Forgiveness

I am likely going to make some very uncomfortable with what I am about to say.  But it is not your discomfort that I seek.  It is your council, your thoughts, and your involvement and participation in a discussion.  Some may sound like stupid questions, but I’d like to ask them anyway.

How important is God’s forgiveness to your salvation?  How important is it to your brother’s salvation?  Could my salvation be somehow linked to the salvation of my brother or my neighbor?

In a book, “A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants”, by Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck, they have selected readings that have inspired them personally in their search for forgiveness of sin, and release from guilt, while striving to have God as a companion in their lives.

Readings for reflection, page 277 cites from “Creation in Chris”t by George MacDonald.

“Every sin and blasphemy,” the Lord said, “will be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” God speaks, as it were, in this manner: “I forgive you everything. Not a word more shall be said about your sins-only come out of them; come out of the darkness of your exile; come into the light of your home, of your birthright; and do evil no more, envy no more; be neither greedy nor vain; love your neighbor as I love you; be my good child; trust in your Father. I am light; come to me, and you shall see things as I see them, and hate the evil thing.  I will make you love the thing which now you call good and love not. I forgive all the past.”

Praise God that every sin and blasphemy has been forgiven unto men.  Thank God I do not have to suffer for the sins of my past….”not a word more will be said about your sins”.  I hope that is a weight lifted off your shoulders, as it is a great weight off mine!

But which sins cannot be forgiven?  What sin can man commit that is impossible for God to forgive? What is sloth?

“I thank you, Lord, for forgiving me, but I prefer staying in the darkness: forgive me that too.”

“No; that cannot be. The one thing that cannot be forgiven is the sin of choosing to be evil, of refusing deliverance. It is impossible to forgive that sin.  It would be to take part in it. To side with wrong against right, with murder against life, cannot be forgiven. The thing that is past, I pass, but he who goes on doing the same, annihilates this my forgiveness, makes it of no effect.”

 

Is refusing to act, to get involved, or to neglect the state of affairs of my brother, a desire on my part to remain in the darkness?  If I refrain from doing evil, but neither do I do good, am I allowing myself and others to remain in their sin?  Is that forgivable?

“Let a man have committed any sin whatever, I forgive him; but to choose to go on sinning-how can I forgive that? It would be to nourish and cherish evil! It would be to let my creation go to ruin. Shall I keep you alive to do things hateful in the sight of all true men? If a man refuse to come out of his sin, he must suffer the vengeance of a love that would be no love if it left him there. Shall I allow my creature to be the thing my soul hates?”

“There is no excuse for this refusal. If we were punished for every fault, there would be no end, no respite; we should have no quiet wherein to repent; but god passes by all he can.  He passes by and forgets a thousand sins, yea, tens of thousands, forgiving them all-only we must begin to do good, begin to do evil no more.”

What if I don’t act?  What if I am not involved? What if I don’t participate? What if I don’t even take time to see?  Can I continue to shut my eyes and simply ignore the plight of my brother?

I hope you will take a few moments to ponder some of these questions and the reflective readings, and then decide if the “status quo” is good enough.