So, time and time again, I've noticed Christians say we must only forgive our brother and vice versa, and that forgiveness is optional. However, when reading this passage, it seems abundantly clear that reconciliation must take priority above most things, to the point of we shouldn't even tithe until we have restored our relationships. Now, there is a little caveat here in that Augustinian taught that reconciliation wasn't needed due to having to travel over seas to do so. However, with the technological advancements like the Internet, contacting someone has never been easier, yet Christians still refuse to reconcile, stating that forgiveness is enough.
The thing is, I cannot fathom God forgiving us without reconciliation, and therefore, cannot fathom His desire for us to be any different.
Now, I find myself always saying things like there are certain sins where reconciliation doesn't make sense, but then I got to thinking - Paul instructed the Corinthians to reconcile with a man who committed incest. That seems like a pretty big sin if you ask me.
When I make statements like "I understand those big sins," I'm generally referring to abuse and rape, and not that I'm promoting it, but those things were fairly commonplace back then, and I dare say physical abuse was just a normal part of life back then. I'm not suggesting we revert, I'm just having trouble understanding where we got the idea that we don't need to reconcile Christian relationships with a truly repentant brother/sister in Christ.
Of note, I want to state I wrote a post previously that had more to do with a personal experience, whereas this is aimed getting theological/biblical input.
The thing is, I cannot fathom God forgiving us without reconciliation, and therefore, cannot fathom His desire for us to be any different.
Now, I find myself always saying things like there are certain sins where reconciliation doesn't make sense, but then I got to thinking - Paul instructed the Corinthians to reconcile with a man who committed incest. That seems like a pretty big sin if you ask me.
When I make statements like "I understand those big sins," I'm generally referring to abuse and rape, and not that I'm promoting it, but those things were fairly commonplace back then, and I dare say physical abuse was just a normal part of life back then. I'm not suggesting we revert, I'm just having trouble understanding where we got the idea that we don't need to reconcile Christian relationships with a truly repentant brother/sister in Christ.
Of note, I want to state I wrote a post previously that had more to do with a personal experience, whereas this is aimed getting theological/biblical input.