Subject: Can we not ask God to forgive another? |
Bible Note: mommapbs, It wasn’t my intent to insinuate that you were equating God’s forgiveness with man’s nor was I being accusatory. As I read through the posts that originated from jen2000, I read were she was informed that she should “ask God to forgive” the person who trespassed against her. A follow up post stated, that remark was unscriptural and pointed out that Jesus had the authority as God the Son to request God the Father’s forgiveness we however, do not. It further pointed out that, referencing The Lord’s Prayer, “This verse teaches us two things: that we are to pray for the forgiveness of our own debts [same as 'sins' in Luke 11:4], and that we are to forgive our debtors, i.e., "others for their transgressions" as Jesus points out in Matthew 6:14. But it says nothing about asking God to forgive someone else. “ After that point, it seemed to me anyhow, that the discussion started, not necessarily comparing God’s forgiveness of man and our forgiveness of man, but intertwined the two. My point is that, and I agree with you concerning. “Since this post was to be a source of encouragement to one who was offended, I would prefer to look to God for a response that will glorify Him”, while encouraging another, there as well runs the risk of further confusing that person. All I wanted to do is point out that there is a difference between the two. Whether or not we forgive another has only an effect on our own relationship with God, not necessarily the offender’s. However, God’s forgiveness has an eternal effect. With God’s forgiveness, we must first have faith, then confess and repent. Through the blood of Christ we have atonement. But just as you stated, we can forgive another without them even asking and probably should. I know many that would never “stoop” to apologizing and asking for forgiveness when they harm another, intentionally or not. But when Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth about forgiving the sinner, it is never mentioned that the sinner repented yet they were still instructed to forgive and comfort. (2 Corinthians 2:7) I think it is important to distinguish between the two for the sake of the person who initiated the question. WOS |