1. I Am The Judge
2. Jail Time.
The Results Of My Fleshly Reactions
3. Get Out Of Jail Free Card.
I Choose To Extend Forgiveness
You got it! It's plain and simple.
I love this, one of your best Stephen. Your examples to Rick are stunning. How many of us stand in our forgiveness? Standing in forgiveness is the definition of courage. I have never been asked to stand in reverent courage like you have. I pray I stand as you have when asked.
Since my flesh is cowardly, today, I refuse to be a coward before the Lord. His proactive demonstration of forgiveness is my empowerment to do the same FOR Him. Courage is belief in action.
Here is a sincere question, my friend. Is a Christian to forgive when the offender does not repent? That is not the way God offers salvation to us. Now, in my theology, he provides the gift of repentance to the offender - that is what he does with us. So we repent and get saved.
Let’s say you poke me in the eye and walk away. I am in pain, you have moved on, and yet I am to forgive you. But every time you come near me you poke me on the eye. You are not seeking any forgiveness. You are happy about what you are doing. In fact, you seek me out to poke me in the eye. There is no thought of repentance.
My opinion is I certainly need to work with Jesus on my heart toward that person and search myself for my part. But forgiveness?
Here is another extreme example to make a point. Let’s say a teenage girl in my church gets raped and beaten by someone from ISIS. Are we to tell her she needs to forgive her rapist? What a cruel thing to say to her, especially in the immediate aftermath. But Christian’s harm victims with these words all the time.
I’ve been a Christian for over 40 years. I know this seems basic. But how do you teach forgiveness based on the above scenarios!
Thanks
Rick, thanks for taking the time to explore the issue of forgiveness. As for the offended, we are called to stand in existing forgiveness as Jesus does with us - it's called extending Grace. Forgiveness is not dependent on whether people acknowledge their wrongs. Such is the case when Jesus said on the Cross, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do." When we live a daily lifestyle of standing in forgiveness, we then are able to reach them with the Gospel. As for rape, or any other offense, I will answer that with a story.
One of my sisters in Christ shared her story of forgiveness in my office on day. As she unfolded her story, she got to the part where the raper was doing his thing. She looked him in in the eyes and said, "I forgive you. Jesus loves you despite what you're doing." He jumps off of her and ran into the dark alley. She called this the most powerful event in her life.
This woman is one of my faith heroes today. Several years after this event, I was faced with a difficult decision. While I was at the home of a local gang leader, in walks the husband of the wife that invited me to come and share the Gospel with her family and friends. This husband was known as a murderer and certainly wanted by the law. He walks up to me, pulls his gun out, presses it against my forehead and says, "Shut your mouth or die." Since I already forgave him before he entered the room, I pressed into his gun and said, "Shoot, I will not stop sharing the love of Jesus Christ to your family. For I love you with the love of Jesus." Tears began rolling down his cheek. He put his gun away and sat down to listen.
At the end of the meeting, he approached me privately. He told me he was split seconds away from pulling the trigger. I told him he cannot do anything to me that my Father does not allow. He asked me a question that changed my life forever. "Where do you get this kind of love?" I shared the Gospel with him, and he received Christ into his life. Today, he is a close brother. I discipled him, and he now leads a powerful ministry in the inner city that reaches gang members. His music and teachings are populated throughout America. Before most concerts, he tells the same story I just told you.
Rick, I could not have responded this way without this woman's testimony, certainly without Jesus revealing the power of STANDING in forgiveness before the offense. It matters NOT to me the "theology" of others. I know this, what Jesus said to His Father on the Cross required forgiving those who crucified Him before they repented, which, as we know, never happened.