Making Everyone Mad At Us
We’re talking about the Christian Nationalism debate live, and we’re going to add some context you need to hear, lovable pew-sitter.
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We’re talking about the Christian Nationalism debate live, and we’re going to add some context you need to hear, lovable pew-sitter.
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
I see the 12-year-old troll is back. Pick your own screen name, child.
Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth (1 Cor. 13:6)
God’s grace does not cover, hide, or ignore sin. It wipes it completely away. It separates us from sin. Gone and forgotten as far as the east is from the west. BUT that grace is only extended upon repentance, and true repentance means to turn away.
“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” – 1 John 3:8-9
And you are continuing in sin every time you post using someone else’s name. You’re bearing false witness, and you have been made aware of it many times.
According to 1 John 3:8-9, what does that say about you?
The key phrase in 1 Pet. 4:8 is “one another” – i.e., fellow born again Christians
You continue to show yourself, troll, to not be a part of that “one another”
All of the epistles were written to the church – to believers. If it says “one another” it’s talking about believers.
Another key point is that 1 Pet. 4:8 is not talking about sins against the Lord. It’s talking about sins/trespasses against one another. We do not have the authority, power, or means to love away somebody else’s sins against the Lord. Only He can forgive those sins, and they cannot receive that forgiveness without repenting and asking Him for it.
As it pertains to loving one another, the same principle applies to forgiving a brother or sister for their sins against us. Jesus made this clear in Luke 17:3. IF a brother sins against you, rebuke him. IF he repents forgive him.
Then, if you have love one for another, you forget it and move on. That is what Peter is talking about. He’s not talking about hiding or ignoring sin. He’s talking about our ability and capacity to forgive, forget one another’s trespasses against us, and to continue in good fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ.
I know this may come as a shock to you, but we are supposed to rebuke sin. And we are not obligated to forgive devoid of repentance. That’s what Jesus said. We can forgive without repentance, but it is often unloving to do so. Enabling others in their sin, which will ultimately lead to eternal damnation, is about as unloving as it gets.
If you and “M” are the same troll, then you’ve already told me before that you are not a Christian. So I’m trying to help you understand.
Ignoring the necessity for repentance is similar to enabling a drug addict. If you love a drug addict, you don’t give them drugs or money. There is very little you can do, as a matter or truly showing love, to help them when and if they don’t want to be helped, and do not want to turn away from drugs. But if they genuinely indicate that they want to turn away (like genuinely repenting of sin), then you can help them.
The principle is similar. Enabling sin is not loving. Often times the most loving thing to do is to call them to repentance. Then if they genuinely repent, we forgive them, as Jesus said to do.
And of course, the term “one another” also implies that reciprocity. It refers to the process of reconciliation that Jesus described in Luke 17:3. And it mirrors the same process of reconciliation that God extends to us through Jesus Christ. It is a two-way street, so to speak.
1: rebuke
2: repent
3: forgive
4: move on
What happens between people, as happens between individuals and the Lord, is that one side is often not willing to fulfill their part of the reconciliation process. The Lord is always willing to do His part, so that’s all on us. But if the subject is sins/trespasses against one another, then one or both sides of it may not fulfill their part (which is ultimately a failure to fulfill one’s obligation to the Lord – to honor what Jesus instructed us to do), in which case there’s nothing you can do.
That’s how it works. That’s what it means to love one another. It means both sides should be willing to fulfill their part. If one isn’t, then you can’t point fingers. If you sin, and you’re rebuked for it, but you don’t repent, then you can’t turn around and point fingers at somebody else for not forgiving you and overlooking your sin. In the larger picture, longest term, and it doesn’t get any longer-term than eternity, if you have refused to repent, you won’t be able to point the finger at Jesus, and blame Him for not forgiving you. You won’t be able to get away with trying to shame Him into allegedly being unloving. He loved you enough to die for you. But He will not forgive your sins, and you will not be reconciled to God to spend eternity with Him, unless you repent.
You have to understand love as God defines love. What the world defines as love is not love.
And every part of that process that Jesus outlined, between one another, and between each of us and the Lord, is entirely necessary. If any part is ignored, reconciliation cannot be completed.
If someone sins or trespasses against you, for example, and you fail to rebuke them – you fail to make them aware of what they did, why and how it was wrong according to the Biblical standards that God has given us, then you cannot get mad at them if they don’t repent. They may not be aware of what they did, or you may not be able to adequately rebuke them because in reality they did nothing wrong.
As it applies to our dealings with our Maker, He has fulfilled that part of the process. His Word thoroughly and completely rebukes us.
The same applies for all other steps of the process. It is absolutely necessary. And for either side to refuse to fulfill his or her obligation, is to be unloving. If you fail to rebuke, you fail to love. If you fail to repent, you fail to love. If you fail to forgive, you fail to love.
As Jesus said, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments”. If you love Him, you will fulfill your part of that reconciliation. If you love Him, you will repent and turn from sin.