Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Forgiveness Vs. Reconciliation

Forgiveness Vs. Reconciliation

"Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." Romans 12:17.

This is an amazing phrase - simple looking, terribly hard in application to be honest. But I'm trying.. still learning... (forever learning one ler...) hehe.. anyway.. this post is not a platform for me to SIGH... so here goes... the rightful content.

Following a series of Daily Encounters on "Forgiveness," a number of readers wanted to know if forgiving another person meant that we have to forget what has happened; or to love and stay with them if they are abusive; or to trust them?

The answer is no, no, no! Let me explain further.

When we have sinned, we need to be reconciled to God,2 but while reconciliation with others is the ideal, it isn't always possible—and sometimes not to be desired. Some teachers argue that forgiveness isn't possible unless the offending person admits what she/he has done and asks for forgiveness of the one they have hurt. If this were true, many of us would be stuck for life for the fact that many people do not, or will not, admit that they have done anything wrong, let alone apologize for it.

Forgiveness is dependent only on the person who has been hurt.

Reconciliation is... read more here.