Forgiveness Without Repentance?

Mike Johnson

The Bible emphasizes the importance of forgiving those who sin against us. In fact, failing to do so is very frightening because, in Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus taught, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Further, He taught in Mark 11:25-26, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Note also Mt. 6:12; Col. 3:13.) If we want to be forgiven by God, we must be willing to forgive others. A 17th-century poet, George Herbert, aptly wrote, “He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.”

But what if the person who sins against us does not repent? Consider the following scenario. Mary and Sally, both Christians, are friends, but Sally sins against Mary by saying things to others about her that are both hurtful and untrue. Mary approaches her with love and concern about what she is doing. Although Sally has clearly sinned, she refuses to acknowledge her sins and does not repent. What should Mary do? Should she say to Sally, “The Bible tells us to forgive, so even though you have not repented, I forgive you.” Or should she not forgive her until she repents? We will examine various verses and biblical principles to try and answer this question.

There are many Biblical questions someone may ask us, which can be quickly answered by turning to a passage and telling the inquirer to read it and then say, “This answers your question.” The question of whether people should forgive those who sin against them, even though they do not repent, is also easily answered from one verse. Luke 17:3 says, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Verse 4 continues, “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” These verses add a condition for forgiveness: repentance. So, if people sin against us, must they repent before we can forgive them? The passage says we should not.

Consider now a closer look at Luke 17:3-4. Several imperatives exist in these verses. He begins by saying, “Take heed to yourselves.” (The NASB says, “Be on your guard!”) In verses 1-2, after Jesus speaks of the seriousness of causing someone to sin, He then speaks of the need to be careful about being unwilling to forgive someone who sins against you. These two verses have three “if/then” type statements. First, if a brother sins against you, then “rebuke him.” The Greek word translated as “rebuke” by the NKJV, and most other translations, involve telling the offending brother that he is wrong. (Note also 2 Tim. 4:2.) Next, if he repents, we should forgive him. Thus, we must forgive the brother who sins against us, but he states a condition: “if he repents.” The third imperative is in verse 4, where He says that not only are we to forgive someone who sins against us, but we are to do so even seven times in a day if the person repents.

Matthew 18:15-17 expands on the previous verses in Luke. It says:

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to listen to the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

In these verses, “tell him his fault” and “if he hears you” are equivalent to “rebuke Him” and “if he repents” in Luke 17. Both passages address a situation of a Christian sinning against another Christian, and in both cases, the one who sins must repent before the one sinned against is to forgive.

In Luke 17, the process is:

The brother sins against you.
You rebuke him.
If he repents, forgive him.

In Matthew 18:15-17 it is:

A brother sins against you.
You go by yourself and “tell him his fault.”
If he does not hear you, take one or two more with you.
If he still does not repent, then tell it to the church.
If he does not hear the church, then treat him like a “heathen and a tax collector.”
Anywhere in the process, if he does “hear you” (or repents), then you forgive him, and you have “gained your brother.”

The process mentioned above is to get the one who sinned to repent. If the person does not repent, the church must take further action at some point, as described in the Scriptures (1 Cor. 5:1-8). This action is done so an impenitent person’s “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5). In the example, if Sally doesn’t repent and Mary tells Sally she forgives her anyway and then forgets about it, she is doing Sally, who desperately needs to repent to be forgiven, a great disservice. Also, if we are to forgive those who will not repent, what is even the point of Matthew 18:15-17?

Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Thus, Christians are to forgive one another. But how are we to do this? We forgive the same way God forgives us; God has always required repentance before forgiveness. Consider various passages that emphasize this point. During His ministry, Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3). On the day of Pentecost, Peter told the Jews that they could be forgiven, but there were two conditions: repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38). In Acts 3:19, Peter told his audience that their sins would be blotted out, but they had to repent and be converted. Later, Peter told Simon, a Christian who sinned, to repent and pray for forgiveness (Acts 8:22). Thus, we see repentance as a requirement by God, and we see the concept of certain conditions needing to be met before forgiveness. Therefore, we must forgive others as God forgives us. (Eph. 4:32). God requires repentance, and so must we.

Some may say that not forgiving those who sin against us unless repentance occurs does not “feel right” and shows a lack of love and compassion. They look at people who would take this position as holding a grudge against the one who had sinned against them. If this attitude were to exist, it would violate God’s Word. In Ephesians 4:31, just before making the statement about forgiveness, he says that “all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and “evil speaking” and malice must be put away. Instead, he points out, we are to be kind and tenderhearted to one another. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus taught, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Complying with the condition stated in Luke 17:3 (“if he repents”) does not allow us to hold grudges and ignore other plain passages about love and kindness toward those who sin against us. (Note also Romans 12:17-21.)

Some quote the words of Jesus in Luke 23:24 when He was on the cross. The passage says, “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do’ . . . .” It is contended that Jesus, from the cross, is forgiving his murderers without their repentance. (By the way, it can be argued that the first part of this verse is missing in some of the early manuscripts and should not be in the text. However, we will assume its authenticity for the sake of argument.)

Does Jesus’ statement on the cross mean we can forgive people today who sin against us even though they do not repent? First, consider Christ’s earlier statement about the need for repentance to avoid perishing (Lk. 17:3). Next, consider what Peter said a short time later, preaching to the Jews who had gathered on Pentecost. He preached a sermon about Jesus being the son of God and accused them of having crucified Him (Acts 2:22-36 ). They were “cut to the heart” (37) by what Peter said and asked what they should do. Peter told them they needed to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (38). Did these people need to do this to be forgiven for what they did earlier? Did not Jesus, on the cross, ask God to forgive them? Could they not have told Peter, “We have already received forgiveness for having killed the Son of God; didn’t you hear what Jesus said earlier on the cross? Although Jesus previously said, “Father, forgive them,” they still had their sins because they had not complied with the conditions of God’s forgiveness. Jesus did not mean they were forgiven without repentance, but instead, He exhibited a forgiving heart while on the cross. Jesus was willing to forgive. He had a forgiving spirit, but the people responsible for killing Him still had to do their part: they had to repent and be baptized (37-38).

Stephen, later being stoned to death, exhibited this same forgiving attitude, saying, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60). Among those present at Stephen’s death was Paul (Acts 7:58; 8:1-3). Was he forgiven, along with everyone else involved in the execution, right then? No, he was forgiven of this sin and all others, when later, as a penitent believer, he became a Christian (Acts 9:1-19; 22:1-21). In Acts 22:16, he was told, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Note also 2 Timothy 4:14-15.)

How do we reconcile passages like Mark 11:25-26, which says nothing about the need to repent by the one who sins against us, with Luke 17:3-4, which states the need for repentance in that situation? Many passages teach that we are to forgive those who sin against us, but these verses must be understood in light of the condition stated in Luke 17:3 and biblical teaching elsewhere. As with any Bible question, we must take everything the Bible says on a subject. Thus, when a Christian sins against us, we do not pretend that the situation does not exist. We work to resolve the problem (without vengeance) because of our love for Jesus (Jn. 14:15) and for the person who has sinned. We want the person to repent and to be saved eternally.

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Can Those That Are Sincere Be Wrong?

Donnie V. Rader

Honesty and sincerity do not guarantee that our positions and actions are right. We recognize that principle in other areas of life. Why not grabble with it in religion? We all know that it is possible for one to take the wrong medication, while believing it to be correct, and then suffer the consequences. If a person drank a glass of poison, thinking it to be water, would it not have an adverse affect upon him?

All through the Bible there are examples of those who were sincere and still in sin. To illustrate, consider the case of Abimelech who took Sara from Abraham. He said, “In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this” (Gen. 20:5). Yet, it was still wrong for him to take her. God told Abimelech, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife” (v. 3). As a consequence, God “closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife” (v. 18).

Do you remember the old prophet who lied to the younger one about God telling him to come back with him (1 Kings 13)? The younger prophet had been specifically warned by God who said, “You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came” (v. 9). The older prophet “lied” to him and convinced the younger prophet that the Lord told him to bring the younger prophet home with him. So, he did what he was told. The text says the Lord allowed a lion to slay him because of his disobedience. Sincere? Yes. Honest? Absolutely. Wrong? No doubt!

More specifically, there are cases of people who were sincere and yet they were still wrong and in need of salvation. Saul of Tarsus is a case in point. Before his conversion he persecuted the church making havoc of it (Acts 8:1-3). He assisted in putting Christians in prison and voiced his opinion about some being put to death. In fact, he was so bad that he described himself as the “chief” of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Yet, during that time, he lived with a clear conscience (Acts 23:1). The whole time he was doing what he thought to be right. He was wrong, though sincere. He still needed to be baptized to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16).

Another case is that of Cornelius, the first Gentile convert (Acts 10). He was a good man (vv. 2, 22). He feared God, gave alms, and prayed regularly. Yet, he still had to hear the gospel by which he could be saved (Acts 10:6; 11:14). Was this notable leader sincere? No one would question that. Was he still lost and in need of salvation? He certainly was.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that there would be some who would be surprised at the judgment day. He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:21-23)! Their reaction shows their honesty and sincerity. Yet, these would be cast off because they work lawlessness (doing that which is not lawful).

While we do not determine what is right and wrong by whether we like the consequences, we can see something is wrong with a conclusion if its consequences contradict plain and simple passages. If we cannot conceive of sincere people being lost, then we must conclude that any who are honest and sincere cannot be lost. Who could affirm that? That would mean that sincerity is all that is essential. It wouldn’t matter what you believe, practice, or teach in religion as long as you are sincere. This would mean that any Jew or Muslim who denies that Jesus is the Son of God would not be lost (even though he doesn’t believe in Christ) since he is sincere. Thus, any passage demanding faith would have to be wrong! Furthermore, even an atheist would not be lost if he is honest and sincere in their conclusions. Who can accept these consequences?

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Legalism: The Un-Sin

Steve Klein

Since the church began, the devil has concocted any number of diabolical schemes to ensnare God’s people. One of his most successful gambits has been the invention of the pseudo-sin commonly called legalism. More people consider legalism to be a sin than consider 7-UP to be a cola, but they are all mistaken. Legalism is the UN-SIN.

Legalism is defined as “strict, literal or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code” (Webster’s Dictionary). Simply put, a legalist follows the rules.

I was not there when the devil and his angels dreamed up this strategy for getting Christians to commit more sin by convincing them that legalism is a sin. But I must say that it was a stroke of genius. Just think of it — being able to actually convince people that not committing sin is a sin!

Satan must have noticed that early disciples “continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine” (Acts 2:42) and that they were expected to be “obedient in all things” (II Corinthians 2:9). At some point, however, Satan also became aware that the apostles and prophets of Christ were teaching Jewish Christians that they could not rely on their obedience to the Law of Moses for their salvation; it would do them no good to strictly follow the Law of Moses. And that’s when Satan hatched his scheme. He knew that if he could convince Christians that the apostolic warnings against becoming “entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1) were talking about strictly keeping the commands of Jesus, then he could get them to stop being concerned with commandment-keeping.

This is what has happened. Millions of people today who call themselves Christians believe that strict obedience to God is a sin called legalism. They believe that to be a faithful Christian one must not be too concerned with actually doing exactly what Jesus said to do. Their leaders write things like the following:

“Stringently striving to obey Christian rules and regulations doesn’t enable the Spirit-filled walk; it often kills it (II Corinthians 3:6).” [Neil Anderson, Freed from Legalism].

Please note that in the verse cited by this anti-legalist, the apostle Paul states that God “made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” What is “the letter” in this passage? Is it “Christian rules and regulations” as Mr. Anderson states? We don’t have to guess, for Paul tells us in the next verse. The letter that kills is called “the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones” (II Corinthians 3:7). “The letter” is plainly the Law of Moses! It was written on tablets of stone.

Over and over again the apostles of Christ warn that striving to strictly follow the Law of Moses will lead to death, not life! But nowhere do they state that strictly following the commands of Christ will do the same.

The New Testament never condemns the strict keeping of the commandments of God. It always commends it. Even the hair-splitting, herb-tithing, commandment-keeping Pharisees were not condemned for keeping God’s commandments too well. They were condemned for keeping the small requirements while leaving off the big ones. Jesus told them that they should have kept both! “These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).

My friends, those who love God will keep His commandments. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (I John 5:3). Those who don’t keep God’s commandments, don’t really know Him. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says,”I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (I John 2:3-4).

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Better than Confession

David Maxon

“Yet even now, “declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” (Joel 2:12-13)

If we’ve heard very many sermons at all, we’ve doubtless made one of the following statements after a good lesson:

“Preacher, I really needed that.”
“Preacher, you really stepped on my toes.”
“Preacher, you have given me a lot to work on.”

I enjoy hearing statements like that. It gives me hope that my sermon did some good.

But I also know that statements like these can be misleading. It’s not that we intentionally lie. These things can be said in absolute sincerity and still be false. And the person we’re lying to may not necessarily be the preacher. We could be lying to ourselves.

Confessing a fault can make us feel penitent even when no real change in our behavior has taken place. Saying, “I really need to work on that,” sometimes is nothing more than just words. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. We must do more than just talk a good game. We need to back it up with action.

This is not to diminish the importance of confession. Confession is an important step toward repentance, but it only points us to the need to repent. Confession alone does not equal repentance.

So if something from God’s Word has convicted us of a sin or weakness in our life, why do we not resolve to do something about it? What are some actions we can engage in today to lead to a meaningful change in our lives?

Father of mercy, help us to love you with more than our words. Help us to put our confession into action!

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Attitude

Mark White

If you would like to kill the work of your local congregation, then I have the perfect plan:

Skip services often and encourage others to skip, too.
When you do attend, come in late and cause a little disturbance. While there, take a good nap.
Always be critical and nit-picky.
Never volunteer to help, but always complain about the way the volunteers are doing things.
Even though you don’t want to volunteer, still act annoyed and put out when you don’t get an important job.
If asked directly to give your opinion, act like you don’t have one. Later, get on the phone and tell others how things should have been done in the first place.
Never do more than absolutely necessary, then accuse those who are doing the work of being a clique.
Withhold your contribution and tell-others why you don’t think they should support the work either.
When you do volunteer for a job, just do a half hearted mediocre job.
Never compliment or encourage any of the members.
Don’t bother with converting anyone, but if you do, then make sure that they are as negative and disruptive as you.
Every time you hear some juicy gossip, be sure to tell everyone you can. After all, it is your duty to proclaim the truth. Your brethren have a right to know.

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Where Are the Dead?

Leon Mauldin

(7-14-24)

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Editor: Mike Johnson

www.seekingthingsabove.org