Sin and Forgiveness

Jesus said to His disciples, "Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one THROUGH whom they come. It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, REBUKE HIM. If he repents, FORGIVE HIM."

Stuff happens . . . It's part of life. We live in a sin-filled world where the unexpected is expected! At times, it seems the more good we do, the more challenges we face. However, Jesus warns us here not to be the AGENT of sin. We may face trials and challenges all day long, but we must be careful not to allow it to cause us to dish it back out. Yet we simply cannot ignore the sin either. 

Contrary to popular belief, yes even in the church, we are to REBUKE our fellow believers' sin ( privately and in love of course). We are to point out how they offended us in a way that will lead to REPENTANCE and definitely not make it a public spectacle (1 Corinthians 6). The REBUKE should lead to REPENTANCE, FORGIVENESS, and HEALING. As for the non-believer, our acts of forgiveness and non-combativeness might just lead to their salvation. 

We who have been most hurt by sin should be the one most willing to forgive the sin. After all, what has Christ done for us? God's goal . . . Our goal . . . is reconciliation . . . Oneness . . . Communion with Him and one another!