Since God withholds forgiveness, can we? | GotQuestions.org

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In today's video I'll answer your question, Since God Withholds Forgiveness, Can We? Then afterward, as always,

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I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. The Bible speaks a great deal about forgiveness—both

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God's forgiveness of sinful human beings and the forgiveness that human beings should have for each other.

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But these are not two separate, unrelated issues of forgiveness. Rather, they are vitally linked.

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Intimacy with God and day -to -day cleansing are dependent on our forgiveness of others and our forgiveness of others is to be patterned on and an example of God's forgiveness of us.

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So, this question is an important one. God commands us to forgive. Our forgiveness is to follow

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God's example, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

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Ephesians 4, verse 32. Our forgiveness is to be always available. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,

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Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?

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Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy -seven times. Matthew 18, verses 21–22.

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Our forgiveness is to model mercy. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

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Luke 6, verse 36. Is it ever right to withhold forgiveness? After all,

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God withholds His forgiveness from the unrepentant. Sinners in hell remain unforgiven for eternity.

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Those who violate the command to turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus have resisted the

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Holy Spirit and, in essence, commit the unpardonable sin. God's requirement that sinners repent of sin does not mean

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God is unwilling or unready to forgive. His heart is willing, and He wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

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1 Timothy 2, verse 4. He has gone to the most extreme lengths imaginable to provide the means by which

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He can forgive. He sent His Son. Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, God freely offers forgiveness.

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In the same way, we should be willing and ready to extend forgiveness to anyone who acts.

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Luke 17, verse 4. If we are truly thankful for our own forgiveness, we should have no hesitancy in granting forgiveness to a repentant offender, even if the wrong is repeated again and again.

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After all, we too sin again and again, and we are thankful that God forgives us.

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One type of forgiveness accomplishes a reconciliation between two parties. The other type of forgiveness does not accomplish reconciliation.

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For example, God's forgiveness of the believer results in reconciliation between the believer and God.

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2 Corinthians 5, verses 18–19 says that God reconciled us to Himself through Christ.

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God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.

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When we are saved, God cancels the debt we owed and restores our relationship. In Christ, we now have a favorable relationship with God and are accounted

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His children. 1 John 3, verse 1. But the Bible also reveals a type of forgiveness that does not lead to reconciliation.

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On the cross, Jesus prayed, "'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'"

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Luke 23, verse 34. But not everyone present at Golgotha that day was reconciled to God.

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Jesus prayed that they would be forgiven, but no reconciliation resulted. Was Jesus sincere in His prayer?

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Yes. Was universal reconciliation the result? No. In the same way,

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Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, prayed, "'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'"

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Acts 7, verse 60. Stephen held no bitterness, and he forgave his murderers.

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They were not reconciled to him, but the type of forgiveness he extended did not require that.

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We forgive others because we have been forgiven by God. We forgive because God commands us to forgive.

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We forgive because we must not harbor bitterness in our hearts or repay evil for evil.

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When we forgive, we reflect the heart of God, who is patient and does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent.

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2 Peter 3, verse 9. Our Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but is pleased when they turn from their ways and live.

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Ezekiel 18, verse 23. The fact that reconciliation does not always follow forgiveness means that the restoration of trust is not automatic.

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It is wrong to think that forgiving an abusive spouse today means the separation should end tomorrow.

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Scripture gives us many reasons to distrust those who have proven themselves untrustworthy.

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See Luke 16, verses 10–12. Rebuilding trust can only begin after a process of reconciliation.

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And as we've seen, reconciliation does not always proceed from forgiveness. Want to learn more?

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Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book

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I recommend, along with links to several related questions. If you'd like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you're interested in Bite -sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it's linked right here.