Forgive the Saint

It seems that it is much easier to forgive an outright sinner than a saint among us in the church.  We have a tendency to extend compassion and forgiveness to someone outside our community of faith more than within.  The difficulty with forgiving believers is that we know too much.  One of the things we know is that they should have known better!  After all, we are in the same church and hear the same sermons and "I didn't do it!"  True, but that very thought is in itself a sin too.  It's called self-righteousness.  We all have tendencies or inclinations toward certain sins.  For some it is lust and others it is greed.  Some struggle with lying and others with feelings of superiority and pride.  We all have them.  These inclinations are the potential for sin and maybe even a fall.  The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Cor. 10:12, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"  Walking in an attitude of forgiveness helps us in our Christian walk.  There are a number of reasons why this is true.  Primarily we are setting into motion an atmosphere of grace and forgiveness around us.  We are sowing seeds of forgiveness that keeps bitterness at bay.  These seeds will come back to visit us in the form of forgiveness when we need it for ourselves.  I once knew a believer that had pride about their faith for healing.  When someone was sick around them, they had a tendency to be harsh and judgmental toward the suffering one.  Rather than showing compassion they would quote Scripture that the sick one should be "claiming".  One day the "faith person" became very sick.  When they needed compassion they didn't get it.  People responded to them much like the seeds of harshness they had sown.  "Stand on the Word", people told them.  It was harvest time!  From that experience the suffering "faith person" learned to show compassion to others.  In a way, walking in grace and forgiveness even works when people don't act in faith like we think they should.  We are in essence forgiving them for not walking in their faith life perfectly.  Pride in any setting is always wrong and ugly.  Grace extended is a beautiful thing. 

Forgive the Sinner
Part II

In our last blog we discussed the forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration of a sinner guilty of incest who had been excommunicated from the church. (I Cor. 5) I made the statement that restoration is more difficult for us than excommunication. That may sound harsh but I believe it to be the case.  Just as those who rushed to judgment of the “woman caught in the act of adultery”,

Religious humanity rushes to judgment as if we are incapable of such sinful action.  Paul made it clear that “we are what we are by the Grace of God.”  It is at this point that we face the question, what then is the process of restoration?  The process of restoration is dependent upon the sphere of the offence.  Who has been impacted by the sin and what is the cost of the sin to others.  It is an easy thing for Christians to simply say, “Forgive and forget.”  Of course we must forgive and yes forget but that doesn’t mean that there is not a cost to the sinner for their sin.  Forgiveness is instantaneous but restoration is a process. Sin not only breaks the laws of God, it also breaks the hearts and trust of people.  Forgiveness helps bring healing to those forgiving but trust is something that must be rebuilt by the offender.

For example, if the man who was caught in the sin of incest in I Corinthians 5 was forgiven and received back in the church, is he instantly eligible to resume any leadership activities?  Can he keep the nursery?  May he keep your grandchildren? Can he teach the day he returns?  Can he preach?  Certainly not!  Why?  I thought we had forgiven him!  Yes but for his good and the good of the church we must allow a process of healing for the offender as well as the church.  Repentance opens the door for forgiveness and reconciliation and reconciliation opens the door for restoration.  All this process takes time.  There is also a cost involved that doesn’t guarantee that the offender will ever attain his earlier status in ministry.  He may, but that is in the hands of God.  Our heart must be one of forgiveness and restoration.  However, only the Restorer can accomplish true restoration. May the Lord give us wisdom as we navigate these waters. 

Forgiveness for the Sinner

Part I

2 Cor. 2:5 I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

9I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. 10When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

What a powerful force is forgiveness!  It is most powerful when God extends it toward us but it is also powerful when we extend it to others.  When God forgave us, an He did so completely through Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross, He did so by a decision.  He did not forgive us based on our actions.  He simply but profoundly forgave us without reservation.  He did it without measure.  If it had been done because of our actions then redemption would not have been necessary.  He simply gave to all who believe on the work of Jesus His full forgiveness and reconciliation. 

Paul here is telling the church at Corinth to restore a sinner among them.  This sinner was of such a sort that his vile sin was that of incest.  He had been put out of the church and regarded as a non-believer because of his sin and his resistance to repentance.   Now the actions of the church in putting him out had accomplished repentance and sorrow on behalf of the sinner.  Now is the time for restoration.  Now is the time to do the harder thing than excommunication.  Now is the time to welcome him back in restoration.  Not only has he suffered and shown fruit of his repentance but he is grieving greatly.  How hard it is to now face the one who has so openly sinned and receive him back as “one of us.”  Yet, that is exactly what Paul was instructing the church to do.  It has been said that “it is human to ere but forgiveness is Divine.”  Forgiveness always begins with a choice.

Part II – Next writing

Kingdom Terrorism

Terrorism is a word that we never heard when I was a boy.  Today we hear it most days.  It has always been a part of warfare from the most ancient days.  The word itself is defined as  "the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims."  Certainly the first century Church endured both violence and intimidation as they sought to extend the Kingdom of God in the earth.  Can you imagine learning that a member of your Church was murdered from sharing their testimony at work?  How would that affect us the next time the opportunity arose to share our allegiance to Jesus?  That is the nature and the purpose of terrorism.  It is designed to silence all opposing views of the terrorist.  That is what Saul of Tarsus was all about.  He wanted to stop the "new cult", later called Christianity from spreading.  Imprisonment and execution was part of his tool box.  Until...he met Jesus personally!  Then the hunter became the hunted.  It was this former terrorist who now proclaimed "There is a wide open door for a great work here, although many oppose me." (I Cor. 16:9)  A lesson to be learned here is that there will always be opposition to the Gospel message.  The level and brand of opposition will vary according to the level of social freedom in a particular place but opposition remains constant.  In the Middle East and other places the opposition is much like it was in Paul's day.  People are still imprisoned and murdered for nothing more than the crime of telling others about Jesus. Let's remember our comrades in the love for Jesus and pray for them.  

A Gospel that has been diluted for personal consumption has implied that God is such a God of love and mercy that He never allows his children to suffer.  They gleefully eat spiritual meals from the pulpit that teach of a God who resembles Walt Disney more than Father God.  Now that doesn't mean we need to return to preaching our own brand of Christian terrorism where we use fear and intimation to get people to live according to our standards but we do need to teach Biblical Truth and perspective.  It is the Truth that not only sets us free but also strengthens us and prepares us for war and terrorism from the enemy.  Notice Paul's attitude.  Opposition was not a surprise for him.  He seemed very much at peace and excited in his work in the midst of opposition or terrorism.   Yes he wrote that "many people oppose me", but his emphasis was on "There is a wide open door for a great work here."

May we live and prepare others to live understanding that opposition WILL be a part of our journey and work as "ambassadors for Christ."