Forgiveness a sin?

When Forgiveness is a Sin !
The Cost of forgiveness.
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:13-20.

Isaiah 30:15 "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength but you would have none of it.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The more a man knows, the more he forgives.
(Catherine11 of Russia (1729-1796)

'The voice of sin is loud. but the voice of forgiveness is louder
Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899)

They who forgive most shall most be forgiven
Phillip James Bailey ( 1816-1902)

To return evil for good is devilish to return good for good is human; but to return good for evil is godlike.

If God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him
CS Lewis 1898-1963.

That's the wonderful truth, if we have truly confessed, and repented of our sins the Lord will forgive.

But can we forgive to easily?
Can forgiveness be expected because it is the Christian thing ?

Can Forgiveness become Cheap and meaningless. ? Can we under estimate the Cost of Forgiveness. ? Can there be forgiveness real forgiveness without True Repentance ?

Paul said in Acts 20: 21 "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus".
Luke 24:45 "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem".

Dennis Prager who host a Radio Programme in America and is Jewish tells the story and ask the Question:

"THE BODIES of the three teenage girls shot dead last December by a fellow student at an American high school were not yet cold before some of their school mates hung up a sign announcing, "We forgive you, Mike!' They were referring to Michael Carneal, the 14-year-old killer.
This automatic forgiveness is not surprising.
Many Christians have adopted the idea that they should forgive everyone who commits evil against anyone, no matter how great and cruel and whether or not the evildoer repents.
The number of examples is almost as large as the number of heinous crimes.
For instance, an American church minister announced that it was the duty of all Christians to forgive Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber who murdered 168 people. "Can each of you look at a picture of Timothy McVeigh and forgive him?
The Reverend John Miller asked. "I have, and I invite you do the same."
Though I am Jewish, ( Dennis Prager) I believe that vibrant Christianity is essential if society's moral decline is to be reversed. And despite theological differences, Christianity and Judaism have served as the bedrock of modern civilization.
I am appalled and frightened by this feel-good doctrine of automatic forgiveness.
This doctrine advances the amoral notion that no matter how much you hurt others, your fellow citizens will forgive you.
It destroys Christianity's central moral tenets about forgiveness. Even by God, forgiveness requires repentance, and it can be given only by the one sinned against.
"And if your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him,"
"And if seven times of the day he sins against you, and seven times of the day turns to you saying, I repent, you shall forgive him."
Luke 17:3-4.

These days one often hears that "It is the Christian's duty to forgive, just as Jesus forgave those who crucified him.'"
Of course, Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified him. But Jesus never asked God to forgive those who had crucified thousands of other innocent people.

Presumably he recognized that no one has the right to forgive evil done to others.

You and I have no right, religiously or morally to forgive McVeigh or Caneal; only those they sinned against have that right.

If we are automatically forgiven no matter what we do, why repent ?
In fact, if we forgive everybody for all the evil they do, God and his forgiveness are unnecessary. We have substituted ourselves for God." End quote:
We turn to the Word of God for the Test:

Mark 1:4 And so John came, baptising in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River
Jesus came for the explicit purpose to set his people free. Pardon is a wonderful gift, Grace there is my every debt to pay.
But that Grace was Costly and that Grace is not automatic.

There needs to be a Response and humility which results in Confession and Repentance and without those there can be no true forgiveness. It cheapens the very Essence, the very real Cost. Of what Forgiveness is all about.

It is no wonder this Jewish man for whom we should pray goes on to say and I quote:
"I host a radio talk show, and when confronted with such arguments, some callers offered another defence: "The students were not forgiving Carneal for murdering three students. They were forgiving him for the pain he caused them."
This type of self-centred thinking masquerading as a religious ideal is a good example of the moral disarray in much of religious life.
Others have a more sophisticated defence: doing so is psychologically healthy. It brings "closure." This is therapy masquerading as idealism: "I forgive because I want to feel better.'
Until Carneal's massacre, I believed that Christians will lead society's moral renaissance.
Though I still believe that, the day those students, with their school's support hung up that sign I became less encouraging.

If young Christians have inherited more values from the sixties culture than from religion, where can we look for help?" (End quote)
A thought provoking article don't you think.

Years before in the now famous saying of William Booth talking about the dangers of the twentieth century. In part he said there will be those advocating Forgiveness without Repentance"
And that is not what the Bible Teaches. So we want to state it again from Scripture and say Praise God the wonderful news that Forgiveness is necessary, and Costly and real.
Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Supremacy of Christ
Col. 1:19-20. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
The tremendous cost of that Total Forgiveness was not and is not cheap.
Hebrews 9:27-28 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All was Very Costly but effective.
It is enough that Jesus Died and that he died for me. And Rose again.

Paul after his rather stern letter to the Corinthians
Says 2 Corinthian 7:9-11. Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
Forgiveness cost a great deal. Let us not cheapen its cost.

Let us love the Sinner but hate the sin, hate that which is wrong.
Let us put into practice the Lords Prayer let us forgive those who come to us and ask for forgiveness, and let us ask God to help us forgive those who have hurt us badly.
But let us not cheapen Forgiveness by talking loose lipped about its cost. It is not automatic.
There is a cost there needs to be a response.
God' s Word tells us let me repeat:
2 Corinthians 7: 10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done".
May the Lord Bless you and give you understanding.
Repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ makes all the difference.

May He help you also to forgive those who have wronged you, hurt you.

May the Lord Bless and keep you Sincerely Rintje Taekema (major)