What Does Forgiveness Look Like in Practice?

[Karl Peters]

My husband gave a great answer to my op:

Forgiveness is not seeking personal vengeance and taking as many steps towards reconciliation as wisdom allows.

I agree with this because I believe God treats us this way. He goes beyond just not seeking personal vengeance as much as possible.

Good point!

The topic should be stay upon. Yet how do we really know about forgiveness and vengeance if we don't actually seek Him??

Do we even understand the difference between vengeance and pointing people to Jesus Christ, as in actually seeking His voice, if we don't seek His voice ourselves???

We can forgive others for not actually seeking Jesus Christ and instead they lean on their own understanding, but that does not mean we stop telling people about Jesus Christ!!

 

[Wynona]

Do we even understand the difference between vengeance and pointing people to Jesus Christ, as in actually seeking His voice, if we don't seek His voice ourselves???

Maybe not, brother...
Maybe not.

 

[Karl Peters]

Maybe not, brother...
Maybe not.

I want to apologize for getting off the subject of forgiveness in practice. Still, I believe from my time with the Lord that by practice listening to the Lord is how we get the teachings we need on forgiveness, and also vengeance as brought up.

Let me give a couple of examples:

When I helped in the healing ministry the Lord had me in for five years; I learned the importance of talking to and listening to the Lord while working in that ministry. Now everyone working in that ministry would come to know the importance of "Forgiveness" pretty quickly. Indeed some working there would tend to make it a rule to start ministering by leading the person coming in for healing through forgiveness. In fact the church had the healing ministry I was in and also a deep healing ministry and in that they did make it a rule to cover forgiveness. Yet from my experience that was not what should have been done.

I always made it about hearing the Lord for instructions first and foremost. Yeah, He so often asked me to lead the person through forgiveness, but not always!!!! What we always did was try and hook them up with the voice of the Lord!! Sometimes they seem to need to forgive others before they could hear from Him and get their healing, but not always.

Indeed, since Christians were coming in, many already had a habit of generally forgiving others - which reminds me of you and what you write. And it is written that if we harken to His voice and keep His commands He will heal our land, so forgiveness is not part of that statement.

Ex 15:26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

So while forgiveness is important, the foremost thing is to practice hearing His voice, even to find out who and if we need to forgive others!!! And I put it out that by practice, even when it comes to finding out where forgiveness comes into out lives, is the practice of hearing His voice!

Heb 5: 12,13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

So our practice is of using our spiritual senses, and that will lead to forgiveness, right?

Another thing we miss when we say something like:

Forgiveness is not seeking personal vengeance

Is that Jesus on the cross was not just avoiding taking personal vengeance!! He was asking the Father to forgive them, which is something beyond just saying 'Father I forgive them' - which would what is said if we are avoiding taking personal vengeance.

Jesus said "Father forgive them", not "Father I forgive them" He was in fact trying to kept the Father's righteous vengeance off of us!!!

Indeed, from what I saw, even in the better Christian ministries, they promote saying, "Father I forgive them" as opposed to praying, "Father forgive them."

It is such a small difference, but is it not a massive difference!! The first should keep our desire to have them held responsible (our vengeance) off them, but the second should help keep the Father's desire to have them held accountable off them!!

Therefore God's Salvation (Jesus Christ) has a better prayer than our prayer, right?

I had missed that most of my time as a Christian, and I did not see the little difference from the teachings coming from other people at the church. That was one of many little things, that turn out to be massive, from actually seeking the Lord and hearing from my Teacher and Saviour (Jesus Christ)

So if we are talking about "in practice", as mentioned in the OP - a conversation about the importance of hearing the Lord, even about forgiveness, is critical!

 

[Jim B]

AND just what was ol satan trying to quoate to JESUS . IT IS WRITTEN .
OH YES HE CAN QUOATE TRUTHS . OH YES HE CAN . BUT AGAIN beware HIS TWIST .
CAUSE HIMS GONNA BRING ANOTHER VERSION OF LOVE that aint love him .
NOW You just got proved dead wrongagain . GO AHEAD JIM
TELL ME NOW that the devil cant quoate scrips . AND YET USE THEM , TWIST THEM . OH YEAH HE DO JIM .
AND SADLY most of christendom is buying his verision of WHAT HE CALLS THE LOVE OF GOD .
GO ahead and prove to me in scrips where the devil cannot quoate IT IS WRITTEN . I MEAN he can
quoate it WORD FOR WORD JIMMY , just like the progressive social all inclusive preaches n leaders can .
BUT BE WARNED , SATAN as well as them are POINTING YOU and others to A SENSUAL VERSION OF LOVE
a version the world can grab onto . BUT IT SURE AINT GONNA SAVE THEM , NOR IS IT LOVE , NOR COMETH IT OF GOD .
FOR IF IT was the LOVE OF GOD , IT WOULD NOT CONTRADICT TRUTH JIMMY .
IT WOULD NOT preach and embrace in lies . AND IT WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THE PATH TO GOD BROAD
under A FALSE LOVE EITHER

The usual nonsense and the usual poor English.

It is beyond absurd to claim that most of Christendom is buying his version of WHAT HE CALLS THE LOVE OF GOD. That is total nonsense. MOST OF CHRISTENDOM BELIEVES SATAN??? RIDICULOUS!!!

And then you make the even more absurd claim that "the progressive social all inclusive preaches n leaders". Again, you attack the body of Christ!!! Don't you realize what you're doing???

Then you say, " IF IT was the LOVE OF GOD , IT WOULD NOT CONTRADICT TRUTH JIMMY" You know what? IT DOESN'T! It just contradicts your false ideas.

 

[Jim B]

Go ahead jim , lets stick to the subject at hand .
PROVE TO ME WHERE I AM WRONG , PROVE TO ME THAT SATAN CANNOT qoaute the scrip verbatum
and YET BRING a twist . HE SURE CAN SAY GOD IS LOVE
HEY JIM HE has been doing it through lustful men for years jim . LEADING ALL ASTRAY under a love
that came not of GOD .

Show me anywhere (besides your imagination) Satan says "God is love". YOU CAN'T! It's all in your imagination!

"LEADING ALL ASTRAY under a love that came not of GOD" ??? Seriously??? This time you have outdone yourself! Try reading the Bible and learn what it actually says!

 

[Jim B]

REST My case JIM . You just keep on falling short . Now i have come to try and help you .
GET IN the BIBLE JIM . GET IN IT and FLEE the social all inclusive progressive love of GOD it is trying to sell ya . CAUSE IT AINT OF GOD
and IT SURE AINT LOVE

"REST My case JIM". Seriously! THANK YOU!!!

 

[Jim B]

According to the flesh JESUS was A JEW
and LOOK AT what HE TOLD the UNBELIEVING JEW .
YE are of your FATHER the devil . MAN jim you are actually helping me to make my point .

So you didn't rest your case! Why write that if you don't mean it? Satan is "the father of lies".

Jesus diD indeed criticize the unbelieving Jews of His time. So what? There is a lot of criticism of unbelievers. BUT YOU CRITICIZE BELIEVERS, SOMETHING JESUS NEVER DID.

Your point is to prove that humanity WHOM GOD LOVES is evil. You and God say entirely different things. GOD IS LOVE.

1 John 4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." READ THAT VERSE OVER AND OVER UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND IT!!

 

[Jim B]

THEY were all jews , cept luke is right .
AND paul a jew told the unbelieving jews as HE SHOOK the dust off his feet as a testimony agianst them ................
GO on jim , you are making this so simple for me .
I sure hope you are ready to listen now . Wait , you were not about to pull the racist card out agaist me
LIKE YOU DO as times . You were not going to try and make it seem like i hate even the jews
just like you try and make it seem like i hate muslims
or gays . JUST CAUSE I CORRECT . JIM , your card and tatics WILL NEVER WORK on a lamb .
JESUS is WITH THE LAMBS and a mouth he does give us .
TRY POINTING TO CHRIST .

Read my previous post.

 

[Jim B]

Progressives no likey lambs that know those bibles . Lambs that follow JESUS
that embrace and love the scriptures .
its easy for progressives to come into churches and decieve many
cause many AINT BEEN reading the bible for themselves .

You no likey lambs that know those bibles. Unfortunately I and many others know exactly what the Bible says, which is why your message is unacceptable to people that know the truth.

 

[Nancy]

... against the pricks. LOL!!!

BTW, if anyone runs out of gas or steam, they know it immediately, LOL!

Acts 9:5-6 - "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks"​

Or, "goads" Know your versions...they mean the same thing. Look it up and you will understand what that means.

 

[Jim B]

@Jim B and @amigo de christo please, no more arguing against each other on this topic. The topic is, what does forgiveness look like?

What is your suggestion as to what to do when I am personally and repeatedly attacked?

 

[Nancy]

Yeah GOD IS LOVE and until you see that the mulsims or any other religion DONT WORSHIP the same GOD we do
THEN MAYBE YOU WILL HAVE THE LOVE OF GOD that would say YE MUST BELIEVE ON JESUS AS THE CHRIST .
YOU aint seeing it . cause again you sat under men who twisted stuff .
YOU DO realize the serpent can say GOD IS LOVE and yet the love he brings WONT HONOR THE SON
THUS IT IN NO WAY HONORS THE FATHER . THE MUSLIMS are as lost as the jews were WHO DIDNT BELIEVE JESUS WAS THE CHRIST .
NOW JESUS Didnt tell the unbelieving jews
OH YE WORSHIP GOD , HE said YE ARE of your father the devil . SAME THING he would tell any other religon .
JIM , stop buying this false love and BUY THE TRUE LOVE that cometh of GOD .
AND THE TRUE LOVE OF GOD would POINT ITS NEIGHBOR TO JESUS AS THE CHRIST , to BELIEVE ON HIM
the muslims DONT JIM . THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE JESUS as the CHRIST .
I have talked to some . THEY will say oh we do believe in JESUS . BUT NOT THE JESUS OF YOUR BIBLE
NOT THE JESUS of YOUR BIBLE . HE IS NOT THE CHIRST they say HE IS NOT THE SON OF GOD .
IN EFFECT THEY CALL GOD A LIAR . THEY DO NOT WORSHIP THE SAME GOD christains do .
NOW THEY DO worship the same god the all inclusive many path accepting lie does . BUT DO UNDERSTAND
why i didnt capitilze that god . SATAN aint been sleeping jim .
SATAN KNOWS JESUS IS THE CHRIST . SATAN KNOWS ONE MUST BELIEVE IN HIM TO BE SAVED .
SO SATAN IS GONNA PRODUCE TWO THINGS . another jesus that contradicts THE JESUS
and another love that contradicts THE LOVE of GOD . YOU WOULD SEE THAT IF YA GOT THAT HEAD IN THE BIBLE
and stopped heeding these scripture twisters who HAVE NOT THE LOVE OF GOD at all in them .

"mulsims or any other religion DONT WORSHIP the same GOD we do"

100% agreed. We do NOT serve a God who instructs to kill others among, many other things.
I bet Muhammad is still in his grave too.

 

[Lambano]

What is your suggestion as to what to do when I am personally and repeatedly attacked?

39 But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. -Matthew 5:39

An appropriate verse for a thread about forgiveness.

 

[Jim B]

39 But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. -Matthew 5:39

An appropriate verse for a thread about forgiveness.

Is that why Jesus and John the Baptizer called their opponents a "brood of vipers"? And why Paul said about his opponents that they should castrate themselves?

 

[Jim B]

combined with an earlier post...

 

[Lambano]

9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.- 1 Peter 3:9

 

[Jim B]

"mulsims or any other religion DONT WORSHIP the same GOD we do"

100% agreed. We do NOT serve a God who instructs to kill others among, many other things.
I bet Muhammad is still in his grave too.

Muslims do worship the same God that we do. That is a fact!

BTW, remember the crusades, when Christians committed mass murder?

 

[Jim B]

9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.- 1 Peter 3:9

Jesus and John the Baptizer called their opponents a "brood of vipers"? And Paul said about his opponents that they should castrate themselves?

 

[Nancy]

Muslims do worship the same God that we do. That is a fact!

BTW, remember the crusades, when Christians committed mass murder?

How can the God of Muhammad be the Father of Jesus Christ??!! Muhammad taught "
A peaceful Islam?

"Harlan Johnson’s claim that Islamic terrorists betray the teachings of the Quran was very much misguided. Presumably, in his desire to believe that Islam is a religion of peace, he assumed a lot about what the Quran actually says.

The Quran has 123 verses that call for fighting and killing anyone who does not agree with the statement, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” Jews and Christians are specifically included among such “infidels.”


The Quran’s Sura 5:33 says about infidels, “They shall be slain or crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off.” Sura 9:5 says, “Slay the infidels wherever you find them ... and lie in wait for them ... and establish every stratagem (of war against them).” Sura 47:4-9 promises paradise to whoever cuts off the head of an infidel."

Letter: Quran has 123 verses that call for fighting

A peaceful Islam? Harlan Johnson’s claim that Islamic terrorists betray the teachings of the Quran was very much misguided. Presumably, in his desire to believe that Islam is a religion of peace, h…

www.rrstar.com

 

[Nancy]

Muslims do worship the same God that we do. That is a fact!

BTW, remember the crusades, when Christians committed mass murder?

Jim, just by doing a "comparison" of who did more evil has not a thing, IMHO- to do with OUR ONE and ONLY God. (haha, lol...all three Cap. words start with "O", hmmm...must be a deeper meaning to that :O ) j/k