Limits to forgiveness?

What are the limits of forgiveness?

The bible says if we want to be forgiven then we must forgive. So it is pretty simple to determine limitations with this in mind.

Luke 6:37
"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Is this one of the verses that you are referring to?

I think that it's good to look at ourselves in light of this. Judge not ourselves. We don't get to be the judge and jury of ourselves when we have taken on His redemption and blood covering for our sin. He paid it all. We cast off then the 'right' to judge ourselves guilty when we accept Jesus' payment and love and covering over ourselves. His blood was enough.

This then translates to others. Oh what a mystery He is!! A God of justice AND forgiveness. A God who HATES the wrong, hurt, pain and yes, agony people inflict on each other and that we inflict onto ourselves. He HATES it. And yet, He died for it. He doesn't excuse it, He isn't ok with it, but He covers that sin with His blood, which cost Him everything. This is His story.

His heart BREAKS for the pain that people are in. But He made a way!!! A way of freedom, healing and redemption. His love is sooo much greater than our sin. His love is sooo much greater than others' sin against us. He must reveal this to us. This honestly is something only He can do.

Psalm 103:1
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

1 John 1:9, NIV: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."


When we understand the depths of His forgiveness for us and the immense love that pours out on us that blots out our failings, insecurities, our sin nature in general, our self-centeredness, our hurtful anger, cruel words, pride... the list goes on and on..., it is from that place of healing and redemption that we are enabled to then pour out His very same forgiveness onto others. It's not really ours to give. It was HIS that He gave us, that we then give. Forgiveness is a true miracle. It is honestly impossible without Him. Jesus help us! We need You to pour out Your beautiful gift of forgiveness when we are hurting from the wrong others do and have done knowingly and unknowingly against us. Do what only You can do in us!!

Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness He will bring forth justice.
Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

God also has His limits to forgiveness, perhaps we could remember His limits when determining our own.....

The 1st Chapter of Romans reveals Gods limits...........as well, there is another passage of Scripture that may provide insight for us...........

Matthew, Chapter 18:

15) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16) But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

17) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

simply put there is no limit to forgiveness
70x7 is completeness ergo forever

The Bible is referring to good believers (brothers and sisters in Christ or Jews at the time of Jesus) who either made a mistake and then apologized/corrected-the-situation/repented (we must forgive them) or fell for Satan due to being young in the faith, but later saw the errors of their ways after they sinned badly and caused a lot of damage to others (we must also forgive them and not be stubborn about it).

The Bible is most certainly not referring to evil unbelievers who don't apologize/self-correct/repent. If you forgive those people, they continue to do evil since they don't believe in good nor God. You must avoid them or punish them instead, depending on the situation.

Also, forgiveness is only granted to those who see their errors and repent of them. Those unwilling to repent never receive true forgiveness from anyone.

AM,
the kind of 'forgiveness' that you are talking about would be just for the 'forgiver',
the one who has been abused/betrayed/violated/haunted -
when one becomes enlightened and able to forgive such wickedness,
through the Love of Jesus Christ, then they are set free,
from any bondage/power that 'not forgiving' would always hold onto them...

Such forgiveness that you speak of is not true forgiveness. It is a self lie to make oneself feel better temporarily.

True forgiveness can only be granted to whose who repent, and it is done for God, not for making oneself feel better.

By the way, if one feels abused/betrayed/violated/haunted by someone else's wrongdoing, they don't need to lie to themselves by pretending to forgive them. They can just continue to follow Jesus Christ and turn the other cheek.

Turning the other cheek is not forgiveness. It is choosing to move on and focus on following Jesus Christ instead of getting caught up by evil and the sin of anger, which come from Satan.

People who do wrong and do not repent are not on the right path of Jesus Christ, and thus do not really matter. As such, it is very easy to ignore them and move on.

That said, if someone caused practical problems with their wrongdoings, one must focus on correcting those problems without getting angry to prevent other people from getting hurt by them.

Forgive like God.
If God would forgive then we should.
If God would not forgive then we should not.

Don't try to out forgive God.

We are to imitate Jesus. In so doing we forgive and the from the heart, soul and mind. This is what people know to be godly *goodly( in attitude, spirit and truth.

Never diminish a believer-s forgiveing others whether they offender is repentant or not for so did our Lord from the cross. To think otherwise is a shame.

I think forgiveness of the repentant is required, if it more then repentance in word only, be wise.
If it is a brother or sister in Christ, I would say assume the best of any repentance.
I think we need to forgive was is done in ignorance against us, that is Jesus example.
I think we need to ask forgiveness for any bitterness we let grow in our hearts, but that really has nothing to do with the other person.
Forgive someone specific if God tells you to.

I think the remaining case is to forgive a heart of rebellion against God.
That God does not do.

But he does show kindness to evil men.
So you can do that instead if God leads.

just do not let your forgiveness end up being tolerance of and the De facto approval of evil rebellion against God and his Christ.

I know a person who had a much older brother who was quite jealous of the younger all the while growing up. He tried to electrocute him on one occasion. On another he and some of his friends put the lad on the doghouse and put a rope around his neck and over the limbe of a tree just above. Then they pushed the lad off and he was hanged however the roppe, being an old cotton rope, broke only leving rope burns on the child-s neck. There were more attmpst but all thwarted.
The younger grew up came to the Lord, Yeshua, and forgave his brother, without having to ask his repentance, and he prayerd for the offender almost daily.
News came to the younger that the elder had passed on, however just a very few months before passing, he came to the Lord, and now sleeps in Jesus.
lForgiving does not always wait for repentance, and ofttimes not at all.

Would you have advised the younger brother to contact the older one and be friends with him again before he got converted?

What about a cheating spouse? Would you advice the spouse to forgive, and look the other way while their spouse continues to cheat?

When God forgives, He remembers our sins no more, are humans to forgive in this way?

If a friend keeps borrowing and does not repay, should the other friend forgive and forget and keep lending?

Haing seen it all, it is understood.

Now as for the borrowing.........at a certain point he or she should be cut off for their own good. Also the lender probably has those dependent who are in need. Never mind, we are to neither be a lender nor borrower when possible.

The person never denied love of his older brother, but kept away from him for a time before all was settled betweixt the two.

Only God can perfectly forgive.

I maybe wrong. But just my opinion there.

That's indeed impossible.

While you may have to keep distance from someone, you can still do the following:

Its very important for us not to be bitter over anything bad that was done to us. You have to put the situation in God's hands and don't worry or fret over it. "Fret not thyself because of evil doers." And "do not return evil for evil." And yes, "pray for those that persecute you."

It seem we are delving into some kind of doctrine not found in the Word. "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." When I repeat the prayer given by Jesus_Yeshua, I do consider ever phrase and every word with allo the gravity of each. d

Believe we cannot forgive is believing we cannot be forgiven. I gladly forgive all extending what mercy is given me to extend. Otherwise I am never to be forgiven. Follow the Example Who forgave even those who tortured Him............. I know you are given to do so.

Forgiving others is free, and liberating. I know because I seem to have no enemies other than those of our Father and we all know who they are, just identifying them is the problem. That will come on the Great and Glorious Day of our blessed Savior, amen.