. . . your enemy pleads for forgiveness, gives any signs of sincerity, and especially if she or her shows resolve to make amends or to change.
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All Comments (19)
The Judgment Principle (Part 1)
http://christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/2015/Patrick_Burwell
How could Serdar Tatar's Dad have not known why his son wanted to "go Jihad"?
By now everyone knows of Serdar Tatar and Eljivir Duka scheming with 4 others to try and kill as many soldiers as possible at Ft. Dix in New Jersey, a base Tatar regularly went onto to deliver Pizzas for his dad's restaurant. One of Tatar's collaborators said they were planning to "go Jihad" for the perceived attacks against their religion, as reported in the New Jersey Star Ledger, May 9th of 2007. The same day Star 99.1 FM, a Christian radio station, reported Tatar's father had said that he didn't know why his son had been planning this crime.
Wait, what did he say??? He didn't know? Did you find this Dad's comment as strange as I did? I hope you did! Let me explain why with gThe Judgment Principlehc
When I first heard this comment I thought, "How could a Dad not know why his own son was plotting to kill people when he was working for him in his own restaurant?" His son had a tape of Osama Bin Laden, the man who tells all Muslims to "kill the infidels," as he quotes from the Quran to justify his murder of anyone who refuses Islam. His son also had three friends here in the USA illegally. (This is called being an illegal alien not an illegal immigrant). His son had been surveying several targets for his murderous objectives. His son, who said he didn't care what happened to him, is who Bin Laden would call a true Muslim when he was purported as saying he was doing it all for his false God "Allah." How did his Dad not know any of this???
But that is not all that struck me as odd... it was that his Dad's comment sounded so hauntingly familiar...
Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, and then himself. Some of the teachers at the school, and many others since, claimed they didn't understand how he could have done this; why he could have done this.
Ted Haggard was caught in a lifetime of deviance and drug use and yet it seems few could understand why he did it, or how a professing Christian could be so ungodly...
How about the Columbine boys? How quickly was everyone trying to find excuses for them? How they were raised, etc?
It seems we are so quick to excuse evil, so ready to assume goodness... all in direct opposition to what God says:
The heart of man is desperately wicked...
That is what struck me as pretty odd... When you see evil perpetrated and yet you look for excuses explaining why a "good" person would do such gbad.h And yet God says clearly there is NO ONE "good." God judges harshly a people who call evil good and good evil.
When you are quick to find no fault, too quick to excuse culpability, the issue lies in your heart, not theirs; it is your heart that is corrupt.
Quick anger is an obvious need for repentance; but those who look to readily excuse another's responsibility for their sins are just as impenitent about their own.
Jesus told his followers "Donft judge, so that you wonft be judged." And this is a popular quote of Jesus, from Matthew 7, as many use it to try to stop others from exposing evil. But Jesus pointed to the crux of the matter next when He, explaining the result of not judging wisely, said, "For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged... You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brotherfs eye."
Paul understood this in Romans 2: "...you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; Who will pay back to everyone according to their works..." Paul clearly pointed out that we must make wise determinations of another's actions. And he warned of what will happen to those who judge others on what they themselves do.
(More in The Judgment Principle, Part 2 of 2)
http://christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/2014/Patrick_Burwell
Patrick Burwell
OnlyJesusSaves.com
Footnotes:
(1) Jeremiah 17:9 (WEB)
(2) Psalms 14:1 (WEB)
(3) Romans 2
(3) Jeremiah 17:5 (WEB)
November 20, 2007 11:01 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 23:01
I believe several commentators confuse individual forgiveness with the right of nations to bear the sword. Nations have specific scriptural authority to punish wrongdoers (see Romans Chapter 13). This authority extends to capital punishment and war on agressors when necessary.
November 20, 2007 6:21 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 18:21
TO PAT:
Very good post, considering that God created everybody and everything, ultimately all of our sins are against God. You are also right in that sin is sin...
Two of the most important things that I learned in my life, I learned in second grade.
One was that God is Love and when God the Father came into my heart I realized that the statement, "God is Love" was literal.
The second was that we are all equal in God's Eyes. We are all loved by God and we are all God's sons and daughters and it is not other people's place to act that way, it is our's to at least try, if we claim to be "Christian".
Take care, be ready, see you in the Kingdom.
Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.
November 20, 2007 1:44 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 13:44
We forgive for our own sake. Carrying around anger at another warps our own personalities. The other guy goes about his or her business. Anyway, the Bible says we can only sin against God. My interpretation of that is that none of us are good enough to have a leg to stand on when we refuse to forgive others. Our own sin matches theirs, in that God views sin equally.
November 20, 2007 8:35 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 08:35
We forgive for our own sake. Carrying around anger at another warps our own personalities. The other guy goes about his or her business. Anyway, the Bible says we can only sin against God. My interpretation of that is that none of us are good enough to have a leg to stand on when we refuse to forgive others. Our own sin matches theirs, in that God views sin equally.
November 20, 2007 8:35 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 08:35
We forgive for our own sake. Carrying around anger at another warps our own personalities. The other guy goes about his or her business. Anyway, the Bible says we can only sin against God. My interpretation of that is that none of us are good enough to have a leg to stand on when we refuse to forgive others. Our own sin matches theirs, in that God views sin equally.
November 20, 2007 8:35 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 08:35
We forgive for our own sake. Carrying around anger at another warps our own personalities. The other guy goes about his or her business. Anyway, the Bible says we can only sin against God. My interpretation of that is that none of us are good enough to have a leg to stand on when we refuse to forgive others. Our own sin matches theirs, in that God views sin equally.
November 20, 2007 8:35 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 20, 2007 08:35
What the christian world needs is NOT to forgive but to UNDERSTAND others. If you learn to understand, you won't have to committ atrocities and you won't need to apologize. Do I hear hooray to "understanding"?
November 19, 2007 5:22 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 17:22
TO AJDELOSREYES CA-USA:
You wrote, "Afterall, even sincere lovers of God who is pure love lose their cool and calls others names instead of calmly getting together in peace to iron out divergences in opinions.", as you may or may not have noticed from my postings, I do not have a "divergence of opinion" to iron out, I have a job to do.
It doesn't matter if anyone believes that I am the New Testament Moses or not, I am just a messenger, I am not God-Incarnate like Jesus but merely a fellow human being, chosen by God.
There are plenty of people that show their love for God by being decent to their fellow human beings and some of those don't even believe in God.
There are others that believe in God and treat their fellow human beings with, shall we say, less then love and think because they know God's Name that that is what it is about, WHAT A CROCK.
I cannot cast a stone and I am not going to, I just have a job to do. See you all in the Kingdom.
Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.
November 19, 2007 5:01 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 17:01
.
Sincere Thomas Baum is correct: "on the cross, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, said, "Father forgive them" and, and yes, Jesus did not add "if." But wait, what Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, on the cross said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Didn't he? So. That's the "rationale": "they know not what they do." To excise or edit out that portion of his statement is, at least, rather insincere, isn't it?
So, as Chiguaca asked: "Why doesn't God forgive the Devil?"
He didn't? I don't really know. If we think otherwise, could not that be because criminals and other malefactors keep deflecting accusations by asserting, "The Devil made me do it!" They're not the kind of people whose words we should take without reservations. I think it best to paraphrase Pogo and say, "I have met the devil, and he is us." You know what I mean? Afterall, even sincere lovers of God who is pure love lose their cool and calls others names instead of calmly getting together in peace to iron out divergences in opinions.
Forgiveness is unilateral. I tend to feel it so too. Altho, not a few times, I think it is contractual. At least that part of it that supports the bridge that links the forgiven with the forgiving. It is also a social relationship, isn't it? What is the "quality" of your forgiveness, unconditional as it might be, if it does not go beyond its declaration? "I forgive you!" and then? "So, shut up! Get away from me and let me see you never! Go to hell, for all I care!" Is that it?
But, whatever, we forgive--as best we can: the God in us will make us do that.
.
November 19, 2007 4:09 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 16:09
Why doésn´t God forgive the Devil?
November 19, 2007 3:12 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 15:12
TO SHERRI:
Actually, I have met God, I did not see Him.
God is not a he or a she or an it but God is Pure Love but you would be hard-pressed to realize this from some of the absolute garbage being spoken about Him by some of the people that know His Name.
God is a Trinity and Jesus is God-Incarnate so when God became a human being He did become a male human being.
God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof. It is important what you do and why you do it and what you know.
God's Plan is for all of His People to be with Him in His Kingdom and God's People are people, all people.
Take care, be ready, see you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom.
Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.
November 19, 2007 11:30 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 11:30
There is not such thing as God,all you people believe in someone who was never present to your own eyes,he is a comfort or an imagination that gives people hope and happiness,there are numerous cults of conflict,how many religous cults are present today? All i have ever seen is a way for them to get money to pay there own personal bills and to pay rent for the building they preach in,they rely on others who have a good heart to support there needs with free food,and clothing and in return to practice what they preach,what a scam! As forgiving people in your own nature its up to you not what someone tells you what to do!
November 19, 2007 8:48 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 08:48
I also agree with Baum, Joet, and Gandalf full unconditional forgiveness without offender concurrance. This does not mean to me that you would or should put yourself in a situation where the offender can cause further injury. It is up to Jesus to judge and apply justice and retribution. Full forgiveness expects nothing in return.
November 19, 2007 8:47 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 19, 2007 08:47
Entirely agree with Thomas Baum and Joet...it is not forgiveness if it is conditional!
November 16, 2007 9:33 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 16, 2007 09:33
Thomas: with or without the religious premise, you are absolutely right. forgiveness is not conditioned on the offender's contrition. It doesn't have to be forced on the offender because the offender has nothing to do with it. we are called to forgive because it is what we should do personally, as an individual - that is, humbly decline to judge another - period (even if we bring them to justice - another subject altogether). that can be done in the privacy of your own heart.
November 15, 2007 1:20 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 15, 2007 13:20
TO MARTIN MARTY:
You wrote, "You must forgive if:", on the cross Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, said, "Father forgive them", He did not add IF, did He?
Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.
November 15, 2007 10:41 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 15, 2007 10:41
TO CANYON SHEARER:
It is sad that you don't have a clue what being a Christian is suppose to be.
Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.
November 15, 2007 10:36 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 15, 2007 10:36
Dr. Marty,
For the relative shortness of your response, it was quite pithy and good.
This topic is so deep that a 100-page discourse would probably barely scratch the surface, there are so many facets of forgiveness.
You covered a good one, that forgiveness should be freely given if the one that has offended is genuine in their sorrow for wronging you. This is a forgiveness the world can understand.
Another is Jesus' command to love your enemy, Paul adds, "In doing this, you will heap coals on their heads." This is the unrepentant enemy, the person that has wronged you on purpose and will wrong you again tomorrow. Turn the other cheek, says Jesus.
This is the forgiveness that is foolishness to those that are perishing. It is the basic human emotion to return seven-fold any damage done to them. Al Qaeda knocked over about a dozen of our buildings, so we knocked over all of their buildings. Germany sunk a boat with a few Americans on it, so we sunk the pride of every one of their citizens. Japan dropped little bombs on Honolulu early in the morning, so we dropped big bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki early in the morning. Force for force is the world model.
Jesus said, "Whosoever is forgiven much, loves much." In forgiveness, Jesus caused introspection and sorrow. The forgiveness came first and the necessary repentance came afterwards.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In earlier convenants, in order for the deadliness of sin to be understood, God gave His ordained judges the authority to enforce an eye-for-an-eye, a tooth-for-a-tooth sentences. Blasphemers, thieves, adulterers; the punishment under God's ordained judges for these was death. Today, God does not give us the authority to enforce penalties against Him, He is storing up wrath for the Day of Judgment to be poured out on the unrepentant. Today, we have become complacent because very few people (Mussolini and Voltaire are exceptions) are stricten dead within a correlated timeframe from when they show their hatred of God by cursing His name. In our present day, the adulterer walks free of man's judgment, but God said, "Whosoever looks upon someone to lust after them has committed adultery with them already in their heart." God's longsuffering is the only thing keeping the adulterer from facing an eternity in Hell. 15,000 homicides go unsolved each year, society is powerless to punish these murderers. But we are confident in this, that God will send not only the adulterers, murderers, and rapists to the lake of fire, but also the liars, and the thieves, the blasphemers, and the fornicators.
The Bible tells us that the soul that sins, it shall die. God has showed towards you His mercy in patiently enduring your iniquity. You have been given a temporary reprieve in order that you be called to repentance. God has temporarily forgiven you much, but His wrath abides on you and He will not ignore sin forever. If you die in your sins, you will face the second death, the death of the soul, a conscious eternity of pain, separation from all of the goodness of God, and weeping and nashing of teeth.
But here is love, not that you loved God, but that He loved you, He sent His Son to be the propitiation for your sins. Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, was born of a virgin where He lived a perfect life of righteousness, forgiveness, correction, reproving, and submission to God. He had not earned a single lash of the whip for trespassing the law of God, but He willingly stepped up and took your lashes so that you wouldn't have to. Jesus Christ was beaten beyond recognition in the most deliberate and painful of ways. Then He was hung on the cross in your stead, He died a sinner's death so you won't have to.
He was laid in the tomb, dead for three days, but on the third day He rose from the grave and defeated death. In this, if you'll place your faith in Christ to save you, you will be granted eternal life, and while your body will die, your soul will live with God for eternity.
While you were yet sinning, Christ died for you, so that you can be forgiven. If you'll place your trust in Jesus Christ, He will save you, and while you have been forgiven much, you will love much, and Christ's love will work in your life the repentance necessary to complete the redemptive requirements which Dr. Marty spoke of.
November 14, 2007 11:30 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on November 14, 2007 23:30