Christians: What is forgiveness?

Question

How can Christians justify forgiveness of someone and then turn around and demand that person pay the penalty of transgression? How do you justify the way you forgive?

Christians are taught to forgive each other for their sins against each other, yet today, Christians claim a person should pay a penalty, such as go to prison, for comitting whatever constitutes a sin according to the govt. Where is jesus in all of this? How can you oppose his doctrine to justify yours?

Answer 1

they forgive no-one.

Answer 2

How is it different anywhere else in the world or in other religions?

I mean by your name I believe you must be a Hindu. So, in India its the same.. Worst... In fact, ever heard about the "punishment" where the "wife" is forced to "be burnt alive" when her husband dies and she becomes a widow? This is worse because she has to die even though she did NOTHING wrong.

And here you are asking why a "criminal" should not be punished? ? ?

Your question is redundant because in this respect NO country has a system where say you murdered a person, the Judge is going to say, "So you are sorry now. Ok. You are released".

nevertheless, God may forgive one day in the spirit realm when one repents ( refer to the website below )

As one person put it, suppose for those who did a horrendous crime that deserve the death penalty...
The "hero" says to the "public" regarding the "offender" that he executes,

" I'm actually not punishing him . I believe that only God can judge a person. Nevertheless, I am just arranging the offender's meeting with God ".

"hero" = Judicial system.
"offender" = criminal

:)

Answer 3

Christians are called by God to forgive anyone and everyone that sins against them. They are also freely forgiven by God when they ask for it. We live in a world that is not governed by any one religion so laws have been created to protect people and property from harm. When a person kills another human being, society tends not to want the killer to be able to kill anyone else so they put the killer in a place apart from society (jail).

I accept the fact that I am a sinner and while I constantly work to make myself better, I continue to make mistakes and harbor resentments. I work hard at forgiving others and forgiving myself for things that have happened. It's a constant struggle and your question really made me think this morning so thank you!

Answer 4

I do forgive people when they do something wrong to me, I cant stop the law justice will happen if the person goes to jail they do if not thats fine

Answer 5

Forgiveness doesn't mean that someone shouldn't pay pentalties according to Law. Forgiveness is simply saying I do not hold this against you anymore.

Answer 6

There is a difference between forgiveness and justice or forgiveness and consequences. We still have those.We just aren't considered scum of the earth anymore

Answer 7

Forgiveness is not the same as not having any consequences.

Forgiveness is really a process of restoring a relationship. Justice served is, like it or not, part of that process.

Answer 8

True forgiveness is the recognition that the rational for forgiveness never existed outside of the mind that thought that it was necessary.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 9

The Scriptures state, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Christ paid the for penalty of our sin. We all deserve death, which is the ultimate penalty for sin. Everyone will pay for their sin unless they come to Christ, who has paid the penalty for our sin with His blood. Adam and Eve suffered consequences for their sin by being expelled from the Garden. Instead of using the word consequences, you should think of the word discipline. Read what the writer of Hebrews says about discipline and its purpose in Hebrews 12:5-11, "And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, 'My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.'”

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:5-11).

God shows His love by correcting us and/or using discipline to bring us to where He wants us to be. What does a good father do when he sees his child straying away from the right path to go his own way? He brings him back by means of discipline. Now discipline can come in many forms depending on the seriousness of the offense. If a child is never disciplined (or suffers consequence for his wrong action), he will never learn what is right.

Therefore, out of love God disciplines those who are His. If you never suffered the consequence of your sin how would you know when you are doing right or wrong? The Psalmist says "Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread; they wouldn’t think of praying to God" (Psalm 53:4). See also Psalm 10:11, "The wicked say to themselves, 'God isn’t watching! He will never notice!'” If God did not allow consequences, we would not learn from our mistakes and change our ways. God only disciplines those who are His and He does this out of love for us, not to harm us or tear us down. It is God's way of saying, "son you are going the wrong way and it is time to turn around and do what is right." If we are not corrected when we do wrong then we will keep doing wrong.

God has paid the penalty for our sins so we will not have to suffer the second death, which is hell. Because of His love for us, He disciplines us and brings us into the relationship with Him that He desires. So the next time you feel you are suffering consequences for your sin, remember it is God disciplining out of love.

Recommended Resources: Who Gives a R. I. P. About Sin?: Breaking Sin's Death Grip on Your Life by Norm Wakefield.

Answer 10

There is also a thing called justice. God , in his justice banished us from heaven, then fogave us by sending His only Son to die for our sins and redeem us.

Answer 11

The greater injustice would allow that person to continue to do the same things again and again.